Cold Turkey by Amy Patricia Meade [review]

Cold Turkey is the 7th book in the delicious Tish Tarragon cozy mystery series by Amy Patricia Meade, which features a literary caterer who also does some side-work as a police consultant.

Title: Cold Turkey
Author: Amy Patricia Meade
Series: Tish Tarragon Mystery #7
First Published: October 3, 2023
Publisher: Severn House
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley

*** Thank you to the publisher, Severn House, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***

Literary caterer Tish Tarragon is looking forward to opening the new Cookin’ the Books cafe the day after Thanksgiving, but before then she has the small matter of catering for the 31st Annual Colonial Springs Turkey Trot, a highlight in the Hobson Glen calendar. With her food stall ready to go, Tish, the spectators and participating ‘trotters’ are eagerly awaiting the starter’s pistol when they are confronted with the sound of rifle shots from the woods. Deputy Mayor Behrens is dead. But was he really the intended target, or could it have been Tish’s ex, Mayor Schuyler Thompson? As Tish and Reade investigate, it seems there are no shortage of residents with an axe to grind against the town council their controversial policies. Can Tish finish first in her race against the killer?

A brush with death makes life more precious

One of the things that always sticks out to me with the Tish Tarragon mysteries is that, while they are very much a cozy mystery, they often deal with things with a more serious tone than other cozies I read. At the start of this story, there is a shooting at a public event that has many of our several of the series’ recurring characters a bit shaken and re-assessing what’s important in their lives.

I think that while there are (obviously) deaths in all the mysteries I read, the panic at the public shooting and the emotions that the characters went through in the aftermath felt very real and fearful. It was easy to understand why the characters all felt like they had to keep their loved ones close by in the days that followed.

I really liked the character development in almost all of the characters that we’ve come to love, including the core trio of Tish, Jules and Mary Jo. While they all have separate lives, you know that they are there for each other. I have been reading this series from the start and it’s these 3 that keep bringing me back. While I adore Tish’s boyfriend Reade, it will always be the Tish-Jules-Mary Jo friendship that is the heart of this series for me.

Who’s the real target?

Speaking of boyfriends, I can’t believe what a snake Tish’s ex-boyfriend, and now mayor, Schuyler has become! The author’s incredible writing has literally turned a character I liked to one I absolutely loathe. It wasn’t hard to believe that there were people in town who wanted to kill him and I think a large part of the mystery was sorting out who the intended target was and who the real suspects were, because there were a lot of people who had issues with the way the town was being run.

Since Tish has official police consultant status, it normally would be a lot easier for her to indulge in her sleuthing but with her past relationship with Schuyler, she’s still a bit hampered in her investigation. I love the support that she and Reade offer each other and how much he trusts her.

The mystery, which shares the spotlight with several personal relationship developments, is a nice twisty one, with lots of suspects, motivations, and red herrings. I really enjoyed it, but honestly, I enjoyed the interactions between the characters more. This series has a real human feel to it and I think that’s one of the main reasons I keep coming back for more.

Quote from Cold Turkey