Tag: Foodies

One Potato, Two Potato, Dead by Lynn Cahoon | Review

On By Brianne's Book ReviewsIn Cozy, Mystery, NetGalley2 Comments

About The Book

Angie Turner’s restaurant, The County Seat, is conveniently located near a first-class farmers market—so her menu is full of fresh ingredients. But a visiting culinary professor has just had a taste of something very unhealthy . . .

Angie first meets Daniel Monet at a local mission, where she and her chef-in-training, Hope, are serving barbeque chicken poutine to the homeless. Monet is one of Hope’s teachers—but Angie’s boyfriend knows him from his youthful days in England. But soon, the bon vivant is no longer vivant. When Monet is found dead, with Hope’s prints on the wine glass next to him, it will be Angie who has to sauce out the real killer . . .

Praise for Lynn Cahoon’s Tourist Trap Mysteries

“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.”

—Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries

“Lynn Cahoon has created an absorbing, good fun mystery in Mission to Murder.”

—Fresh Fiction

My Thoughts

I was expecting great things from this novel and that is exactly what I got! This is book three in Lynn Cahoon’s ‘Farm-to-Fork Mystery’ series. The first two books were ‘Who Moved My Goat Cheese?’ followed by ‘Killer Green Tomatoes’. Although I have not read either of these first two books, I have read ‘Mother’s Day Mayhem’ recently from the ‘Tourist Trap Mystery’ series, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I awarded it four stars.

In this third book “One Potato, Two Potato, Dead” from the  ‘Farm-to-Fork Mystery’ series, a visiting professor dies under suspicious circumstances. Angie Turner owns her own restaurant ‘The County Seat’ along with her best friend, Felicia, in their home-town of Idaho. Angie decides to look into the murder case herself to find out the identity of the perpetrator.

Lynn Cahoon has drawn some interesting characters and I loved the mystery itself which was well written and delightful to read. Being a bit of a foodie, I loved that the story-line was interspersed with mouthwatering food descriptions. The plot had me fooled in this thoroughly engaging read.

All in all, I found this book to be a worthwhile read and I look forward to reading more from Lynn Cahoon. I would recommend “One Potato, Two Potato, Dead to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kensington Books and the author, Lynn Cahoon for my free ARC of One Potato, Two Potato, Dead. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

#OnePotatoTwoPotatoDead #NetGalley

Brianne’s Book Reviews Rating | Five Stars

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Double Fudge and Danger | Erin Huss | Review

On By Brianne's Book ReviewsIn Cozy, Humour, MysteryLeave a comment
Double Fudge & Danger (Cambria Clyne Mysteries Book 3)

Double Fudge & Danger by Erin Huss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Double Fudge & Danger” is book three in the series of the Cambria Clyne Mysteries of which I look forward to reading more. It is a delicious mixture of mystery, romance, family, and friends and a fun, fast and interesting read. I haven’t read the other books in this series yet, however, I don’t think that this spoilt my enjoyment of this novel. That said, there is nothing more exciting than picking up a book that is the first in a new series.

Since taking the job of an on-site apartment manager, single-mum Cambria Clyne’s life has been one wild ride.

When the manager of the apartment building next door, Violet Pumpkin, goes missing, Cambria steps in to help run the property development and can’t resist helping with the police investigation. However, the more Cambria digs, the more she discovers Violet had been anything but honest in her dealings and more suspects than Cambria could imagine start to surface – the stressed property owners, a dodgy pizza delivery guy, the drunken rooftop walker, the mysterious Clint Eastwood look-alike lurking around, or one of the angry residents who received rental increases the day before Violet vanished. Then there’s still the business of doing her own job, parenting a lively three-year-old and choosing between the two men in her life. Cambria has a lot to deal with – not that that’s ever stopped her before! 

Who is telling lies? Can anyone be trusted? Will Cambria find Violet before it’s too late, or will she be the next apartment manager to go missing? 

Erin Huss’ delightful writing style is well-paced and complemented by clever, witty opening phrases introducing each chapter. She has created an eclectic and quirky group of residents in this apartment complex some of whom were annoying but helped to make the story as good as it was. However, it was great that they all pulled together and relied on each other as good friends do. Cambria’s two handsome love interests add some romantic and spicy entanglement. Written in the first-person narrative and sharing Cambria’s innermost thoughts, Erin Huss includes some wonderful witty banter and vivid descriptions. Although being disorganised and a bit of a worrier, the extremely likeable Cambria demonstrates admirable inner strength and her desire for eating copious amounts of double fudge or any other flavour of ice-cream was astounding, as were her attempts at mothering her feisty and outspoken daughter.

The book had a natural, steady pace and I was kept guessing right until the surprising reveal. Delightful and entertaining, “Double Fudge & Danger” is a quick, light, highly recommended read for all cozy mystery fans.

{Thank you to Hidden Gems for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}



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On By Brianne's Book ReviewsIn Mystery, Women's FictionLeave a comment
Chocolate a la Murder

Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I jumped at the chance to read this delightful little mystery as I have come to adore cozy novels in recent months. This is the fourth book in the ‘A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum’ series by Kirsten Weiss, the first book being ‘The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum,’ followed by ‘Pressed to Death’ and ‘Deja Moo.’

The setting for the story is a town called San Benedetto in the California wine country. In “Chocolate a la Murder,” owner, Maddie Kosloski, of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, is preparing for The Wine and Chocolate Days Festival in San Benedetto. Maddie has sweet dreams about her new Magic of Chocolate exhibit. Her latest attraction is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies.

When Maddie visits the town’s new boutique chocolate shop, she finds one of the owners dead and covered in melted cocoa. Maddie’s determined to catch the killer, and she soon uncovers deadly dealings in the world of artisan chocolate. But the deception surrounding those dealings are enough to make the molinillo rattle all night. Will Maddie have to temper her passion for sleuthing before a killer makes her their next target?

Although I haven’t any read of the first three books of the series, Kirsten Weiss, provides plenty of back-stories, so “Chocolate a la Murder” works well as a stand-alone novel. Written in the first person, the characters in this novel were a real laugh and I especially liked Maddie’s feistiness. I even found myself asking the same questions and thinking along the same lines as Maddie when trying to work out the identity of the perpetrator. I really enjoyed the easy-to-read writing style, the plot and the pace of the book. The paranormal element helped to add intrigue to the tale, whilst making it a little different to some of the other books in the genre.

All in all, “Chocolate a la Murder” is a light-hearted, lovely read, that combines mystery, thrills and murder and mayhem and I’m looking forward to reading the first three books of the series.

[Thanks to #NetGalley and Midnight Ink Publishing for the free ARC of #ChocolateAlaMurder in exchange for an honest review]



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