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Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1)
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When Madison Reynolds finds herself widowed and penniless before forty, she does the only thing she...
mystery cozy mystery murder crime fiction adult
Midge (525 KP) rated Murder from Scratch in Books
Mar 18, 2019
A Delightful Cozy Mystery!
MURDER FROM SCRATCH is book four in the series of the Sally Solari Mysteries of which I look forward to reading more. It’s a delicious mixture of mystery, family, and irate chefs and a fun, fast and interesting read. I haven’t read the other books in this series yet, however, I don’t think that this spoilt my enjoyment of this novel. That said, there is nothing more exciting than picking up a book that is the first in a new series.
Santa Cruz restaurateur Sally Solari’s life is difficult enough at the busy Gauguin restaurant. So she’s worked up when her dad persuades her to take in Evelyn, her estranged blind cousin whose mother has just died of a drug overdose.
But Evelyn proves to be lots of fun and she’s a terrific cook. Back at the house she’d shared with her mum, Evelyn’s heightened sense of touch tells her that various objects - a bottle of cranberry juice, her grandfather’s jazz records - are out of place. She and her mum always kept things in the same place so Evelyn could find them. So she suspects that her mother’s death was neither accident nor suicide, no matter what the police believe.
The cousins’ turn detective and Sally and Evelyn are thrown into the world of male-oriented kitchens, and the cut-throat competitiveness that can flame up between chefs. With a long list of suspects in the frame, will Sally be able to find the perpetrator or end up getting burned?
Leslie Karst’s delightful writing style is well-paced and complemented by some interesting characters, some of whom were annoying but helped to make the story as good as it was. There was some romantic and spicy love entanglement, too. Written in the first-person narrative and sharing Sally’s innermost thoughts, Leslie Karst includes some wonderfully amusing moments and vivid descriptions especially of some of the food, such as fall-off-the-bone pulled pork and salmon with habanero-lime butter. An ex-lawyer, the highly organised and extremely likeable Sally demonstrated admirable sleuthing techniques and her cousin Evelyn, although with her own problems, exuded warmth and friendliness.
The book had a natural, steady pace and I was kept guessing right until the surprising reveal. Delightful and entertaining, MURDER FROM SCRATCH is a quick, light, highly recommended read for all cozy mystery fans.
{Thank you to #NetGalley, #Crookedlanebks and Leslie Karst for the free copy of #MurderFromScratch and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Santa Cruz restaurateur Sally Solari’s life is difficult enough at the busy Gauguin restaurant. So she’s worked up when her dad persuades her to take in Evelyn, her estranged blind cousin whose mother has just died of a drug overdose.
But Evelyn proves to be lots of fun and she’s a terrific cook. Back at the house she’d shared with her mum, Evelyn’s heightened sense of touch tells her that various objects - a bottle of cranberry juice, her grandfather’s jazz records - are out of place. She and her mum always kept things in the same place so Evelyn could find them. So she suspects that her mother’s death was neither accident nor suicide, no matter what the police believe.
The cousins’ turn detective and Sally and Evelyn are thrown into the world of male-oriented kitchens, and the cut-throat competitiveness that can flame up between chefs. With a long list of suspects in the frame, will Sally be able to find the perpetrator or end up getting burned?
Leslie Karst’s delightful writing style is well-paced and complemented by some interesting characters, some of whom were annoying but helped to make the story as good as it was. There was some romantic and spicy love entanglement, too. Written in the first-person narrative and sharing Sally’s innermost thoughts, Leslie Karst includes some wonderfully amusing moments and vivid descriptions especially of some of the food, such as fall-off-the-bone pulled pork and salmon with habanero-lime butter. An ex-lawyer, the highly organised and extremely likeable Sally demonstrated admirable sleuthing techniques and her cousin Evelyn, although with her own problems, exuded warmth and friendliness.
The book had a natural, steady pace and I was kept guessing right until the surprising reveal. Delightful and entertaining, MURDER FROM SCRATCH is a quick, light, highly recommended read for all cozy mystery fans.
{Thank you to #NetGalley, #Crookedlanebks and Leslie Karst for the free copy of #MurderFromScratch and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Sue (5 KP) rated Death al Fresco in Books
Apr 23, 2018
Sally Solari is working very hard to make a name for herself at her recently inherited restaurant, but her father has different plans. He doesn’t seem to remember that she no longer works at the family restaurant Solaris’ and keeps pulling her in. While taking an open-air painting class of the Monterey Bay coastline, Sally’s dog Buster finds a corpse tangled up in the kelp.
The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and regular patron at Solaris’. Is it true what everyone is saying? Is Sally’s dad negligent for allowing an inebriated customer to leave the restaurant alone at night? Witnesses claim that Gino was drunk when he left the restaurant, but his waitress swears that she only served him to beers with a full meal. Can she find out the truth before her father’s reputation and that on his restaurant goes down the drain?
This is not your average cozy mystery full of cuteness. Sally is a smart and multifaceted character that has you cheering for her to find the bad guys.
The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and regular patron at Solaris’. Is it true what everyone is saying? Is Sally’s dad negligent for allowing an inebriated customer to leave the restaurant alone at night? Witnesses claim that Gino was drunk when he left the restaurant, but his waitress swears that she only served him to beers with a full meal. Can she find out the truth before her father’s reputation and that on his restaurant goes down the drain?
This is not your average cozy mystery full of cuteness. Sally is a smart and multifaceted character that has you cheering for her to find the bad guys.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Murder at the Mansion in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Like Kelly, I always imagine all of California as being warm and sunny. The northern California setting was a new one for me, and I loved the idea of the cozy B&B and Inn along the coast. There is a great supporting cast to help Kelly solve the crimes at Redwood Heights. I think Id like to spend an evening hanging out with the Silver Sentinels, as they call themselves. With plenty of misdirection to keep me guessing, I found this to be an entertaining read.
There are lots of returning characters in this story. I admit, it took me a little while to get them all straight in my head! While the mystery was enjoyable on its own, since this is only the second book in the series, Id suggest starting back at the beginning if youre going to give this one a try.
<i>NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.</i>
There are lots of returning characters in this story. I admit, it took me a little while to get them all straight in my head! While the mystery was enjoyable on its own, since this is only the second book in the series, Id suggest starting back at the beginning if youre going to give this one a try.
<i>NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.</i>
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Death Crashes the Party (Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Liv McKay is working with some clients to plan an anniversary party for them when they find two dead bodies in their garage. The murder victims worked at the trucking company Liv’s father-in-law owns. Soon, rumors are swirling about Liv’s family, and the police are uncovering some things that are upsetting the family. Liv and her best friend Di Souther start their investigation to find out what is really happening. Can they figure it out?
This was a very enjoyable debut with some twists on the usual cozy set up, which I really enjoyed. Liv is a fantastic main character, and Di is a wonderful sidekick. I did feel they were a bit passive early on, but that soon changed and they threw themselves headlong into solving the mystery, which featured plenty of surprises and twists. Throw in a bit of humor, and you have a winner. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/07/book-review-death-crashes-party-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This was a very enjoyable debut with some twists on the usual cozy set up, which I really enjoyed. Liv is a fantastic main character, and Di is a wonderful sidekick. I did feel they were a bit passive early on, but that soon changed and they threw themselves headlong into solving the mystery, which featured plenty of surprises and twists. Throw in a bit of humor, and you have a winner. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/07/book-review-death-crashes-party-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated One Fete in the Grave in Books
Jul 6, 2018
This Fourth of July Ends with the Bang of Murder
When the fireworks show ends, party planning Liv McKay thinks her day organizing her town’s Fourth of July festival is over. Unfortunately, someone finds the body of councilman Bubba Rowland. Despite being on the council, Bubba had his enemies, and one of them was Earl, her mother’s new fiance. Can Liv help her mother by clearing Earl’s name?
This book starts with a bang – of fireworks, but it isn’t too long before we find Bubba’s body. Unfortunately, the book does still have some pacing issues as Liv’s party planning business slows things down. I did find one sub-plot lots of fun, however. The mystery does have some good suspects and twists before we reach the logical climax. Liv’s family and friends, including best friend Di, are as charming as ever. The suspects work, although we don’t get to know them as well as we might in some mysteries. This is a fun cozy for a relaxing summer read or any time of the year.
This book starts with a bang – of fireworks, but it isn’t too long before we find Bubba’s body. Unfortunately, the book does still have some pacing issues as Liv’s party planning business slows things down. I did find one sub-plot lots of fun, however. The mystery does have some good suspects and twists before we reach the logical climax. Liv’s family and friends, including best friend Di, are as charming as ever. The suspects work, although we don’t get to know them as well as we might in some mysteries. This is a fun cozy for a relaxing summer read or any time of the year.
Sue (5 KP) rated Death al Fresco in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Sally Solari is working very hard to make a name for herself at her recently inherited restaurant, but her father has different plans. He doesn’t seem to remember that she no longer works at the family restaurant Solaris’ and keeps pulling her in. While taking an open-air painting class of the Monterey Bay coastline, Sally’s dog Buster finds a corpse tangled up in the kelp.
The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and regular patron at Solaris’. Is it true what everyone is saying? Is Sally’s dad negligent for allowing an inebriated customer to leave the restaurant alone at night? Witnesses claim that Gino was drunk when he left the restaurant, but his waitress swears that she only served him to beers with a full meal. Can she find out the truth before her father’s reputation and that on his restaurant goes down the drain?
This is not your average cozy mystery full of cuteness. Sally is a smart and multifaceted character that has you cheering for her to find the bad guys.
The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and regular patron at Solaris’. Is it true what everyone is saying? Is Sally’s dad negligent for allowing an inebriated customer to leave the restaurant alone at night? Witnesses claim that Gino was drunk when he left the restaurant, but his waitress swears that she only served him to beers with a full meal. Can she find out the truth before her father’s reputation and that on his restaurant goes down the drain?
This is not your average cozy mystery full of cuteness. Sally is a smart and multifaceted character that has you cheering for her to find the bad guys.
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7.7
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5.0
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8.0
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