Cold Pressed Murder
Olive Grove Mystery, Book #2
By Kelly Lane
ISBN13: 9780425277232
Author website: http://www.kellylanewrites.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis:
Eva Knox and her quirky Southern family are back in the second in the “intriguing”* culinary mystery series.
It’s the pits for the attendees of the annual Farm Family Fare in Abundance, Georgia, when olive oil farmer Eva Knox finds herself in the middle of a murder case…
Eva and the residents of Knox Plantation are oozing with excitement over the activities planned for the Farm Family Fare. The weekend event consists of two days of tours, exhibitions, music, tastings, and, most importantly, cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs from the Chow Network. The enthusiasm, however, begins to dribble away after one of the star chefs goes missing—and is later found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck.
The scandal gets messier after the police discover that Eva’s sister Daphne spent the night with the victim right before he died, making her the prime suspect for his murder. It’s up to Eva, with the help of her other sister, Pep, and her best friend, Precious, to track down the real killer before Daphne finds herself squeezed into handcuffs..
Review:
I love this series. Author Kelly Lane’s “An Olive Grove Mystery” series is so much fun and full of characters that invite you into their world and keep you entertained. Cold Pressed Murder is the second installment in the series and I think it is even better than the first. The lovely setting in small town Abundance, Georgia is delightful. I love the southern atmosphere and thank the author for explaining the over use of y’all in the singular. The first book drove me crazy with that being a southerner, so I really appreciated her taking the time to discuss this usage. (Sorry for that aside, but it had to be done, lol). Protagonist Eva Knox is a character that is not only strong and independent, but loves her crazy family warts and all.
In the second book of this wonderful series, Eva and her family are excited to be hosting the Farm Family Fare at the family Knox Plantation. Along with all sorts of fun activities, there will be a cooking demonstration put on by three completely different celebrity chefs from the Chow Network. At the demonstration, the chefs poke at each other and amuse the crowd with their feud. Everything is going well until the next day when one of the chefs is missing. Eva finds his cold, frozen body in the freezer truck when she goes to get some of the homemade ice cream. Things really go bad when it is found out that her sister Daphne spent some time with him the night before and may have been involved with him before that. When the chief of police has it in for your family, what is Eva to do, but find out who the real killer really is.
I love the characters in this series and the interaction between all of them. In this second book, they have developed into even more entertaining people. It is so much fun to visit with them in their small town. The touch of southern hospitality and tradition makes the story even more enjoyable. As tasty as a finely aged olive oil, sprinkled with sass and spice like a wonderful olive, and full of delightful interplay and humor. You cannot ask for more than this well written mystery and fabulous character driven story.
I absolutely love this series. Cold Pressed Murder is everything you want in a cozy mystery. The suspects are believable and the intrigue is continuous. Eva is a fantastic protagonist and I for one would love to hang out with her. Her family is a blend of everything southern, the southern belle – Daphne, the wild child – Pep and of course the strong independent woman – Eva. I cannot wait to see what the next installment brings for the Knox family. If you enjoy southern cozies, family driven mysteries, well written characters and storylines, this is the book for you.
