I wrote a food blog for many years so culinary cozy mysteries are the perfect mix of two things I love. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to check out a new culinary series.
Title: Cookin’ the Books
Author: Amy Patricia Meade
Series: A Tish Tarragon Mystery #1
First Published: November 30, 2018 (UK), March 1, 2019 (Canada & USA)
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Categories: Mystery
Acquired: from the author via NetGalley
*** Thank you to Amy Patricia Meade and Severn House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Cookin’ the Books was released in the UK late last year and will be available here in Canada and the USA on March 1, 2019.
A CULINARY COZY THAT MIXES MURDER, BOOKS AND COOKING IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!
The protagonist, Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen after catching her husband cheating on her. Tish is looking for a fresh new start and plans to open a literary themed restaurant and catering business. With the help of her two best friends, Julian ‘Jules’ Jefferson Davis and Mary Jo Okensholt, the Cookin’ the Books Cafe is almost ready to open its doors.
Her new landlord (and potential love interest), Schulyer Thompson, recommends Tish to Lavinia ‘Binnie’ Broderick, the executive director of the local library. Binnie needs a last-minute caterer for the library’s annual fundraiser.
Unfortunately, midway through the main course, Binnie chokes to death and Tish’s food is the main suspect. The police confirm that Binnie was poisoned with arsenic and the town goes into overdrive discussing who wanted Binnie dead. Apparently EVERYONE did – Binnie wasn’t exactly a nice person.
Tish decides to deliver baked goods and generate some goodwill for her business – Binnie did die while eating her cooking after all. This is how we meet many of the local residents, including Doctor Livermore, who ends up being shot on the church steps in the book’s second murder.
LITERARY + CULINARY LOVE
There were two distinct moments when I fell in love with this book: 1) (page TWO!!) Tish had a “Hogwarts-inspired back-to-school menu: Dobby’s pasties, cheese broomsticks, Butterbeer cakes, Sorting Hat pita bread…” – I need photos of these dishes please! (Yes, I do own a Harry Potter cookbook); and 2) after hearing of Jules and Mary Jo’s investigating adventures, Tish calls them “Tommy and Tuppence” – one of my favourite couples (I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan).
Also, the description of Tish’s not-yet-open cafe is amazing. Her vision of a restaurant with a lending library sounds so fun. Customers can read while eating, and if they want the book they can purchase it or leave a book on the shelf to replace it. Who doesn’t love to read while they eat?!
THIS COZY MYSTERY THREW ME FOR A LOOP – IN A GOOD WAY!
As I mentioned above, there was no shortage of suspects, and the seemingly unrelated shooting of Dr. Livermore made the mystery even more muddled. I had no idea who the killer was until very close to the actual reveal, which is unusual for me.
There were a few things that kept me on my toes and made this cozy mystery refreshingly different.
The ‘friends’ get their own chapters! Most cozy mysteries include loyal and plucky sidekicks but we only get to know them through the main character. In Cookin’ the Books, we follow Jules and Mary Jo as they run their own investigation into the murders. I really liked this change of scenery – it was fun to get a different viewpoint and a great way to get to know the secondary characters.
Not everything is ‘cozy’. While this book is considered a cozy mystery, it definitely includes some tougher topics, including mental illness and date rape. There’s a lot going on in this story, but I felt it added to the characters’ backstories and was dealt with in an empathetic way.
The characters are well fleshed out and have unique personalities. The writing felt realistic and the dialogue was definitely believable. Overall, this is a fantastic start to what I hope is a long-running series. I can’t wait for Book 2!
READ IT FOR YOURSELF
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