fuonlyknew

A Dish Best Served Cold
by Rosie Genova

This is an enjoyable, fast summertime read, which takes you to the jersey shore and beyond.
~Mystery Playground

If you’re a beach lover, and especially if you’re an aficionado of Italian cuisine, you’ll love this book (and the Italian Kitchen series) with the delicious recipes, busy kitchen, wonderful characters, and of course the Jersey Shore and Boardwalk! I highly recommend A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova, and grant it our highest rating of Five Kitties.
~Jane Reads

A Dish Best Served Cold:
An Italian Kitchen Mystery

Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: NAL (August 4, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0451415165

 My Review

First I want to mention that this is the third book in this series. Don’t let that stop you from reading this out of order. The author smoothly provided back story in the right places without slowing down the story and I easily became familiar with the characters and previous events.

Now to the book. How could I pass this up? A cozy mystery with the main character being a successful mystery writer.

Victoria Rienzi, or Vic, returned to Oceanside on the Jersey shore a few months ago. She’s trying to write the next book in her mystery series while working in the families Italian restaurant, Casa Lido.

The restaurant is preparing for it’s 70th anniversary, but it’s not looking to good. A storm is barreling down on New Jersey. Vic’s grandmother, Nonna, isn’t going to let a little ole hurricane ruin the outdoor dining and festivities. When the winds begin to bluster and the rain starts to fall, everyone is hustled inside to continue the celebration.

Like all hurricanes, it blows through and the morning is bright and clear. There’s lots of power outages along with some damage, but it looks like everyone came through it okay. Until they find the body.

Stinky Pete, the resident homeless man, is found dead at the historical carousel ride on the boardwalk. He was last seen after he stumbled into the restaurant celebration. Nonna gave him some food and water and guided away from the guests, sending him on his way.

Vic isn’t convinced it’s an accidental drowning and she just can’t help herself. She has to stick her nose in the investigation, drawing Nonna’s wrath.  It’s not the first time Casa Lido has been  at the center of a murder investigation.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the research. The research done by the characters. Vic and her sister-in-law, Sophie, dig deep and stumble upon a connection to Vic’s great uncle, Roberto. He was the black sheep in the family and thought to have died in Italy a long time ago.

They make a list of suspects and the list keeps growing. I tell you, these ladies left no one off that list.

And I have to hand it to Vic. I don’t know how she kept going. A deadline is looming on her new release, and she needs to get cracking on the next book. She ‘s dealing with issues at the restaurant and at home due to lack of electricity. And she’s having to work alongside the man who broke her heart and sent her running away many years ago.

Vic is persistent and starts asking questions, angering some people and setting herself up as a target.

Love lost and found, people who want to keep their skeletons in their closets, and a possible mob connection kept this mystery rushing forward and kept me on my toes, right along with Vic. That, and her Nonna, who brooks no slacking and no nonsense.

Good clean fun with lots of laughs and some intense scenes as the mystery unravels. Everything you need for a good cozy read.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

The national bestselling author of The Wedding Soup Murder returns to the Jersey Shore where a killer is stirring up trouble during a hurricane…

At the Casa Lido, the end of summer means a party, and hit whodunit writer Victoria “Vic” Rienzi and her family are cooking like crazy for the restaurant’s seventieth anniversary celebration. As they chop onions and garlic, old family friend Pete Petrocelli stops by, saying he knows something that would make for a good mystery novel. Curious, Vic asks Nonna to elaborate on Pete’s claim and learns of a relative who mysteriously disappeared back in Italy…

The night of the party brings a crowd—and a full throttle hurricane. When the storm finally passes, everyone thinks they’re in the clear—until the first casualty is found, and it’s Pete. Remembering his visit, Vic isn’t certain Pete’s death was an accident and decides to dig deeper into his story. What she finds is meatier than Nonna’s sauce…

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About The Author –

A Jersey girl born and bred, national bestselling author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. Her new series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed by her appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. Her debut novel, Murder and Marinara, was named a 2013 Best Cozy by Suspense Magazine and is a finalist for a 2014 Daphne Award. An English teacher by day and novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista. She still lives in her home state with her husband and the youngest of her three Jersey boys.

Author Links

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

Purchase Links
Amazon      B&N      INDIE BOUND

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Follow the tour for more fun posts!

August 4 – Mystery Playground – Review, Interview

August 5 – Jane Reads – Review

August 6 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy,  &, Sissy, Too ! – Review

August 7 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Guest Post

August 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review

August 9 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Review

August 10 – fuonlyknew – Review

August 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Guest Post

August 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Review, Interview

August 13 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review

August 14 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

August 15 – Kimberly’s Bookshelf – Review

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