Books, Cooks. And Crooks
A Novel Idea Mystery, Book #3
By Lucy Arlington
ISBN# 9780425252246)
Author’s Website: http://lucyarlington.com/Mystery_Author/Home.html
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Some Spoilers. Read at your own risk.Synopsis:
The national bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries are back, as Lila Wilkins—literary agent and sleuth—is setting up a delicious cookbook fair. But the tension in the kitchen is about to boil over…
Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, is bubbling with excitement for the Taste of the Town festival and Lila is right in the middle of it all. Along with her coworkers at the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila is organizing a grand celebrity chef event, featuring food television’s biggest stars, complete with cooking demonstrations, cookbook giveaways, and even a culinary writing contest.
But just as the celebration is about to start, the demo kitchen blows up, taking one of the star cooks with it. With all the explosive egos of the cook’s colleagues, it’s hard to find someone who didn’t have a motive to eliminate the competition. Now Lila will have to scramble to figure out which of her clients is a killer—before someone else gets burned.
Review:
This third book of the Novel Idea Mystery series is a very pleasant and endearing cozy mystery. The book was an easy read. I would have liked to start this series at book 1, but this 3rd book covered off introduction of characters well enough that I did not find it too great of a hindrance. I can honestly say one of the things I quite enjoyed about this story is the loving relationship Lila has with her boyfriend, Sean (one of the main policemen investigating the murder). Their relationship seems real and down to earth, sometimes a rarity in my view with the cozy mysteries. I enjoyed reading about this mature amateur sleuth who had full disclosure with the police.
I loved the opening scene where Lila comes home to find her kitchen on fire. Sean was preparing a romantic dinner for two when flames erupted….. An excerpt describing the scene brought to me the clumsily romantic side of Sean…
”I glanced from the lit candles, folded linen napkins, and the vase stuffed with bright pink roses to the handsome man wearing my apron. It was embroidered with the text All Great Chefs Drink While They Cook. Apparently, he had taken the motto to heart. Not only was there an open bottle of red wine on the table, but a cognac bottle had capsized on the counter….”
The subplot with Lila’s best friend, Makayla’s, and her secret admirer, was cute. The resolution of this particular mystery was very romantic. Who doesn’t like a secret admirer? Makes one believe romance is alive and well, even when a murderer is loose.
Lila was portrayed as a loving mother, daughter and girlfriend who enjoyed her job. For her, life was good, except being caught in the middle of yet another police investigation. Will Lila be able to keep the festival running in the midst of this mayhem? At times….I figured it would go either way.
Predictably, all the visiting chefs were suspects. If anything, the story was a tad tedious working through the BIG list of potential suspects. But in the end (and no, I won’t put in so much as to spoil that!), justice prevails and peace and harmony is restored to Inspiration Valley.
As enjoyable as it was, I may now have another series to follow, though I shall reserve that judgement until I have read book one and two first.
