ARC Review: Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander

Laying Down the Latte
Author: Ellie Alexander
Series: Bakeshop Mysteries
Publication: Minotaur (August 26, 2025)

Description: Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, Oregon!

Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte’s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in Costa Rica. A fortuitous invitation from one of Carlos’s former colleagues, Valentina, has them venturing to the coffee capital of the world for a tasting tour and an immersive weekend at her family's organic coffee farm.

They soak in the tropical breezes, the vibrant colors, the sounds of morning birdsong, and the sweeping views of the historic coffee farm. Valentina is the ultimate host, offering them traditional meals and thrilled to have their input as she’s preparing to open a coffee counter and bakery on the farm.

The getaway is just what Jules needed. A chance to relax and unwind, curl up with a book and iced latte by the pool, and tinker in Valentina’s kitchen, dreaming up new recipes to bring home. Except her tranquil weekend quickly turns into a nightmare when one of Valentina’s employees is found dead in the pulping machine. Now, Jules will have to put her vacation on hold to try and uncover the murderer before one of Torte's beloved workers becomes the next body thrown into the mix.

My Thoughts: Jules Capshaw, her husband Carlos, and barista Andy travel to Costa Rica to spend a long weekend with friend Valentina. They bring Andy because Valentina owns and lives on a coffee plantation. They expect a quiet weekend of reconnecting with old friends and learning more about coffee production but find themselves involved in solving a murder when Valentina's cousin and co-owner of the plantation is killed while operating some machinery. 

There are all kinds of things going on. Miguel had decided to sell his half of the plantation to a huge corporation which displeased and angered everyone else on the plantation from his cousin to his workers to the man who buys most of the coffee for his coffee shops. When the farm manager is arrested, Jules, Carlos and Andy get involved in finding the real killer since none of them believe the manager is guilty.

Lots of information about coffee growing and production and lots of recipes fill this culinary cozy. It is also rife with possible suspects who, in Jules's mind are more probable, than the young farm manager. Engaging story with interesting characters and a great setting. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

Bait and Swiss
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries (Book 6)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 29, 2025)

Description: In Korina Moss's Bait and Swiss, Yarrow Glen’s newest business gives one unlucky resident the swiss of death.

It’s been almost two years since Willa Bauer opened Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, and both cheesemonger and cheese shop are thriving in the Sonoma Valley. While Willa doesn’t eat chocolate, it’s true that life is like a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, life’s latest curveball is that Willa’s ex fiancé and ex-best friend―the reason for her chocolate aversion―are opening a chocolate pop-up shop across the street. By the end of the shop’s first day, the town’s newest reporter is the victim of death by chocolate. Now Willa’s ex wants her to be Swiss Congeniality, solve the case, and save the day. As much as Willa wants to hit him with the nearest cheese wheel, she can't stop herself from saying yes. And it’s not long before tourists decide to stay clear of town until the killer is caught. To save Yarrow Glen, Willa and Team Cheese have some work to do.

My Thoughts: Willa Bauer is getting ready to celebrate the 2nd birthday of her cheese shop Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen. However, the celebration is derailed when a new reporter in town is found dead after eating some poisoned chocolates. It seems that her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend planned a new pop-up shop selling their designer chocolates in her friend Holly's new cakery. 

Now, Winna is a suspect, and she needs to investigate her former friends. There are a number of suspects and the first thing she has to figure out is who the intended victim was. The chocolates were supposed to be a gift to the newspaper editor, but they were with Willa's order at the cakery. Maybe someone intended that she'd be the one to eat them. 

Willa is immediately suspicious of her exes since their breakup still haunts her. But maybe the bread baker who lost his job when the bakery became a cakery or the owners of the local vintage candy shop had reasons to poison chocolates. 

This was another engaging entry into the Cheese Shop Mysteries. There are lots of returning characters from earlier books which made for a large cast of characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Chow Maniac by Vivian Chen

The Chow Maniac
Author: Vivian Chen
Series: Noodle Shop Mysteries (Book 11)
Publication: Minotaur Books (April 1, 2025)

Description: Asia Village is in peril when Private detective Lydia Shepard returns to enlist the help of Lana Lee to solve a rash of unsolved murders and thefts.

When Lydia brings Lana onto the case, three of the members of an elite Asian order known as the Eight Immortals have already been murdered. Each member of the order holds one item that represents their immortal counterpart, and someone is dying to get their hands on them all. Lydia's client insists he―and only he―knows who will be next and wants the murderer captured before there is another victim.

Riding below the line of three cities of law enforcement and Lana’s own boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, the two women must tread lightly as they infiltrate a secret organization that even the Mahjong Matrons know nothing about. And somehow protect the next victim without letting on that she’s in danger.

As they dig deeper into the case, Lana finds there are unexpected associations within Asia Village and potential ties to her own family that could be devastating. With the stakes raised on the toughest case she’s ever worked, will Lana be able to keep her own emotions out of the investigation? And will the murderer be found before they become the ultimate “immortal”?

My Thoughts: Lana Lee is brought into her eleventh case when Private Investigator Lydia Shepard asks for her help since Lana knows so much about the Asian community. Three members of a secret Asian society designed to help people have recently died in a variety of ways. All seem accidental, but Lydia's client feels that they were murders. 

Since one of the client's suspects is Mr. Zhang who is a long-time family friend of the Lee's and who is dating Lana's grandmother, Lana agrees to get involved in the investigation. It seems that someone is trying to influence the membership of the secret organization by murdering members who don't have a child to pass the membership to. 

While Lana investigates, she manages to learn a number of secrets about the organization and the secretive Mr. Zhang. She also finds herself investigating the murders on a parallel course with her police detective boyfriend. 

This was an engaging, first-person mystery told in Lana's distinctive voice. Fans of he series will enjoy this latest episode. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

 

ARC Review: The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

The Library Game
Author: Gigi Pandian
Series: Secret Staircase Mysteries (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 18, 2025)

Description: In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic detective fiction library that just got its first real-life mystery.

Tempest Raj couldn’t be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives.

Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library’s new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather’s Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.

Multiple award winning author Gigi Pandian masterfully weaves wit and warmth in the Secret Staircase Mysteries. Readers will delight in the surprises Secret Staircase Construction uncovers behind the next locked door.

My Thoughts: The fourth Secret Staircase mystery concerns the death of an actor who was set to play in a murder mystery at a house that is soon to be Gray House Library. The library is filled with Golden Age mysteries collected by the recently deceased owner. The owner left the funds to turn the house into the newest town library to be run by his nephew who would live in the attic carefully remodeled by Secret Staircase Construction.

The actor's body disappears like something in magic trick but then reappears the next evening. Tempest and Sanjay are both stage magicians. They should be able to figure out what happened to the body. However, this is also a locked room mystery since nosy across-the-street neighbor Mrs. Hudson is sure that no one entered or left the premises when the death occurred. 

Tempest calls the gang together to solve the mystery of the actor's death and save the library from being closed before it can even open. Tempest and Sanjay's knowledge of magic, Ivy's vast knowledge of mystery novels, and Gideon's practical nature should be enough to solve the crime. Especially if Tempest's grandfather can use his expansive rolodex to find people to answer all the questions they have about the whole mystery.

This was an engaging story with interesting characters. I like the mix of characters. I also like the whimsical constructions done by Tempest's father's company. With Gideon's departure for a France and a stonemason internship, changes are in the air and Ivy's search for a new home, changes are in the air. 

Fans of the series will enjoy getting back together with some unique detectives for a fun adventure. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow

Star-Crossed Egg Tarts
Author: Jennifer J. Chow
Series: Magical Fortune Cookie (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (January 21, 2025)

Description: Felicity Jin returns in the second book in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.

Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly―until cake cutting time.

That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding's attendants. They each had something to hide―and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.

When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?

My Thoughts: This cozy mystery is the second in the Magical Fortune Cookies series. Felicity Jin has been hired to supply a wedding cake of tiered egg tarts for the Lum-Wu wedding being held outdoors in Pixie Park. Besides the groom's bickering parents, things are going well until a body is discovered underneath the cake table. 

Miles Wu is a cousin of the groom's and is found with Felicity's best friend Kelvin's pruning shears stabbed into his neck. In order to clear her best friend's name, Felicity goes on the case to discover who murdered Miles and discovers that most of the wedding party had sufficient motives to want him dead.

Adding to the stress, Felicity meets her father for the first time since he is a guest at the wedding. Richard Zhou abandoned his wife and daughter when Felicity was an infant. While her mother is very bitter, Felicity has always been curious about him. Deciding whether or not she wants to build a relationship with her absentee father is a problem that winds through this story. 

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. Felicity's ability to design custom fortunes in the fortune cookies she bakes in the bakery she owns with her mother helps in solving the case. I liked the small town setting although I question the viability of a bakery that only sells three items even if they are magical. I liked Felicity's determination to solve the murder and clear her friend. I also liked that she was gradually and hesitantly changing her relationship with Kelvin as she discovers that friendship can also be romantic love. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Fondue or Die
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries (Book 5)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 22, 2024)

Description: In Korina Moss's Fondue or Die, the lazy, hazy, dairy days of summer are coming to a close in the Sonoma Valley. . . and so is someone’s life.

The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing―she is a cheesemonger after all―and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who.

My Thoughts: The fifth Cheese Shop mystery takes place at Dairy Days which is held over the Labor Day weekend. Willa Bauer and her crew are manning a booth where they are selling taster boxes of their various cheeses. 

However, her staff has other responsibilities at the festival too. Mrs. Shultz is busy assisting with the pageant to crown the next Miss Dairy and award a $15,000 scholarship. Mrs. Schultz's job gets more difficult when someone murders Nadine who is in charge of the pageant. With the police deciding to cover up the murder investigation so as not to blight the festival, it is up to Willa and her friends to track down the killer. 

This was another fun episode in this cozy series. I enjoyed reading the recipes at the back too. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza
Author: Mindy Quigley
Series: Deep Dish Mysteries (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 22, 2024)

Description: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fourth book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

Pizza chef Delilah O’Leary and her kitty companion, Butterball, get into the holiday spirit as Geneva Bay, Wisconsin hosts the nation’s premier snow sculpting championship. The annual event transforms the charming resort town into a wonderland of snow castles, ice rinks, and cozy cups of cocoa.

On the eve of the festival though, a too-good-to-be-true Chrismukkah catering gig brings some frosty tidings and heralds an unexpected visit from Delilah’s high-intensity older sister. Suddenly it seems that the holidays may not be the hap-happiest season of all. And when one of the town’s snowy sculptures reveals a chilling surprise, murder threatens to put the celebrations―and Delilah’s crew―on ice for good.
 
My Thoughts: The fourth Deep Dish Mystery takes place around the Christmas/Hannukah holiday period. Delilah O'Leary and her crew are catering a party when she is surprised to see her niece and brother-in-law. They hadn't told her they were going to be in town. 

The next day. when a body is discovered in one of the piles that was to become a snow sculpture, Delilah is on the case. Too many of the suspects are her employees and family. It is hard to remain in the Christmas spirit when someone connected to Delilah might be spending the holidays in jail. 

I enjoyed this mystery. The characters were interesting and complex people. I also enjoyed the holiday recipes that ended the book. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron

French Quarter Fright Night
Author: Ellen Byron
Series: Vintage Cookbook Series (Book 3)
Publication: Severn House; Main edition (September 3, 2024)

Description: The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.

Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .

It's Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.

While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she's less thrilled by former friend Blaine's arrival in town. Then Bon Vee's prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine's nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn't a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.

As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?

My Thoughts: Ricki and the others at the Bon Vee Culinary Museum are busy getting ready for the Halloween festivities and planning a haunted house. However, the new owners of the mansion nest door are causing problems. Miranda Fine, who is the assistant to the mystery owner, is barraging them with complaints. 

All of the residents have various acrimonious confrontations with Miranda. When it is learned that she is the assistant for Blaine Taggart, A-list movie star and best friend of Ricki's late husband, the situation gets even more complex for Ricki. And when Miranda's body is found as a centerpiece in one of Bon Vee's Halloween displays, it is up to Ricki to help the police solve the crime since she and her friends are in the suspects' pool. 

Meanwhile, Ricki is also looking into her family tree. Adopted as an infant in New Orleans, she wants to find any possible remaining relatives. Having tracked down part of her family and finding that she's related to the founder of Bon Vee, she's been trying to find out about the male line. She is quite surprised to find that the murder Victim is a distant relative, but it does give her another thread to tug to find out about her history.

This was another fun episode in the Vintage Cookbook series. I liked that some recipes from vintage cookbooks were included.

Favorite Quote:

Nina lifted a corner of her mouth in a half-smile. "We know what we say: In Louisiana, we only follow the rules we like."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Poisonous Palate by Lucy Burdette

A Poisonous Palate
Author: Lucy Burdette
Series: Key West Food Critic (Book 14)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 6, 2024)

Description: The heat is turned up for Hayley Snow and her friends in the next installment of the Key West Food Critic mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette.

When food critic Hayley Snow receives an intriguing email about a mysterious, decades-old disappearance, her curiosity is piqued. Writer Catherine Davitt has returned to the Keys to research a book about Hemingway’s wives, but she’s also on the hunt for the truth about her missing friend. Hayley quickly agrees to help investigate and they hit the road to see what clues they might find

Back in the late 1970s, Catherine and her friend Veronica were part of a group of lost souls camping in the mangroves of Big Pine Key, until Veronica vanished, and the sheriff’s office cleared out the camp. Catherine and Hayley begin interviewing Big Pine Key residents who were around at the time of Veronica’s disappearance, but uncover more questions than answers.

Catherine and Hayley stop to speak with a motel owner who frequented the fringes of the commune, but they find him stabbed to death. Then Catherine also goes missing, and signs point to a connection between the old case and the new murder. It’s up to Hayley to unravel the knot of secrets and lies before time runs out.

My Thoughts: Food critic and amateur detective Hayley Snow receives an intriguing email which starts her next mystery. Catherine Davitt spent some time in the Keys in the 1970s but left when her traveling partner disappeared. Now, she's back researching for her next self-help book which concerns toxic love and is using Hemingway's four wives as examples. 

Hayley becomes curious about the disappearance of Veronica so many years earlier and is acting as Catherine's chauffeur as they try to find and talk to people who were part of the same hippie community Catherine and Veronica joined. 

After a chat with Ginny at the No Name Pub leads to Ned who ran a seedy motel then and still runs it now. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the motel, they find that someone has stabbed Ned in the back and killed him. Then Catherine disappears leaving Hayley to investigate all the old relationships to find out who killed Ned, where Catherine is, and what happened when Veronica disappeared. 

I liked the Key West setting. I liked Hayley's curiosity and her wide circle of friends. I liked her relationship with her husband Nathan, and I liked her marriage advice to her friend Danielle. This was a nice cozy mystery complete with recipes. 

Favorite Quote:

If we did visit the retired sheriff's deputy, I wanted to do it without Catherine. In my limited experience with her so far, people changed their stories around her, and she changed hers with every wind blowing though as well. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay

Sprinkle with Murder
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Narrator: Susan Boyce
Series: Cupcake Bakery Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (November 29, 2016)
Length: 6 hours and 24 minutes

Description: Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. But their first big client is a nightmare. She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding.

When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead-by-cupcake, she becomes the prime suspect. To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer, before the cupcake killer ices someone else.

My Thoughts: This cozy mystery was a nice start to a new series. Mel Cooper and her best friend Angie DeLaura have opened a cupcake bakery with the help of their best friend Tate. They've been buddies since middle school despite having all attended different colleges and having vastly different careers. 

Now, Tate is set to marry a real bridezilla. She wants Mel to prepare 500 unique flavors of cupcakes for her wedding. She has also had Mel sign a contract saying that the bride will own the cupcake flavors and that Mel can't make them again for her store. 

When Mel goes to the bride's dress design business to talk about the cupcakes, she finds the bride dead on the floor. Then Mel finds herself the chief suspect in the woman's death. 

Meanwhile, another local baker is harassing Mel and Angie and wants to force them out of business. If Mel and Angie want to save their new business, they will have to find the real murderer. 

First published in 2010, the story is a little dated. Mentions of Blackberrys are the first clue. The biggest clue comes in the form of the murder weapon. Fentanyl is much more on everyone's radar than it was in 2010. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story and liked the main characters. I wasn't very fond of Mel's mother who just didn't seem to listen to her daughter even if her heart was in the right place. I liked the romance aspects of the story though one big one was unresolved. Luckily, this is the first book of a sixteen-book series. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Rhythm and Clues by Olivia Blacke

Rhythm and Clues
Author: Olivia Blacke
Series: The Record Shop Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (March 26, 2024)

Description: The rhythm is gonna get you.

It’s been five whole months since the last murder in Cedar River, Texas, and Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie have been humming along when disaster strikes again.

Their struggling vinyl records shop/coffee nook, Sip & Spin Records, is under pressure from predatory investors, though the Jessup sisters aren’t ready to face the music and admit defeat. But the night after their meeting, the sketchy financier is killed outside their shop during a torrential Texas thunderstorm that washes out all the roads in and out of town. Now the sisters find themselves trapped in Cedar River with a killer, and Juni is determined to solve the case.

When the river spits out an unexpected surprise, Detective Beau Russell asks for Juni’s help, never predicting her investigation will spin her into danger. Up until now, the Jessup sisters have been playing it by ear, but with the whole town watching, can they catch a killer before he strikes again?

My Thoughts: Juni Jessup and her two older sisters own Sip & Spin - a coffee shop and a vinyl record shop - in a small Texas town near Austin. They have recently opened and are wondering if they will be able to make it as small business owners.

They are the target of predatory investors. One of the investors is Zackary Fjord. Juni and he went to college together but didn't really know each other. Now he and his partner Samantha are pressuring Juni and her sisters to take his company as a partner. 

However, when Zack dies in a car wreck in front of Sip & Spin during a raging thunderstorm, Juni and her sisters want to know who killed him. It turns out that there are a number of suspects right in town. Zack and his partner Samantha have their fingers in a number of local businesses. The owner of the local music store isn't happy with the partnership. The owner of a clothing shop is also on the side of the haters since he blames them for his store going out of business. Only the owner of the local consignment/thrift shop seems happy with the bargain she made. 

All the while Juni is investigating, she is also dealing with her two love interests. It has become time to stop juggling them and deciding which one she really wants to be with. Beau Russell was her first love, but he broke up with her when she left Texas to take her dream job in the Pacific Northwest. Beau, who is now a police detective, wants to rekindle their romance. Teddy Garza, the local postman, was a childhood friend but the friendship is shifting to romance now that Juni is back in town.

This was a fun cozy mystery. I enjoy Juni who is just now getting into "adulting." I liked the terrific puns for the coffee drinks that Juni creates at Sip & Spin. This is the third book in an enjoyable series. 

Favorite Quote:

The first person in line wanted to know what was in a Never Gonna Give Brew Up. I explained that it was a simple drip coffee made with mild roast beans. When I asked if they wanted a small, medium, or Ariana Grande, they ordered the grande. How could they not?

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian

A Midnight Puzzle
Author: Gigi Pandian
Series: Secret Staircase Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 19, 2024)

Description: In heroine Tempest Raj, modern-day queen of the locked room mystery Gigi Pandian has created a brilliant homage to the greats of classic detective fiction.

Secret Staircase Construction is under attack, and Tempest Raj feels helpless. After former client Julian Rhodes tried to kill his wife, he blamed her "accident" on the home renovation company’s craftsmanship. Now the family business―known for bringing magic into homes through hidden doors, floating staircases, and architectural puzzle walls―is at a breaking point. No amount of Scottish and Indian meals from her grandfather can distract Tempest from the truth: they’re being framed.

When Tempest receives an urgent midnight phone call from Julian, she decides to meet him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater―only to find his dead body, a sword through his chest. After a blade appears from thin air to claim another victim, Tempest is certain they’re dealing with a booby trap… something Secret Staircase Construction could easily build. Tempest refuses to wait for the investigation to turn to her or her loved ones. She knows the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of her, she just has to put them together correctly before more disaster strikes.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian and her sleuth Tempest Raj return in A Midnight Puzzle, where an old theater reveals a deadly booby trap, secrets, and one puzzle of a mystery.

My Thoughts: The third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries was another twisty puzzle of a mystery.

Tempest Raj is enjoying her new career as a designer for her family's construction business. But all is not well with the business. A former client Julian Rhodes is suing the company for shoddy craftsmanship after his wife fell down the new staircase. Tempest and her family are sure that Rhodes attempted to murder his wife and damaged the staircase himself. But his fleet of lawyers may force the company to settle. 

Then Julian Rhodes is murdered and left hanging, sword in chest, from the venue where Tempest has been planning the finale to her career as a stage magician. A booby trap in the same place injures a paramedic who is ministering to Rhodes and also damages the hand of Tempest's mentor Nicodemus the Necromancer when the two go to check out the site. 

When Nicodemus's assistant Brodie is also found dead in a locked room mystery - found on the dust covered floor of a hidden stage at the theater - Tempest and her group of friends have another mystery to solve. 

Tempest has a long-ago mystery to solve which has great impact on her life. A supposed curse has claimed the oldest child in a magical accident back to the days of her great-grandparents. It cost her the life of her aunt in Scotland who suffered a tragic accident while performing a new trick at her magic show. And it cost the life of Tempest's mother who disappeared in the same theater where Tempest was planning her final show because her mother was going to reveal who killed her sister. 

It has always been Tempest's goal to find out who killed her aunt and her mother and this story lets her finally reach that goal and solve the two new murder too. 

I enjoyed the twisty plot and the magical tricks in this story. I love the setting and Tempest's new career. I like her close family and interesting assortment of friends. While this book resolves the mystery that Tempest has been working on through the first three books, it isn't the end of the series. Her next case walks in the door at the end of the book. 

Favorite Quote:

"If she had rigged booby traps before she died and they only got triggered now for some reason, then how did she hang an axe from the ceiling with fishing wire without anyone seeing it for more than five years?"

Sanjay shrugged. "Since when do people on the internet make any sense?"

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexanderrev

A Smoking Bun
Author: Ellie Alexander
Series: A Bakeshop Mystery (Book 18)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 20, 2024)

Description: Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.

The annual competition is a favorite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.

Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?

My Thoughts: This is the eighteenth Bakeshop Mystery, but the first I have read. In this episode, Ramiro's family is visiting from Spain over the New Year. Jules is busy with her bakeshop and planning things for them to do and see. 

Events at Mount A, the local ski resort, will feature prominently. But during a midnight snowshoe trek, they see a guide lead two people off the trail and see the ski patrol come to rescue them. The next day is a much anticipated event called the Downhill Dummy. Local groups and businesses create dummies to send down the ski jump in anticipation of spectacular crashes. But things go immediately wrong when the same guide who led his group off trail is hit by one of the dummies and killed. 

Now Jules Capshaw needs to fit a murder investigation into her already packed schedule. She quickly learns that the resort is in financial trouble and plans a fundraiser to help the owner make payroll. But is the owner on the up and up? Or does she have a hidden agenda? And what about the woman wandering around with a clipboard? And the environmentalist willing to do anything to stop the resort from selling off some land for clear cutting?

This was an entertaining mystery with interesting characters. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. Newcomers, like me, will want to read other books in the series to learn more about these intriguing characters. 

Favorite Quote:

"Baking is my escape from grief. I can't quite put words to it, but the kitchen is where I seek solace. I thought that might change with time, but it hasn't. You know how they say that time heals all wounds? Don't believe that lie -- it doesn't." He ran his finger around his wedding ring, his voice cracking softly as he continues. "Time changes us. Time morphs us. But for those who have loved and lost, grief comes with us. So whenever I find myself overcome with sadness or flooded with memories, this is where I come too."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

They say you should embrace the seasons of life.

Friday 56:

"He hasn't been in good health for years, and his stress level must be off the charts," Janet said with concern. "I'll finish this order and wander over there to check in with him. Thanks for letting me know."

This week I am spotlighting A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander. This is from my review stack. It is also the 18th in a series I haven't read. Here's the description from Amazon:

Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.

The annual competition is a favorite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.

Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?

ARC Review: Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel

Deadly to the Core
Author: Joyce Tremel
Series: A Cider House Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 16, 2024)

Description: Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Julie Anne Lindsey, when Kate Mulligan inherits her great uncle’s fruit orchard, she quickly realizes that apples aren’t the only thing that can have rotten cores.

After losing her husband in a terrible car crash, thirty-five-year-old Kate is left to pick up the pieces of her life alone. Although she has physically recovered, she worries her spirit never will. But when she learns that she has inherited a fruit orchard in a small town just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from her great uncle Stan, she takes this as an opportunity ripe for the picking. Kate knew immediately what to do with it: open a cider house. Her hopeful plans fall far from the tree when she finds the body of the orchard manager, Carl Randolph, leaving her to figure out who is at the core of this murder.

She had been in correspondence with Carl, who had agreed with her brilliant idea of opening a cider house. But not everyone is so quick to buy what she was selling—Uncle Stan’s lawyer, Robert Larabee, paints a less rosy financial outlook of the orchard’s past, present, and future.

Kate discovers that Carl had large, unexplained deposits to his bank account and it becomes clear that either he was blackmailing someone, or someone was paying him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kate and her neighbors receive offers to buy their property from a mysterious buyer. And there’s more than meets the eye with the neighboring orchard owner, Daniel Martinez, although Kate can’t quite put her finger on if it’s sweet or sour.

Will she be able to pick out the bad apple among the bunch before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: When Kate Mulligan inherits her great-uncle's apple orchard in Pennsylvania, she's hoping for a new start. The loss of her beloved husband in the same accident that greatly damaged her makes her long for a new start. She and her husband had dreamed of opening a cidery and now the chance has become possible.

She has been in correspondence with her orchard manager Carl and with Robert Larabee who is the lawyer managing her great-uncle's estate. When she arrives, she is pleased to reconnect with old friends from her childhood of happy summers spent at the farm until her mother and grandmother had a falling out which ended the visits. 

Her lawyer is trying to convince her to sell the property to a mysterious buyer who is offering more than the property is worth. Her stubbornness and her dreams of her cider house keep her from taking the very attractive offer as some of her neighbors have. When Carl is found beaten to death with the cane she left at his cottage after one of their meetings, she briefly becomes the chief suspect in his murder. When her alibi stands, she decides to look into the crime herself along with neighboring orchard owner Daniel Martinez who is a former state police officer. 

Her childhood best friend Marguerite who now runs the local diner is trying to do a little matchmaking between Kate and Daniel but Kate isn't ready for a new relationship and Daniel is moving slow too. However, the two are quick to from a partnership to determine who killed Carl and who later killed Robert Larabee. 

I enjoyed the setting of this cozy mystery and enjoyed the information about making apple cider. I also liked Kate who is slowly moving on after a heartbreaking loss. The other characters - Daniel, Marguerite, and various new local acquaintances - were all interesting people too. I look forward to more mysteries even though Kate would be most content if she could just concentrate on making her cider. 

The story also includes some recipes of dishes mentioned in the story with the Tomato Bisque being the most interesting to me. 

Favorite Quote:

"Uh," Marguerite said. "It wasn't a serial killer."

"You don't know that," Cherry said. "He could just be getting started."

I wondered what kind of medicinal tea she blended and how much of it she drank.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews

Coconut Drop Dead
Author: Olivia Matthews
Series: Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (December 26, 2023)

Description: The case in Olivia Matthews's Coconut Drop Dead is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Brooklyn’s annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival is finally here, and Spice Isle Bakery is thrilled to be one of the event’s food vendors. After all, the Murrays have been attending the festival for years. Co-owner Lyndsay Murray hopes their West Indian pastries and finger foods draw people back to the bakery in Little Caribbean. She’s looking forward to having fun, connecting with customers, and celebrating with her family.

The day's festivities are cut short when Camille, lead singer of an up-and-coming reggae band, dies. The police think it may be a tragic accident. But Lyndsay’s cousin Manny was close to Camille, and he believes someone cut her life short. Now Manny needs Lyndsay’s help to make sure a killer faces the music.

My Thoughts: Lyndsay Murray and her family are busy with the Caribbean American Heritage Festival when Camille Abbey falls to her death down a flight of stairs. Camille is the lead singer of DratonFlyZ an up-and-coming reggae band. Lyndsay's cousin Manny was close to Camille and wanted to be closer. Lyndsay decides to look into the death to see if it was murder.

When Camille's death is judged to be murder, and the police seem to be taking their own sweet time to investigate, Lyndsay and her family decide to do their own investigations to answer their questions and help Manny grieve.

There are a number of suspects from the manager who was often at odds with Camille and the ex-boyfriend who was her fellow songwriter. Maybe the backup singer who was displaced for Camille had decided to get rid of the competition. 

Besides investigating, Lyndsay is also busy with the upsurge in business the festival brought her bakery and the new catering opportunities the festival also brought. She's also wondering about her relationship with detective Bryce Jackson who seems to want to date her. But she still hasn't forgiven him for thinking that she was a murderer and worse that her mother was. 

Lyndsay has changed a lot since she and her family opened the bakery. She has grown more self-confident and assertive. Successes at solving two mysteries have been good for her self-esteem, While this case has its complications, Lyndsay and her family are up to the task of solving the murder.

I enjoyed the vivid and colorful descriptions of the bakery with all of its wonderful spices. There were so many delicious sounding dishes served there. A couple of recipes are included at the end of this story. 

Favorite Quote:

"You're Lyndsay Murray the Grenadian Nancy Drew. I've read about you in the Beacon."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

Public Anchovy #1
Author: Mindy Quigley
Series: Deep Dish Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 26, 2023)

Description: Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

My Thoughts: The third in the Deep Dish Mysteries has Delilah and her crew catering a library fundraiser at the home on the in-coming chair of the Library Board. Delilah's hoping that this event leads to lots more catering bookings to help her business survive when it isn't tourist season in Geneva Bay. 

A last-minute request for a free-from pizza for one of the potential investors almost derails her hopes. She needs to make a delicious pizza without gluten, dairy, or anything from the nightshade family which includes tomatoes. And she has just a couple of hours to come up with something. 

Delilah doesn't have time to listen to the cryptic utterances of the out-going Board Chair. She's always thought that he was a bit weird even though her best friend Sonya is friends with him. She's too worried about her pizza and meeting the mother of the man she is interested in and who seems interested in her but hasn't made a move yet. 

When she and most of the rest of the guests watch Edgar Clemmons fall to his death down a flight of steep stairs, she wishes that she would have paid more attention to the message he was trying to give her. The fall was more likely murder than a tragic accident. Luckily, police detective Calvin Capone was in attendance playing the piano for his mother's singing when the crime happened because the bad weather is keeping the rest of the police from being able to get to the isolated mansion. 

Delilah and her crew are forced to spend the night along with an assortment of guests of the event while they wait for the police to get to them. An attack on Sonya and the murder of the head librarian means that the killer is one of the remaining people at the event. Delilah is determined to discover the killer to protect herself and her friends while Calvin is all for working slowly and methodically so that evidence can lead to the arrest and prosecution of the killer. 

This was an entertaining and twisty cozy mystery. I enjoyed meeting the characters and liked the setting. I might even try one of the recipes included at the end of the book. 

Favorite Quote:

"I will demand this of them," Jarka said.

I grimaced, hoping "demand this of them" was just a poor translation of "cheerfully motivate them."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss

Case of the Bleus
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries (Book 4)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (September 26, 2023)

Description: What in the bleu blazes is happening in Yarrow Glen now?

Cheesemongers from across the Northwest have come to the Sonoma Valley for the Northwest Cheese Invitational. As owner of the local cheese shop, Curds & Whey, Willa Bauer loves it. The event showcases custom cheese creations, and it’s the perfect time to gather with old colleagues to honor her former boss, the late and grate cheese legend, Max Dumas. He was famous for journeying into the wild bleu yonder to where he aged his award-winning custom Church Bleu. Only Max knew the recipe and location to his beloved cheese, and many are eager to have these revealed at his will reading.

But instead of naming someone to inherit his cheese and its secrets, Max stuns everyone with one cryptic clue. When a fellow cheesemonger dies under mysterious circumstances––the woman they all thought would get the secrets to Max's prized possession––everyone falls under suspicion. Willa adores Church Bleu as much as the next cheese connoisseur, but it’s not to die for. Is a killer trying to get away with murder...and the cheese?

My Thoughts: Team Cheese is on the case again. Willa Bauer reconnects with old co-workers when the Northwest Cheese Invitational is scheduled for the town where Willa has opened Curds & Whey, her own cheese shop. 

The invitational is honoring Max Dumas after his death. He created a unique, special and valuable cheese and his employees hope that he has shared the secret of its creation in his will. The formula could lead to fame and fortune for the person who inherits it. 

When the will proves a disappointment, the co-workers, Max's daughter, and the president of the cheese organization need to find another way to find the cheese. Willa doesn't want the cheese but finds herself in the middle of things when it is learned that a book Max gave her when she left to open her own shop is filled with clues. 

When one of the co-workers is murdered, Willa realizes that this is a secret someone is willing to kill for. And since a former dating partner is under suspicion because his mead was the murder weapon which killed highly-allergic-to-honey Kendall, Willa has to get involved despite the problems it will cause with potential date Detective Heath. 

The story was fun. The characters were interesting. And the recipes in the back for some of the cheese treats enjoyed during the story sound good too. 

Favorite Quote:

As Mrs. Schultz had once pointed out, when you're a woman of a certain age, you become invisible to the public, which is only a plus for listening in on conversations.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen

Fatal Fudge Swirl
Author: Meri Allen
Series: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 27, 2023)

Description: A movie production brings drama―and murder―to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long―each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?

My Thoughts: Riley Rhodes has given up her career as a librarian for the CIA and is back in her hometown of Penniman, Connecticut, managing the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. It is nearly Halloween and nearly closing time for the seasonal shop. But one more big event - the wedding of the owner of the Inn on the Green - is scheduled before the shutdown. Riley has been tasked with making an ice cream cake with the bride and groom's favorite flavors.

Things are also busy because a movie is being shot at the Inn and other locations including her father's used book store. And her roommate's spoiled Persian cat has a role in the film too. 

All the happy, busy activity comes to a screeching halt when the bride is found dead the night before the wedding. Despite numerous health problems, Riley isn't willing to write the death off to natural causes. Too many people were upset and angry with the woman. The prime suspect is Riley's friend Mary Ann who happens to be the groom's ex-wife. 

Despite the police chief's orders to stay out of the investigation, Riley feels the need to clear her friend's name and find the real murderer. She has lots of suspects to choose from including the manager of the Inn who has had a long-standing crush on the victim and the housekeeper who might have lost her house and her job had the victim lived. Then there are her two sons and a stepson who might have had reason to get rid of the victim before she could change her will in the new husband's favor. 

This was a fun cozy with a great setting and interesting characters. I liked the sound of the different flavors of ice cream Riley and a teenage assistant create. There is even a couple of recipes for hot fudge sauces at the end of the book. 

Favorite Quote:

Humming a song about paradise and parking lots, I bypassed the staff stairs and ran down the main staircase to the lobby. When my foot touched the bottom step, I caught sight of the row of old-fashioned keys on the wall behind the reception desk. One hanging from the hook on the far left had a white ribbon, not a blue like all the others. Why? I wondered.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chen

Misfortune Cookie
Author: Vivien Chen
Series: A Noodle Shop Mystery (Book 9)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 27, 2023)

Description: They say fortune favors the bold, and Lana Lee is determined to prove that true.

Lana, now officially manager of her family’s restaurant, the Ho-Lee Noodle House, is headed to sunny Irvine, California to attend a restaurant convention with her sister, Anna May, along for the ride. The girls’ very Americanized Aunt Grace has asked them to stay in her posh rental, and as the trip begins, it seems to be just what they both needed. Even the restaurant convention proves to be worthwhile and entertaining, especially when Lana witnesses a dramatic cat fight between a fortune cookie vendor and a journalist.

Lana and Anna May can’t imagine things getting any better until they learn their aunt has yet another surprise in store for them―a swanky cocktail party hosted for the freelancers of Southern California. But on the night of the party, things go south when a close journalist friend of Grace’s mysteriously plunges from the roof top of the hotel. Even more suspicious is the fact that Aunt Grace’s friend is the same journalist Lana saw getting into a screaming match with the fortune cookie vendor at the convention.

The police rule the death a gruesome accident, but Aunt Grace refuses to accept that explanation and begs Lana for her help uncovering the truth. Lana, Anna May, Aunt Grace attempt to keep up appearances as they search for answers, but unwanted attention from suspicious colleagues and convention attendees starts to surface, causing Lana to wonder if they’ll find the killer in time…or if they’ll be the next ones pushed over the edge.

My Thoughts: This is the ninth Noodle Shop Mystery and the first one I have read. This story finds Lana Lee and her sister Anna May visiting Irvine, California, for a restaurant convention. Their Aunt Grace lives in LA and invites the girls to stay in one of her rental condos and let her show them around. 

The first day at the convention, Lana witnesses an argument between a reviewer and fortune cookie vender. Lana is curious but goes on with her day. During the evening at a cocktail party, things go wrong when someone falls from the roof. Lana is surprised to learn that the woman who fell was a good friend of Aunt Grace and also the woman she had seen arguing earlier in the day.

Lana puts her detecting skills to her aunt's disposal as they try to find out who murdered Nora Blackwell. They uncover a lot of secrets leading Aunt Grace to feel that she never knew her friend at all. 

I enjoyed getting to know Lana and also enjoyed the hints at her earlier cases. She was smart, determined, and stubborn. I liked her relationship with her "perfect" older sister Anna May. I liked that she didn't know what she wanted to be until she was a bit older and liked how she discovered that detecting was a skill she had to use. 

Moving Lana and Anna May to a new environment meant that she was without her usual support network which includes her police officer boyfriend - the one she promised to stay out of dangerous situations. It also slimmed down the cast of characters which was a blessing for someone coming new to the series. 

I enjoyed this story. The mystery was well-developed, and I enjoyed the cast of characters.

Favorite Quote:

My eyes narrowed. Another thing that pushed my buttons besides being told what not to do was when people challenged my abilities. Or -- while we're at it -- told me things were out of my league. Nothing was out of my league. Anna May seemed to be the queen of pushing my buttons. ... She should know by now that proving people wrong was my specialty. Maybe that was why I excelled at solving these cases. At times, stubbornness could be a beneficial quality.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.