Murder is No Picnic
About Murder is No Picnic
Murder Is No Picnic (A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Publisher : Berkley (June 7, 2022)
Mass Market Paperback : 336 pages
The Fourth of July is coming, and for professional food lover Samantha Barnes, it’s all about the picnic. Okay, and the fireworks. And the parade. But mostly the picnic. What could be better than a DIY clambake followed by the best blueberry buckle in the world? Sam has finally found the perfect recipe in the kitchen of Clara Foster, famed cookbook author and retired restaurateur, and she’s thrilled when Clara agrees to a buckle baking lesson.
But when Clara dies in a house fire blamed on carelessness in the kitchen, Sam doesn’t believe it. Unfortunately, her doubts set in motion an investigation pointing to the new owner of Clara’s legendary restaurant—and a cousin of Sam’s harbormaster boyfriend. So, in between researching the Cape’s best lobster rolls and planning her clambake, Sam needs to find Clara's killer before the fireworks really start....
About Amy Pershing
Amy Pershing, who spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod, was an editor, a restaurant reviewer and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago she waved goodbye to Wall Street to write full time. Murder Is No Picnic is the third of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries featuring Samantha Barnes, a disgraced but resilient ex-chef who retreats home to Cape Cod where she finds herself juggling a new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie,” a complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends, a falling-down house, a ginormous dog and a propensity for falling over dead bodies. Elizabeth Gilbert called the first book in the series, A Side of Murder, “the freshest, funniest mystery I have ever read,” and Kirkus Reviews gave the second book, An Eggnog to Die For, a starred review, saying, “A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.”
Author Links
My Thoughts
Samantha Barnes, the Cape Cod Foodie, eats the best blueberry buckle she has ever experienced. She learns it is the recipe of renowned chef, Clara Foster. Clara agrees to a video shoot with Samantha where they will make the blueberry buckle. Samantha loves Clara’s beachside home with its original artwork and a wonderful cookbook collection. The next morning, Samantha learns that there was a fire at Clara’s house and the chef is dead. At first blush, it looks like the fire was an accident. When Samantha looks at the scene with Detective Vivian Peters, she notices a couple of clues that indicate foul play. Samantha with the help of her friends sets out to sift through the clues and question suspects. Samantha will need to be careful, or she could get burned.
Murder is No Picnic by Amy Pershing is the third A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery. Each book in the series can be read as a
standalone. I enjoyed the author’s
descriptions of Cape Cod. The food
depictions will have your mouth watering.
I just loved hearing about Clara’s wonderful cookbook collection. It contained one-a-kind cookbooks that
collectors would kill to own. The
mystery was interesting. There were some
good clues at the scene, and it was interesting how the crime was set up. A foodie was definitely needed to discern the
crime scene. There are a handful of
suspects along with a red herring. There
are clues to help readers identify the guilty party before the unique
reveal. I like that we get all of our
questions answered regarding the crime. Samantha,
though, does need to work on her questioning technique. She lacks subtlety. I was surprised when the mystery was solved with
about twenty percent of the book still to go.
There was one item about this whodunit that was left up in the air. I wonder if it will be revisited in future
books. I like the inclusion of the cat
and dog in the story. I just love
Diogi. He is such a sweetie. Samantha’s relationship with Jason is
suffering while he is away in Santa Barbara.
Sam worried about Jason and his feelings frequently while he was away. I had to laugh at Samantha’s reaction to the
news about the clock found in her attic.
The whole world gets to enjoy her response since it was filmed for
Antiques in the Attic. There are recipes
at the end of the book for a summer picnic including one for a delectable
blueberry buckle. Murder is No Picnic is a fun summer cozy mystery with
blueberry buckle, a killer cookbook collection, an amazing art collection, a
demanding dognapper, a beautiful boat, a curious crime, a Cape Cod clam bake, and
fun Fourth of July festivities.
Murder is No Picnic is available from Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Books, IndieBound, Bookshop.org, and PenguinRandomHouse. The first two books in A Cape Cod Foodie Mysteries are A Side of Murder and An Eggnog to Die For. As part of the tour, Amy Pershing is giving away a print copy of Murder is No Picnic (sorry, but US Only). To enter, click here or use the Rafflecopter form below. Leave a comment for an extra entry in the contest. Good Luck! Thank you for joining me today. Next time I am featuring Unfailing Love by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan. It is the third book in the When Hope Calls series. I hope that you have cheerful day. Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
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