cozy mystery Archives - NY Foodie Family

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An Appetite For Murder by Lucy Burdette
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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I’ve recently been on a food-related cozy mystery reading kick. Cozy mysteries are usually quick, easy reads for me and I especially love that there a ton of books related to my favorite subject, food. These books allow me to combine the best of both worlds, reading and food! I first started with On What Grounds, the first in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. I then read this book An Appetite For Murder by Lucy Burdette. This is the first book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series. In this book, Hayley Snow leaves New Jersey to follow her boyfriend, Chad to Key West, Florida (we know how that always works out, don’t we?!!). But soon after moving to Key West Hayley finds Chad cheating on her. Jobless and sharing a houseboat with her friend Connie, Hayley is hoping to land a job with new style magazine, Key Zest as their food critic. But then Chad’s new girlfriend, and Hayley’s possible new boss at Key Zest ends up dead, and Hayley is pinned as the main suspect. The book takes us through Hayley trying to prove her innocence and catch the real killer. Burdette gives the reader a good feel of Key West and its culture and food. The book includes a quirky tarot card reader, Lorenzo, Hayley’s cat, Evinrude, an eclectic houseboat community and good food. If I had to choose a dream job, food critic it would be! So, I really enjoyed getting an inside look at the food critic profession. The book also includes three recipes that were mentioned in the story. Author Lucy Burdette also writes the golf lovers mystery series and the advice column mystery series under the name Roberta Isleib. I enjoyed this book so much I’ve already started the second book in the series, Death In Four Courses.

*I borrowed this book from the library.

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With all of the cold and snowy weather we’ve been having, I’ve been spending a lot of time curled up in front of the pellet stove reading. What’s more perfect reading than a cozy mystery on a cold day! Cozy mysteries differ from the regular mystery and thriller type reads in that they often feature an amateur detective who helps solve the mystery and often take place in a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else. I haven’t read many cozy mysteries, but of course the ones I have been interested in are the ones that revolve around food.

This book, On What Grounds is the first of fourteen in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. The series is written by Cleo Coyle, a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini. In this first book, Clare Cosi, manages the Village Blend, an historic coffee house that’s been in her ex-husband’s family for years. Clare has been managing the Village Blend for several years and has just moved from the New Jersey suburbs to the apartment above the coffee shop, which is located in Greenwich Village, in New York City. When opening the shop one morning she finds the body of one of her assistant managers, Annabelle, at the bottom of the basement stairs. Of course she has to get involved in trying to help the police figure out who did this to Annabelle and there might be some possible romance rekindling with her ex-husband in future books?!

This was a light, fast read but it’s definitely not a suspenseful page turner, if that’s what you’re looking for. I enjoy my daily morning cup of coffee, but I’m no coffee aficionado. I learned a lot about coffee, different types of coffee beverages and different methods of brewing. At some points, the author may have even gone a little too into detail about the finer points of coffee. Recipes from the story are included in the back. Overall, this was an okay mystery and this is a series that I wouldn’t mind continuing to read.

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

*I borrowed this book from the library.

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