Fatal Reservations
Key West Food Critic Mystery #6
By Lucy Burdette
ISBN# 9780451474827
Author’s Website: http://lucyburdette.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis:
In the latest Key West Food Critic Mystery, Hayley Snow’s beat is reviewing restaurants for Key Zest magazine. But she sets aside her knife and fork when a dear friend is accused of murder…
Hayley Snow looks forward to reviewing For Goodness Sake, a new floating restaurant that promises a fresh take on Japanese delicacies like flambéed grouper with locally sourced seaweed. But nearby land-based restaurateurs would rather see their buoyant competition sink.
Sent to a City Commission meeting to cover the controversy, Hayley witnesses another uproar. The quirky performers of the daily Sunset Celebration are struggling to hold onto their performance space. The fight for Mallory Square has renewed old rivalries between Hayley’s Tarot-card reading friend Lorenzo and a flaming-fork-juggling nemesis, Bart Frontgate—but things take a deadly turn when Bart is found murdered.
If Lorenzo could read his own cards, he might draw The Hanged Man. He can only hope that Hayley draws Justice as she tries to clear him of murder…
INCLUDES RECIPES
Review:
Fatal Reservations is a wonderful new installment in Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic Mystery series. As always it is a winner. Fun and enjoyable characters fill her series. Witty writing, intriguing mystery and a fabulous storyline make this an enchanting cozy. The author’s descriptive and flowing writing style coupled with a great setting and characters lifts this series to one of the best in this genre. I look forward to visiting Key West in this series and I feel as though I am right there. Lucky for me since I am not a fan of Florida so I get all the perks, without the heat. Main character Haley Snow is a true friend with a heart of gold, a taste for good foods and the desire to right wrongs. Along with her roommate Miss Gloria, they hunt for the truth when the wrong person is accused. In this installment, the wrong person is a close friend.
Along with murder, there is also a few uproars in this wonderful and eclectic community. And somehow everything seems connected to the team of Haley and Miss Gloria. A new restaurant appears in the already crowded food scene. This one is skirting all the regulations by being a floating establishment. For Goodness Sake has not made friends with some of the other restaurateurs. Also at odds are the performers of the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, including Haley’s trusted friend and tarot reader Lorenzo. Things really heat up when unfriendly street performer Bart Frontgate winds up dead and Lorenzo is the main suspect. Haley and Miss Gloria hunt for answers trying to clear Lorenzo and the mystery and intrigue begins. Trips to the cemetery unearth clues, visits to the street performers bring excitement and assistance, and finding Lorenzo after he absconds brings more answers. As long as the duo can stay out of the way of the police.
Haley is an interesting main character that cares about her friends and community. Her job as food critic for Zest magazine is getting better and her relationship with Wally is getting worse. Through it all, this quirky cast of characters entertains. Lucy Burdette’s writing style is wonderful and brings the reader into the scenes with details and descriptive prose. Cats just make everything better and the ones in this series are a delight. You do not have to read all 6 books in order, but why not since they are all great. This delightful installment is a fun read, full of enjoyable characters and enchanting scenery. Laughs, mystery and intrigue are a big part of this delightful book. You really cannot go wrong reading any of the books in this series and I think this is my favorite. Each one is better and better and I cannot wait for the next one. I would recommend Fatal Reservations to any reader that enjoys cozy mysteries, foodie books and anyone looking for a fabulous read. No need to go to the beach to read this one, it takes you there.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*
