Murder on the Page (A Literary Dining Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies (October 22, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages

Synopsis

Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this new series from the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of several much loved series, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries, is a delicious treat for mystery lovers, especially fans of Ellery Adams, Krista Davis, and Lauren Elliott.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?

Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.

With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .

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Review

Food, books, and murder. And Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.

This new cozy series, set in a small town in North Carolina, was a delight to read. There is a wide variety of characters to like and despise, and I expect to learn more about these characters in future books.

Tegan and Allie are like two peas in a pod. Impulsive and caring, they have gotten into trouble more times than I can count. However, they have the same goal in mind: finding Marigold’s killer.

Now, there are a few characters you won’t like, and the main one is Vanna. She is Tegan’s sister and is just overly rude and greedy. Since she is one of the heirs of Marigold’s estate, it is all about the money to her and not the legacy her aunt left behind. There are glimpses that maybe she can bring the attitude down, but it will take some time to get used to that brusque attitude.

I thought the mystery was well hidden. I suspected the killer nearly the entire book, but just because I didn’t like this character. Something seemed off. However, some of the other suspects were valid until their motives and alibi cleared them.

There is the beginning of a potential relationship between Allie and Zach. However, their potential relationship hasn’t developed yet; it is more surface than depth. But this is only the first book, so I don’t expect a full-blown relationship quite yet. I will be interested to see where this goes and if Zach can accept that Allie could help him uncover killers in the future.

I really enjoyed this book and expect great things for the next in the series. We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense, including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently, Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays.  Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

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