An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Publisher:
Obsidian Mystery

Release Date:
January 2012

Format:
Paperback





Hayley Snow loves food. Her dream is to be a successful food critic. She follows her boyfriend, Chad, from her hometown New Jersey to Key West, Florida. The move isn’t exactly a lucky one for Hayley. It’s not long before Chad dumps her and she’s left to build a new life for herself in Key West.

First thing to do is find a place to live, which she does. She moves in with her friend, Connie, on her houseboat. Then, a food critic position becomes available at the local newspaper, Key Zest. Hayley is quick to apply for the job, but is stunned to find that her potential boss is the same woman she found in bed with her boyfriend – Kristen Faulkner! Although an awkward situation, to say the least, Hayley is determined to get the job at all costs.

With things already looking bleak, it just keeps getting worse. Kristen is found murdered and the number one, and apparently only, suspect is Hayley. The police are doing absolutely nothing about finding any other suspects, so Hayley takes matters into her own hands. She fully intends to find the real killer and clear her name. When her search leads to her life being in danger and her cat missing, she knows she’s on the right track. However, will she live long enough to find out?

This is the first book in a new series of cozy mysteries, “Key West Food Critic Mystery” by Lucy Burdette, who also writes two other cozy mysteries under the name Roberta Isleib. It’s, also, the first book I’ve ever read by her (although her other series are in my TBR).

This series takes place in Key West. A place I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago and absolutely loved. The setting itself would have attracted me to this book.

Each character is written to perfection. Hayley and her friends are extremely likeable and a group you will definitely want to read more about. The plot flowed through each page and captured the reader’s interest from the very first line to the very last line. There were several twists and turns along the way. The book even includes several recipes that look really delicious.

Appetite for Murder has everything I look for in a good cozy – small town, fun characters (a few bad guys, too, of course!) and an interesting storyline that kept you guessing. I was very sad to see this book end. It left me wanting more (not to mention very hungry!) The second book of this series comes out in September and I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting its release.

Since I loved it so much, it should come as no surprise that I'm giving it 5 kitties and my Socrates' Great Book Alert!

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you'd like to read more about this author, check out these links:

Q&A on the blog Jungle Red.
A pop quiz on Key West which appears on the author's wonderful blog.


For reading challenge:

Cruisin' thru the Cozies