I’ve found a new cozy mystery series!
Usually I come into a series after the beginning and have to go back to catch earlier books. This time I have the first book in the Five Ingredient Mysteries, By Cook or by Crook, by Maya Corrigan.
Check it out.
Enjoy my review.
And enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed print copy of your very own!
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By Cook or by Crook
(A Five-Ingredient Mystery)
New Cozy Series
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (November 4, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1617731389
Synopsis:
Take one burned-out city girl. Add a crusty codger, a pinch of gossip, and a dash of romance. Stir in a generous helping of murder and you’ve got the ingredients for one truly delicious mystery…
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 glamorous, but she enjoys working at the Cool Down Café 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.
Includes 8 five-ingredient recipes!
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My Review
With tennis, vying for manager of the Cool Down Cafe, and trying to sell real estate, there are some pretty serious competitions going on in this book.
That’s what makes this such a fun mystery.
When one of the woman from the local tennis club is found murdered, there’s also an unsolved hit-and -run, and some arson going on and it may all tie together, or not.
I bet Val didn’t expect to be helping the police with a murder when she left New York City behind to move in with her grumpy grandfather in the small town of Bayport in Chesapeake Bay.
Managing the cafe and playing on the local tennis team, Val quickly gets to know a lot of the people in this small town. And like most small towns, it’s hard to keep a secret and the gossip is rampant.
Val is drawn into the murder investigation when she discovers the body of a fellow tennis player. And the number one suspect is her cousin. Not wanting to believe her capable of murder, Val starts her own investigation, but being a stickler, she doesn’t scratch her cousin off the list of suspects. And that list is long.
As Val’s suspect list shrinks, the danger escalates. She’s being stalked and someone ran her off the road. She’s getting close, but to which case. The hit-and-run, the arson, the murder, or all three?
The author had me going in circles trying to figure out who the killer was. It wasn’t obvious. There were lots of false trails. And I didn’t have a clue until about two thirds of the way through the book. There was still a ways to go so I knew things could change and have me suspecting someone else, so I paid close attention, sniffing for clues.
This cozy mystery had a lot to offer. Several mysteries, lots of colorful characters, danger, and romance.
Val and Gunnar are flirting with a burgeoning romance. This wasn’t the main focus in the mystery, just a dollop of whipped cream to add zest, and it’s early in the romance stage.
Val has her own personal mystery to solve too. Her memory of the car crash that ended her budding career in New York is still not clear. Did she cause the crash or was it an accident?
Lots of questions and the author gave me the answers bit by bit. There was no rush to wrap this up, and the ending left me happy and eager for more.
4 Stars
Thanks so much to the publisher and author for this ARC for my honest review.
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About This Author
Maya Corrigan lives near Washington, D.C., within easy driving distance of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the setting for this series. She has taught courses in writing, detective fiction, and American literature at Georgetown University and NOVA community college. A winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, she has published essays on drama and short stories under her full name of Mary Ann Corrigan. Visit her at mayacorrigan.com.
Author Links
WebPage: mayacorrigan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maya-CorriganBooks/305167769636032
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I have one signed print copy to give away.
To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question:
“What’s your favorite food?”
Giveaway ends November 10th.
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Tour Participants
November 4 – fuonlyknew – Review, Giveaway
November 5 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
November 6 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Giveaway
November 7 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
November 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review
November 9 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview
November 10 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Giveaway
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