The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade

Book Summary

The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade has Tish Tarragon with a prime location for her Cookin’ the Books Café and Catering booth at the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair.  She is delivering breakfast to the members of the Williamsburg Theater Group with actor, Justin Dange.  When Jenny Inkpen fails to answer their knock, they enter her trailer where Tish finds the young ingenue dead.  Sheriff Clemson Reade is quick to arrive and appreciates Tish’s help with the case.  People open up to Tish and share information that they would not with Sheriff Reade.  Lies, jealousy, and secrets abound among the theater troupe.  Tish whips up culinary delights for the Christmas Fair visitor,  and, in between, she stirs together the clues in the hopes of serving up the killer.

My Thoughts

The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade is the 3^rd A Tish Tarragon Mystery.  It can be read on its own if you have not read Cookin’ the Book or The Garden Club Murder.  Tish Tarragon owns Cookin’ the Books Café and Catering where she serves up culinary themed food.  I had to laugh at the creative names for her dishes.  It is time for the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair with food vendors, craftspeople, and entertainers.  A Christmas Carol and Twelfth Night are being performed each day by the Williamsburg Theater Group.  Tish has agreed to deliver breakfast to theirs trailers each day of the fair.  The first day begins with a bang when Tish finds Jenny Inkpen dead in her trailer.  Tish helps Sheriff Clemson Reade by asking questions.  People have a way of sharing information with Tish which provides Sheriff Reade with helpful intel.  The mystery had multiple suspects in the death of the ingenue. There are red herrings and good clues.  I am amazed at the secrets that come to light.  I thought the murder weapon was unique as well as a couple other aspects of the crime.  I found Identifying the killer, though, to be a snap while others have found it challenging.  I believe it depends on the number of mysteries you have read.  The whodunit does involve a sensitive subject that is normally not broached in cozy mysteries.  Each food dish is described in detail along with the outfits people wore.  I did feel it was a little too much detail especially in the first chapter (where each dish Tish created for the Christmas Fair was described) which slowed down the beginning of the story.  I was surprised and disappointed by what happened at the end. I hope this development is not permanent. The author captured the Christmas feeling with the cold weather, the fair, decorations, and the food.  Christmas Fair Killer has developed characters who are good friends and have become a family.  I like that they support each other and are there in times of need.  The Christmas Fair Killer is an entertaining cozy mystery with fair fun, anxious actors, earsplitting explosives, captivating cuisine, cozy cocoa, and Christmas cheer.

The Christmas Fair Killer is available from Amazon* along with the other two novels in A Tish Tarragon Mystery series which are Cookin' the Books and The Garden Club Murder.  You can find more books by Amy Patricia Meade here.  I appreciate you dropping by today.  I will be back tomorrow with Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan.  I do hope that you have a day filled with laughter.  Take care, stay safe, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

The Garden Club Murder by Amy Patricia Meade: Review & Giveaway!

The Garden Club Murder 

A Tish Tarragon Mystery

by Amy Patricia Meade

About The Garden Club Murder

The Garden Club Murder (A Tish Tarragon Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Severn House Publishers (September 1, 2019)

Hardcover: 208 pages

ISBN-10: 0727889443

ISBN-13: 978-0727889447

Digital ASIN: B07TXLVLPP

Literary caterer Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon is preparing her English Secret Garden-themed luncheon for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards, but when she is taken on a tour of some of the top contenders with the garden club’s president, Jim Ainsley, Tish is surprised at how seriously the residents take the awards – and how desperate they are to win.

Wealthy, retired businessman Sloane Shackleford has won the coveted best garden category five years in a row, but he and his Bichon Frise, Biscuit, are universally despised. When Sloane’s bludgeoned body is discovered in his pristine garden, Tish soon learns that he was disliked for reasons that go beyond his green fingers. Have the hotly contested awards brought out a competitive and murderous streak in one of the residents?

About Amy Patricia Meade

Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After stints as an Operations Manager for a document imaging company and a freelance technical writer, Amy left the bright lights of New York City and headed north to pursue her creative writing career amidst the idyllic beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains.

Now residing in Bristol, England, Amy spends her time writing mysteries with a humorous or historical bent.  When not writing, Amy enjoys traveling, testing out new recipes, classic films, and exploring her new home.

Author Links

Webpage: https://amypatriciameade.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.patriciameade/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amypatriciameade/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amypmeade

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/174006.Amy_Patricia_Meade

My Thoughts

The Garden Club Murder by Amy Patricia Meade is the second A Tish Tarragon Mystery.  Tish Tarragon owns Cookin’ the Books Café & Catering in Virginia.  She is a literary themed chef who has been hired to cater the Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards luncheon for which she has created a Secret Garden theme.  Jim Ainsley’s, the garden club president, takes Tish and Jules Davis on a tour of the top contenders for the prize.  They find Sloane Shackleford on a chaise lounge bludgeoned with a garden spade.  Tish declares she is too busy with the luncheon to investigate, but the residents keep dropping by the kitchen and open up to her while eating her delectable scones.  The Garden Club Murder can be read as a standalone for those new to the series.  Everything a reader needs to know is disclosed in the book.  Tish owns Cookin’ the Books which is a café with a literary themed menu.  Her Secret Garden theme for the garden club luncheon sounded lovely as well as the scrumptious English menu.  Julian Jefferson Davis aka Jules is my favorite character in the book.  He is a unique individual with a zest for life.  Jules provided many humorous moments.  My favorite was when Tish finds him leading an early morning water aerobics class as Coleton Creek blaring Lady Gaga music.  Despite finding the body of the despised Sloane Shackleford, Tish declares she is not going to investigate.  However, residents keep visiting the kitchen (or waylaying her) and Tish manages to extract information that helps Sheriff Clemson Reade with his investigation (she cannot help but ask probing questions).  The whodunit is intriguing.  There are multiple suspects since Sloane went out of his way to antagonize residents of the community.  There are clues to help readers solve the crime before Tish.  There is a red herring or two to distract us from the real culprit along with a surprising twist.  I like the subplot (another mystery) which added depth to the story plus it was unique.  Tish also must help her best friend, Mary Jo who was told by her husband that he wants a divorce because he has fallen in love with a younger woman.  Mary Jo and her two kids (plus two of their friends) spend the weekend in Tish’s apartment above the café.  In addition, Tish has Biscuit, Sloane’s dog staying with her (she is a softie).  While Tish is dating attorney, Schuyler Thompson, there is another man interested in having a relationship with her.  I have to admit that I prefer this man to the attorney.  The Garden Club Murder is an eventful cozy mystery with scrumptious scones, a winsome weatherman, gorgeous gardens, a questionable quarry and one curious chef.  

The Garden Club Murder can be purchased at Amazon, Amazon UK, B&N, and AbeBooks.  The first book in A Tish Tarragon Mystery series is Cookin' the Books.  To win a print copy (U.S. Only), click here or enter using the Rafflecopter form below.  Good Luck!  Thank you for popping in today and I hope we have helped you find a new author and book.  Tomorrow I am showcasing Valleys, Vehicles and Victims by  Tonya Kappes.  It is the ninth A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery.  Mae West finds herself organizing an entitled woman's wedding and spilling her secrets to a  reporter. Each book in this entertaining series is available through Kindle Unlimited.  I hope you have a peaceful day.  We all need one of those now and then.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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Cookin' the Books by Amy Patricia Meade

Welcome!  The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick comes out March 25 with Hope on the Inside by Marie Bostwick and Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson.  Murder at the Marina by Janet Finsilver publishes on April 2 along with The Spitfire Girls in the Sky by Fenella J. Miller and Lights! Camera! Puzzles! by Parnell Hall.  An Amish Reunion by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin is available on April 9.  My TBR pile is growing!

Cookin’ the Books by Amy Patricia Meade is the first A Tish Tarragon Mystery.  Letitia “Tish” Tarragon has moved to Hobsen Glen, Virginia where she is opening Cookin’ the Books Café.  Tish serves book themed items food items in the café plus caters event using a literary theme.  When Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the Hobsen Glen Library, finds herself without a caterer for the upcoming annual library fundraiser, Schuyler Thompson, Tish’s landlord, recommends Tish for the job.  Schuyler does warn Tish that Binnie can be difficult.  Tish feels she is up for the challenge and gets the job catering a three course meal for three hundred guests with a literary theme (nothing too deep per Binnie).  The library fundraiser is the premier social event of Hobsen Glen.  The party is well attended despite the rain and the first course is well received by everyone except Binnie.  She insists on dousing her food in hot sauce before taking a bite. During the second course, Binnie suddenly clutches her throat and then falls face first into her plate of prime rib.  Sheriff Clemson Reade is in charge of the case.  He takes a close look at Tish and her staff when it is discovered that Binnie was poisoned.  Tish needs to prove her food and staff were not at fault or Cookin’ the Books Café will close before it has had its grand opening.  Tish soon learns that Binnie was an unpopular woman which leaves her with a lengthy suspect list.  Who disliked Binnie enough to want her dead?  Tish intends to find out in Cookin’ the Books.

 

Cookin’ the Books has an interesting premise with a literary themed café.  The author came up with some clever names for the food dishes with my favorite being The Prime Rib of Miss Jean Brodie.  Tish Tarragon is our main character.  I liked Tish, but I wish we had learned more about her.  There is an assortment of secondary characters including Enid Kemper who walks around with her bird, Langhorne on her shoulder (she is banned from the library by Binnie).   Jules Jefferson Davis, Tish’s friend and local weatherman, is a gregarious man who works hard to promote Tish’s new endeavor along with Mary Jo Okensholt, Tish’s friend).  The story had varied pacing.  I found it a bit slow in the middle and could have done with less internal dialogue (Tish thinking).  There is romance (of course) for Tish with her landlord, Schuyler Thompson.  It is obvious from the beginning that Binnie will be the victim (it is mentioned in the blurb as well).  Binnie is an unlikeable woman who goes out of her way to antagonize people.  There are multiple suspects and good clues.  I have a feeling many readers will not be surprised by the killer’s identity.  There are literary puns that will delight book lovers.  The town is beautifully described (we get more on the town than on Tish).  It is a small town where everyone knows your business and gossip spreads faster than butter on hot pancakes.  There are many lovely cozy moments in the book for readers to enjoy.  Cookin’ the Books is a charming story and a positive way to begin A Tish Tarragon Mystery series.

Amy Patricia Meade is the author of The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, A Rosie the Riveter Mystery series and A Pret' Near Perfect Mystery series.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will feature Hetty's Secret War by Rosie Clarke tomorrow.  I hope you day is filled with joy.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader