Killer Takeout

 In Lucy Burdette's Killer Takeout, the 7th installment in the Key West Food Critic Culinary Cozy Mystery series, this new caper is twisted like a hurricane to leave you guessing. It all started when Hayley Snow witnessed a catfight between two women before the annual Fantasy Fest. After it had broken up, they had a Zombie Apocalypse Parade when one of the zombies got sick and died. Now it was up to Hayley to find out what caused Caryn Bruckman's death and who did it and why. And she had to clear her friend and fellow coworker Danielle's name and getting a closer look on who Caryn was, and what type of person she was outside the royal court. While this is happening, Hayley's uncertain with her relationship with Nathan, a hurricane to steamroll through the Key West area, and her mother and future FIL plan to tie the knot. When she gets closer to the ice-cold truth, it's after the eye of the storm and learns whodunit before it might be too late.

 This was another fantastic culinary cozy that takes place during hurricane season in Key West, Florida. It's idyllic and mesmerizing for the location and the gripping scenic scenes. I loved how Hayley is a food critic for a local e-zine that features cover stories around the Keys. I cared about her and how she would get down to the heart of the matter to help a friend out and to be supportive of her mother's remarriage to a great guy for her stepfather. I loved how the houseboat community came together to pitch in before and after the storm, locals and tourists alike. She's real down-to-earth and a trooper. The theme of the story is don't carry a grudge when your actions will speak for itself.

If you love great culinary cozies that have recipes for you to try at home with non-stop action, plenty of drama, lots of suspense, and hints of mystery, you'll love Killer Takeout. 

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Tragic Toppings

In Jessica Beck's Tragic Toppings, the 5th installment in the Donut Shop culinary cozy series, she delighted us with an intriguing cozy with delicious donut recipes to enjoy at home. For Suzanne Hart, she received a lot of customers come and go at her shop. But when their handyman winds up missing and turns up dead, it baffled Suzanne's mind on who wanted him dead. Besides trying to convince her mother to go out with the police chief on their dates, she's busy running her store and waiting for her boyfriend to visit her from his job. When he does, it's between the two of them on who wanted to see Tim Leander dad--they dig up his past life and his love life to question everybody as a suspect. When her recipe book went missing and up in flames, someone sent her a warning, before her business could go up in smoke. Before she knew it, her life was at stake and discovered who killed him and someone else, too.

This was a delightful new culinary cozy series to enjoy, even though it was in the middle of the series. I cared about Suzanne and her mother Dorothy, who were two of a kind, and cared for each other. I also loved Emma, Emily and Jake and Grace. The town of April Springs were charming and idealistic for a small town in the Carolinas. I felt bad for Emily and Tim and didn't like Orson Blaine one bit. This would entice you and thrill you with a charming twist or two, every step of the way. Good drama, excellent suspense, intrigue and plenty of non-stop action, too.

Will you have some tragic toppings added to your donuts today? If so, read on with sprinkles on top!