Fillet of Murder (Deep Fried Mystery #1)
Author: Linda S. Reilly
ISBN13: 9780425274132
Author website: http://www.lindasreilly.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis:
Talia Marby serves up delectable English deep fried fare in the heart of the Berkshires—but she soon
discovers there’s something fishy going on…
Sometimes in this life, you have to fish or cut bait. After walking away from a miserable job and an even
worse boyfriend, Talia Marby has no regrets. She’s returned to her hometown and is happy to help her
dear friend Bea Lambert by working at Lambert’s Fish & Chips, a cornerstone of a charming shopping
plaza designed to resemble an old English village.
But not all the shop owners are charming. Phil Turnbull has been pestering Bea to sign a petition against
a new store opening up, and his constant badgering is enough to make her want to boil him in oil. When
Talia and Bea stumble upon Turnbull murdered in his shop, the police suspect Bea. Now it’s up to Talia
to fish around for clues and hook the real killer before her friend has to trade serving food for serving
time…
Includes delicious recipes!
Review:
Fillet of Murder is the first of what will no doubt be an awesome new cozy series A Deep Fried Mystery.
Author Linda Reilly is a wonderful story teller and this is a fabulous start to a series I will be putting on
my must read list. I love the way Linda Reilly slowly tells the reader the background of the main
character rather than throwing it all at us up front. We learn little bits of Talia Marby’s life as we get
further and further into the story. The information is given when it fits, not as a way to get the reader
caught up. The characters are fun, entertaining, endearing, captivating and well developed even for a
first in this series. This is set in the heart of the Berkshires, MA, and takes place in a wonderful shopping
plaza, Wrensdale Arcade, designed to resemble an old English village. Fillet of Murder is a fantastic new
cozy that thrills and checks all the boxes for what makes a great cozy.
Talia Marby is helping out her friend Bea Lambert (transplant from England) while her husband is laid up
in the hospital. Bea is the owner of Lambert’s Fish and Chips and has been a staple of this community for
years and years. Talia spent most of her free time as a teen there. Now she is glad to help out while she
is in a transition of moving back home. Things start off with a bang when nasty shop owner Phil Turnbull
is harassing Bea to sign a petition he is pushing. Bea is ready to boil over with his incessant pushing.
When Bea and Talia end up finding his dead body, Bea becomes a top suspect. Talia cannot let her dear
friend be railroaded just because she lost her temper. What else can she do, she has to find the real
killer and figure out just who Phil Turnbull really was.
This mystery is fabulously written, with twists and turns a plenty. Just when I thought I had it figured
out, Talia would discover a new clue that pointed in a different direction. Not so over loaded with
misdirection, but just the perfect amount to keep things popping. The characters are great, the storyline
fantastic, and the mystery just right. Ms Reilly has written one of the best firsts I can remember reading.
Her writing style is easy to read, descriptive and so well done. Fillet of Murder is a truly sizzling cozy that
never lets go, never bores, never drags! Nothing is overdone or under done, it is just right.
I absolutely loved Fillet of Murder and cannot wait for the next installment in this fun and fabulous new
cozy series. I think I have found a new favorite author with Linda Reilly’s two amazing music references.
She touched my heart with both of them. I love this book, but those cinched the deal for me. Great
writing, exceptional characters, intriguing mystery, fun foods, this book has it all. I love the easy flowing
writing style of Linda Reilly. A wonderful new series for all cozy lovers. I would give this 10 stars if I could
and even that may not be enough.
