One Taste Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery)
by Debra H. Goldstein
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (December 18, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496719476
ISBN-13: 978-1496719478
Digital ASIN: B07CDCZXLP
For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!
Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .
Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!
Includes quick and easy recipes!
About the Author
Judge Debra H. Goldstein’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series debuts from Kensington Press debuts with One Taste Too Many
. She also is the author of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery and the 2012 IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue
. Besides novels, Debra writes short stories. Her short story, The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017) is an Agatha Award Short Story Nominee. In addition to being the Sisters in Crime Guppy President, Debra serves on the national Sisters in Crime board and is Vice-President of the Southeast Region of Mystery Writers of America. Here are the author's links: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter (@DebraHGoldstein), Linked In, and Goodreads.
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is the first A Sarah Blair Mystery. Sarah Blair is a twenty-eight year old divorcee living in Wheaton, Alabama in a small studio apartment with her Siamese cat, RahRah while working as a receptionist for a local lawyer. Sarah is awakened during the night by a phone call from her twin sister, Emily. She is at the police station and the prime suspect in death of Sarah’s ex-husband, Bill. Sarah immediately calls her boss, Harlan and rushes to the police station. Peter Mueller, Wheaton’s police chief, is questioning Emily when Sarah and Harlan arrive at the station. Emily is a chef at Southwind, a local upscale restaurant, and in charge of the Southwind booth at the upcoming Food Expo. She states Bill called and told her there was a problem and to come down immediately. Emily found him on the floor of the Southwind booth covered in her rhubarb crisp. Then Jane Clark, Bill’s latest love interest, shows up and accuses Sarah of stealing a bracelet and RahRah (oh no). After leaving the station, Emily suggests that Sarah work the Food Expo with her, so they can track down the real killer. It will also allow them to get close to Jane and figure out what plan she is cooking up. They only have one little problem—Sarah is severely lacking in culinary talent (heating up takeout is the extent of her skills). When Emily is arrested for Bill’s murder, it is up to Sarah to cut through the clues and suspects. Can Sarah solve the case before Emily’s becomes the prison’s new cook?
One Taste Too Many comes out on December 18 and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Google Play. There is a giveaway as part of the tour. You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below. Thank you for joining me today. I am going to share my review of Sparky of Bunker Hill and the Cold Case Kid by Rosaline Barden. I hope you have a amiable day. Take care, stay warm and Happy Reading!
. She also is the author of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery and the 2012 IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue. Besides novels, Debra writes short stories. Her short story, The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017) is an Agatha Award Short Story Nominee. In addition to being the Sisters in Crime Guppy President, Debra serves on the national Sisters in Crime board and is Vice-President of the Southeast Region of Mystery Writers of America. Here are the author's links: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter (@DebraHGoldstein), Linked In, and Goodreads.My Thoughts
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is the first A Sarah Blair Mystery. Sarah Blair is a twenty-eight year old divorcee living in Wheaton, Alabama in a small studio apartment with her Siamese cat, RahRah while working as a receptionist for a local lawyer. Sarah is awakened during the night by a phone call from her twin sister, Emily. She is at the police station and the prime suspect in death of Sarah’s ex-husband, Bill. Sarah immediately calls her boss, Harlan and rushes to the police station. Peter Mueller, Wheaton’s police chief, is questioning Emily when Sarah and Harlan arrive at the station. Emily is a chef at Southwind, a local upscale restaurant, and in charge of the Southwind booth at the upcoming Food Expo. She states Bill called and told her there was a problem and to come down immediately. Emily found him on the floor of the Southwind booth covered in her rhubarb crisp. Then Jane Clark, Bill’s latest love interest, shows up and accuses Sarah of stealing a bracelet and RahRah (oh no). After leaving the station, Emily suggests that Sarah work the Food Expo with her, so they can track down the real killer. It will also allow them to get close to Jane and figure out what plan she is cooking up. They only have one little problem—Sarah is severely lacking in culinary talent (heating up takeout is the extent of her skills). When Emily is arrested for Bill’s murder, it is up to Sarah to cut through the clues and suspects. Can Sarah solve the case before Emily’s becomes the prison’s new cook?
One Taste Too Many is a lighthearted cozy mystery. This cozy mystery features plenty of mouthwatering food and a smart Siamese cat named RahRah. I liked the steady pacing and smooth flow between sections. Sarah and her twin sister, Emily may look alike, but they have very different personalities and talents. Sarah has divorced her cheating husband, but she has yet to discover what she wants to do with her life. While Emily is a talented chef, Sarah has no culinary talents. Actually, Sarah is not sure if she possesses any special skills or talents. Sarah is grateful for her cat, RahRah (my favorite character in the book). RahRah originally belonged to Mother Blair and, after her death, Bill asked Sarah to take him since he is allergic. It turns out that Bill forgot to mention that Mother Blair set up a special trust for RahRah with a stipend for his caregiver along with a place to live (must have slipped his mind). After Bill’s death, all the evidence points towards Emily as the killer. Emily convinces Sarah to help her ferret out the truth. There are several suspects with motive to want Bill dead and there are good clues to aid readers in resolving the crime. I was disappointed that the murder occurred before the book began. I would have appreciated the author taking the time to develop the main characters further (to know more about their past). Further information on Harlan would also have been nice—like his last name (did I miss it?). There are two recipes at the end of the book. One Taste Too Many will appeal to those who delight in pet and food cozy mysteries with a perplexing whodunit. Do not miss the first new diverting tale in A Sarah Blair Mystery series.
One Taste Too Many comes out on December 18 and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Google Play. There is a giveaway as part of the tour. You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below. Thank you for joining me today. I am going to share my review of Sparky of Bunker Hill and the Cold Case Kid by Rosaline Barden. I hope you have a amiable day. Take care, stay warm and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
December 3 – Book Babble – REVIEW
December 3 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW, GUEST POST
December 5 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 6 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 6 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW
December 7 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
December 7 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 8 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 9 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW
December 10 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 –A Wytch's Book Review Blog – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 12 – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, GUEST POST
December 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GUEST POST
December 13 – MJB Reviewers - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 13 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
December 14 – Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
December 15 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – REVIEW
December 15 – Socrates' Book Reviews – REVIEW
December 16 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
December 16 – Bibliophile Reviews - REVIEW, GUEST POST
Kris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me as a guest today - I also appreciate your review of One Taste Too Many. I'm looking forward to more books in the series.