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Death on the Eastern Shore: A Review of "By Cook or By Crook" by Maya Corrigan

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From the back of the book: Haunted by the car accident that ended her career as a cookbook publicist, Val Deniston has traded in the chaos of New York City for a quieter life near the Chesapeake Bay. Living with her curmudgeonly grandfather in the tourist town of Bayport is hardly glamourous, but she enjoys working at the Cool Down Cafe at the local fitness club, and she finally has time to work on her long-planned cookbook. But when one of the club's patrons is found dead, she'll have to cook up a scheme to find the killer. As the number of suspects rises like crabs in a bucket, it's out of the pan and into the fire for Val. If she can't find the culprit soon, she might as well be chum in the water. My thoughts on the book... Honestly, I enjoyed the grandfather character the most in this book. The main lead had a bit of a negative outlook throughout the story, most of the other cozy mysteries the main lead tries to look for something positive.  On a high note, the end ...
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A Sip of Death: A Review of "Merlot Murders" by Ellen Crosby

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From the back of the book: Leland Montgomery's death was deemed accidental, but when his daughter Lucie returns home from France, she finds the once-thriving family vineyard run down, collapsing under huge debt. Lucie's godfather warns her that Leland's demise may have been the result of an attempt to force the sale of the vineyard. Her extravagant brother and rebellious sister are determined to sell the estate, and there's something suspicious about the vintner her father hired right before he died. When another oenophile turns up dead, asphyxiated in a tank of Merlot, Lucie - the lone holdout preventing the vineyard's sale - realizes she's next in line for an "accident." Can she trust the proverb in vino veritas - in wine there is truth - as she attempts to survive a very bad year for Merlot? My thoughts about the book... Honestly, I learned more about wine than I really wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Chardonnay while reading, I...
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Spicing Up Murder: A Review of "Chili con Carnage" by Kylie Logan

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From the back of the book: Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships - well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her daddy, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks now. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia, to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown, to be judged by celebrity chef Carter Donnelly. But when Maxie discovers Roberto's body in the chef's trailer - only hours after publicly breaking up with him while wearing a giant red chili pepper costume - she suddenly finds she's the one in the spotlight as the police pepper her with questions. Not this Chili Chick needs to kick up the search to catch the real killer and get back to finding her father... My thoughts about the book... I enjoyed this story as I could relate to the difficulties ...
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Cooking up Clues: Reviewing 'Catering to Nobody' by Diane Mott Davidson

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From the back of the book: Catering a wake is not Goldy's idea of fun. Yet the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast including Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. And her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered...until her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman is struck down and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu. Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband proclaiming her guilt, and her business about to be shut down, Goldy know she can't wait for the police to serve up the answers. She'll soon uncover more than one family skeleton and a veritable stew of unpalatable secrets - the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer's next murder! My thoughts about the book... I first read this book in 2003, a time when I found myself going through a contentious divorce. This helped me relate to Goldy as a single mother w...
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Welcome Sleuths!

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Welcome to my blog! It does not matter if you are a cozy mystery fan already or are interested in the genre, I'm here for you. I share your love of the “cozy” with its wholesome approach to weaving tales of murder and mayhem without all the graphic details.   What's the blog about   Here at the Amateur Sleuth Book Club, I post reviews of the first book in a cozy mystery series to help you find one that will get you hooked! Devoted cozy readers have multiple series that they follow faithfully, but then it happens – you read all the way to the end of the current series and must wait for the next book to be released. What do you do then? You move over to the other series that you read.   For those new to cozies, this site is designed with you in mind. I review the first book in a series to help you decide which series may be one you want to start.   If you already love the cozy mystery genre, I can help you find an alternative series to read while you wait for your ...
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