Dying For Dinner - Miranda Bliss
Dying For Dinner
A Cooking Class Mystery
Miranda Bliss
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery
Annie Capshaw has come to a crossroads in her life. She’s finally quit her day job as a bank teller – a job she’s had since she graduated high school – and is now devoting all her time and energy to being the business manager of Bellywasher’s, a pub a eatery run by her chef boyfriend, Jim MacDonald. As part of his renovation of the business, Jim has started teaching cooking classes. This evening, celebrated local chef Jacques Lavoie is scheduled to drop by, assist with the lesson, and hand out gift bags. And, not incidentally, promote his store that features high-end cooking gadgets and supplies.
When Lavoie doesn’t arrive on time, Annie calls the shop and the cell phone. Both are unanswered, which is suspicious. Annie and Eve, her best friend since forever and hostess at Bellywasher’s, make the drive to the shop to check on Lavoie. The police are already there. Inside, Greg, Lavoie’s assistant, lies in a pool of blood. Lavoie is nowhere to be found. Jim and Lavoie have been friends for years, and Jim asks Annie to take over running the store until Lavoie can be found and everything set right. This gives Annie the perfect ‘in’ to investigate Greg’s death and Lavoie’s disappearance.
In this installment (following COOKING UP MURDER and MURDER ON THE MENU) the investigation aspect evolves organically. The ties between Jim and Lavoie, and Annie’s presence in the shop, put her in the perfect spot to look around and ask questions. Annie and Eve make a great duo and their friendship seems very realistic. There’s more than a bit of a ‘chick lit’ feel to these novels, so they should appeal to a wide variety of readers. Before the final reveal, the mystery takes a few interesting and unexpected turns, making this a solid entry in the series. For the foodies, there’s plenty of information about cooking and kitchen gadgets, and there are several recipes included.
Rating: 7
December 2008
A Cooking Class Mystery
Miranda Bliss
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery
Annie Capshaw has come to a crossroads in her life. She’s finally quit her day job as a bank teller – a job she’s had since she graduated high school – and is now devoting all her time and energy to being the business manager of Bellywasher’s, a pub a eatery run by her chef boyfriend, Jim MacDonald. As part of his renovation of the business, Jim has started teaching cooking classes. This evening, celebrated local chef Jacques Lavoie is scheduled to drop by, assist with the lesson, and hand out gift bags. And, not incidentally, promote his store that features high-end cooking gadgets and supplies.
When Lavoie doesn’t arrive on time, Annie calls the shop and the cell phone. Both are unanswered, which is suspicious. Annie and Eve, her best friend since forever and hostess at Bellywasher’s, make the drive to the shop to check on Lavoie. The police are already there. Inside, Greg, Lavoie’s assistant, lies in a pool of blood. Lavoie is nowhere to be found. Jim and Lavoie have been friends for years, and Jim asks Annie to take over running the store until Lavoie can be found and everything set right. This gives Annie the perfect ‘in’ to investigate Greg’s death and Lavoie’s disappearance.
In this installment (following COOKING UP MURDER and MURDER ON THE MENU) the investigation aspect evolves organically. The ties between Jim and Lavoie, and Annie’s presence in the shop, put her in the perfect spot to look around and ask questions. Annie and Eve make a great duo and their friendship seems very realistic. There’s more than a bit of a ‘chick lit’ feel to these novels, so they should appeal to a wide variety of readers. Before the final reveal, the mystery takes a few interesting and unexpected turns, making this a solid entry in the series. For the foodies, there’s plenty of information about cooking and kitchen gadgets, and there are several recipes included.
Rating: 7
December 2008
ISBN# 978-0-425-22610-0 (paperback)
posted by Deborah Hern @ 9:28 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I just finished it tonight and enjoyed it.
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