December 2012 – Page 4 – Traveling With T

In honor of Cozy Mystery Week, a different cozy author will be discussed. Today’s author is Lucy Burdette, author of A Key West Food Critic Mystery series.

In the Key West Food Critic series, Haley Snow is the main character. Haley is a “foodie”, believes in going by to see the tarot card reader, and is a recent transplant to the Key West area- after following a boyfriend who broke her heart shortly after her move.

In Appetite for Murder– the reader meets Haley, a young woman who is trying to become the food critic for a Key West lifestyle magazine. Too bad that her boss would be Kristen, the woman she finds her boyfriend in bed with. But Haley knows food critic jobs are few and far between- and she likes the Key West area- so she tries to make the best of a potentially bad situation by applying for the job. Then Kristen is murdered and Haley is a prime suspect! With the help of Eric (Haley’s therapist friend), her tarot cards, and sheer determination to prove that she is not the killer- Haley does manage to find the killer. But does she land the job?

Death in Four Courses lets the readers know that Haley did in fact land her dream job. To make things even dreamier, there is a food conference happening in Key West and Haley had tickets to attend with her mother- who is down for a visit. At this food conference, Haley will get to rub elbows with some “foodie” people that she’s dreamed of meeting, and hopes to have a great time and network some. When the keynote speaker, Jonah Barrows, body is found by Haley- she finds herself in hot water with the police again. However, she is not the suspect- since her friend, Eric, is. Haley’s determined to prove that Eric could not be the killer- even if it appears that there was a very good motive. Haley’s mother decides to tag along while Haley investigates, writes her food critic articles, and has flirtatious (but slightly awkward) run-ins with the cute Detective Nate Bransford. Is Haley able to help clear Eric? Read to find out!

Reading A Key West Food Critic Mystery series is like going on vacation. The description of the food, scenery, location is wonderful. Haley is a delightful character- and the chemistry between her and the Detective is simmering. Lucy Burdette makes Key West sound like a great place to visit (or live!) and the food descriptions are fantastic.

The next installment of A Key West Food Critic Mystery is Topped Chef– to be released May 7, 2013.

In honor of Cozy Mystery Week- December 1-8, a different cozy author will be discussed.

Joanne Fluke, author of Hannah Swensen Mysteries, has 17 books in the series (the 18th will be released Feb 2013). Joanne Fluke has also written a cookbook of Hannah’s recipes.

In the debut book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, the reader meets Hannah Swensen and the cast of characters of Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah is the oldest Swensen daughter and owns a a shop in town called The Cookie Jar. Other characters: Delores (mother), Andrea (Hannah’s sister), Bill (Andrea’s husband & local law), Norman (son of Carrie- Delores’s best friend), Mike ( newly transferred local law).

In Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Hannah discovers the body of Ron Lasalle- a delivery man for Cozy Cow Dairy (also a beloved local legend for his football days) in an alley- Hannah is dismayed for 2 reasons: finding the body and the fact that her cookies were scattered around the crime scene. Hannah decides to investigate, partly to keep the reputation of her cookies intact, partly to help Bill get a promotion, and partly because Hannah wants to know what happened to her friend Ron.

Through the “invisible coffee server”trick, Delores’s gossip line, and other connections- Hannah finds suspects and eliminates some as well. Will Hannah find a suspect that can’t be eliminated? Will Bill get the promotion he’s been wanting? To find out, read the book!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is a charming debut. Hannah and the town of Lake Eden, Minnesota make the reader feel warm and happy. The way a cozy should feel.

As the books progress in the series, Hannah is pursued (and begins to date) two men: Norman and Mike. Over the last few books, there has not been much progress with either relationship- and the cozy series has lost some of it’s initial charm. If new to the series, do begin with the first book (Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder) and work from there.