Greetings! A Last Goodbye by Dee Yates comes out on May 1 along with Together Forever by Jody Hedlund. A new cozy that I am looking forward to reading is Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott which will be published on October 30. It is the first cozy mystery in A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series.
Expiration Date by Devon Delaney
is the premier novel in A Cook-Off Mystery series. Sherry Frazzelle (rhyme with la belly) is one
of the finalists in the OrgaNicks Cook-Off in Augustin, Connecticut. The grand prize is $10,000 and title of
OrgaNicks Supreme Home Chef. The judging
is completed, and Chef Tony Birns is announcing the winner when he collapses. After it is determined he was poisoned, Sherry
rises to the top of the suspect list since her dish was the last one sampled by
the victim. Sherry with help from fellow
competitor, Amber Sherman sets out to clear her name and her pork tenderloin. The killer, though, is less than thrilled
with Sherry’s sleuthing and attempts to warn her off the case. Sherry is missing the last pieces of the
puzzle that will help her identify the guilty party. She just needs to assemble the clues like the
ingredients in a recipe and stir until she cooks up the killer. Sherry will need to be careful or she will
get burned.
Expiration Date is a light,
humorous cozy mystery. I felt that
Expiration Date could have done with some rewriting to give it a better flow along
with a more solid mystery. The pacing
slowed down considerably when food was being cooked and described. When Sherry was cooking, the book was reminiscent
of a cookbook instead of a work of fiction.
We are told each ingredient along with every step in the cooking process. The dialogue could have used some
tweaking. It was awkward. Sherry is not a likeable main character. She is a neat freak, likes to be in control,
gets anxious quickly, has panic attacks, scares easily and she expects
situations to turn out badly (she comes across as neurotic instead of realistic). Sherry does not like her name to be pronounced
incorrectly and corrects people throughout the book. She also cannot stand being called ma’am (this
happens throughout the book as well). A
contradiction to her neat fetish is one of the guest rooms is filled with her
estranged husband’s clothing (looks like the inside of a men’s clothing
boutique). Sherry is waiting for him to
pick them up. Personally, I would have
given the man an ultimatum (I believe he is looking for an excuse to stop by). My favorite part of Expiration Date was
barely touched on. Sherry’s father owns
Oliveri’s Ruggery, a hooked rug shop (rug hooking is a wonderful art form). I dearly wish the author had centered the
book around the shop instead of food competitions (that would have been
unique). The mystery was simple and
solving it is a cinch (might as well be a giant neon arrow pointing to the
killer). The author gives away the who
and why early in the story. The case
details are repeated (more repetition) and there is a lack of action (more
cooking than crime solving). I did find
the method of murder to be unique and clever.
I was left with one question at the end of the book—who won the cooking
competition? I am hoping the author ups her game in the next A Cook-Off
Mystery. My rating for Expiration Date is 3 out of 5 stars.
Final Roasting Place is the next book in A Cook-Off Mystery series. It will be available on September 25. I really appreciate you visiting today. On Sunday I am sharing my thoughts on The Promise by Susan Lantz Simpson. I hope you have a lovely relaxing day. Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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