Tuesday, July 7, 2015


BUTTER OFF DEAD 
Book 3 in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series 
by Leslie Budewitz


As the national bestselling Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries continue, the merchants of Jewel Bay, Montana, try to heat up chilly winter business with a new film festival. But their plans are sent reeling when a dangerous killer dims the lights on a local vendor...

In an attempt to woo tourists to Jewel Bay and cheer up the townies, Erin Murphy, manager of the specialty local foods market known as the Merc, is organizing the First Annual Food Lovers’ Film Festival, filled with classic foodie flicks and local twists on favorite movie treats. But when her partner in planning, painter Christine Vandeberg, is found dead only days before the curtain rises, Erin suspects someone is attempting to stop the films from rolling.

To make matters worse, Nick—Erin’s brother and Christine’s beau—has top billing on the suspect list. Convinced her brother is innocent and determined that the show must go on, Erin has to find who’s really to blame before Nick gets arrested or the festival gets shut down. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more likely it becomes that she’ll be the next person cut from the program...


INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!

MY REVIEW


First, a thank you to the author for starting this book off with a character list. Even right down to the pets! It was lots of help.

I’ve enjoyed the Food Lovers’ Mystery series since book one, DEATH AL DENTE. So, when I saw the cover and read the blurb for this book, BUTTER OFF DEAD, I couldn’t wait to get this book in my hands. It was more than worth the wait!

Author Leslie Budewitz filled this story with twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat, holding my book in a death grip, easing my hold only long enough to turn the pages. This was an expertly written mystery, from the sad death scene to the surprising and exciting reveal. I had no idea who to suspect as the murderer!

As with the first two books, the characters in this series are still wonderfully charming and quirky. It was fun getting to learn even more about them. And I loved idea of the Food Lovers’ Film Festival. Such a fun idea to go with this series. I’d like to see come back in a future installment.

It’s no surprise at all Leslie Budewitz won an Agatha Award for book two, CRIME RIB. She knows how to serve up a satisfyingly delicious story that fills your senses with delight and leaves you hungry for more.

And check out the back of the book for The Food Lovers’ Film Festival Guide to Food and Drink, with 8 yummy recipes!

Releases TODAY!

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More wonderful titles releasing 
TODAY
Tuesday, July 7


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


From the national bestselling author of Muffin but Murder, baker Merry Wynter returns with a fresh tray of muffins and a case that has authorities stumped…

They say one’s home is one’s castle, but when it comes to Wynter Castle, Merry would like it to belong to someone else. But until a buyer bites, she could use some extra dough, so she decides to take in renters. The idea pans out, and Merry’s able to find a handful of tenants eager to live in a real castle. The only problem is most of them are crumby, tea-swilling old biddies.

The Legion of Horrible Ladies, as Merry calls them, is led by the terribly nasty—and fabulously wealthy—Cleta Sanson. The abrasive Englishwoman keeps everyone whipped into a frenzy—until she meets an embarrassing end behind a locked door. Evidence reveals that Cleta was murdered, yet no one is privy to how the deed was done. Merry knows she must quickly find the killer before another of her guests gets greased…


INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!


As the national bestselling Cookie Cutter Shop mysteries return, things are heating up for Olivia Greyson, her best friend, Maddie, and the rest of the crew at The Gingerbread House—until a cold case puts their plans on ice…

Olivia’s mom, Ellie, is always cooking up new schemes, but her latest idea has Livie and Maddie especially excited. Ellie’s converting an old boarding house into an arts and crafts school—one that, of course, houses a kitchen for those interested in baking. But right as renovations start, the workers discover a pile of bones buried within the boarding house’s walls, evidence of a long forgotten crime.

A silver necklace with a cookie cutter charm is found within the remains, convincing one of the workers that the bones are the remains of her father, who’s been missing for over five years. Of course, Livie and Maddie can’t resist the allure of investigating. But they’re about to discover that digging up the secrets of the past can be deadly dangerous…


RECIPES INCLUDED


In the latest from the national bestselling author of Diners, Drive-ins, and Death, Trixie Matkowski finds herself in hot water after a killer gets cheesed off at a celebrity chef....

When the library roof collapses from the harsh winter weather, diner owner and comfort food chef Trixie Matkowski decides to organize a mac-and-cheese cook-off to raise funds for repairs. Priscilla Finch-Smythe, famous TV chef and former Sandy Harbor resident, is not only available to judge the contest—she’s offering an appearance on her show as the grand prize.

Trixie hopes that winning first place in the cook-off will help boost publicity for her Silver Bullet Diner. But when another winner is announced, and Priscilla is later found frozen in a snowbank, Trixie starts getting attention from the police instead. Now she’ll have to noodle over this mystery before everything really goes to pot….


Includes Delicious Home-Style Recipes


In the latest novel from the author of Ill-Gotten Panes, Georgia Kelly has made a home for herself and her stained glass business in Wenwood, New York. But not everything in the sleepy Hudson River town is as transparent as it seems…
 
While Georgia has come to love her new hometown, her stained glass windows haven’t exactly been raking in the dough. So when her best friend, Carrie, offers her the opportunity to create a made-to-order window for Wenwood’s latest bed and breakfast, Georgia jumps at the chance.
 
But when Carrie’s ex-husband’s office suddenly burns to the ground and Carrie’s own office and apartment are robbed, Georgia has to put down her glass and cutter to get to the bottom of the trouble. Carrie insists she doesn’t have enemies, but Georgia is determined to do everything in her power to find out who’s targeting her friend—and why—before anyone else’s life is smashed to pieces...

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7 comments:

  1. These books look wonderful! Thank you Lisa.

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  2. So many good new books this week! Hard to know where to begin!

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  3. Good review - love the list of new releases...definitely want to get a couple of them myself

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  4. Thank you for letting us know about all of the new releases that came out today! Can't wait to read them all.

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  5. Thanks, Lisa! I've read every book in Lucy Burdette's series and am looking forward to reading Fatal Reservations.

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  6. I enjoy the occasional cozy mystery though I am finding that I hadn't much luck so I kind of stopped. Oh well. Some of these titles are pretty clever! Is there a particular author or series that you loved so much you can recommend I read? :) Hopefully I get back on the cozy mystery train.

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