Death With All the Trimmings: 08/06/24

Death With All the Trimmings by Lucy Burdette and Laura Jennings (Narrator) (2014) is the fifth book in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. Hayley Snow is befriended by the latest big name chef to open a business in Key West, Edel Waugh. When Waugh's new restaurant is the target of arson and her ex-husband's body is found in the rubble, she's the prime suspect. Hayley is once again in the middle of an investigation.

On the job front it looks like Hayley will be back to cleaning apartments as Key Zest is up for sale. Hayley's boss wants to retool everything and has investors willing to give her the green light.

All of this drama is set against the backdrop of Christmastime. Although Key West is on the other side of the nation from where I grew up, it shares some things in common: decorated palm trees and boat parades.

My one quibble with the mystery is how few characters there are. Everyone ends up being interconnected in ways that frankly seem a tad too convenient. It also opens up questions as to why the person ultimately orchestrating everything didn't make a move in earlier times. Why snap now?

The sixth book is Fatal Reservations (2015).

Four stars

Comments (0)