MRC RECOMMENDS: A Holiday for Homicide by Devon Delaney
“I recommend reading A Holiday for Homicide with a snack on hand, or you’ll be distracted by the tummy grumbling and drool induced by food descriptions.” – The Mystery Review Crew
A Holiday for Homicide
By Devon Delaney
Series: A Cook-Off Mystery Book 9
Genre: Culinary Mystery, Cozy Mystery
A televised cooking competition puts Sherry in the spotlight, especially when the final challenge calls for catching a killer . . .
Despite being a seasoned competitor, nothing could have prepared Sherry Oliveri for the thrill of being chosen for a three-day cooking challenge on national television. She’s dying to tell her friends, but she and everyone else involved in the contest has been sworn to secrecy until it airs. Still, that’s not stopping someone from penning cryptic notes about the show for the whole town to read, which has the production crew on edge—right up until one of them is found dead.
Determined to root out the killer, Sherry suspects the truth lies with whoever’s behind the mysterious notes—which have now turned dark with menacing comments on the murder and suggestions of buried secrets. Trying to unravel it all while focusing on her recipes, Sherry’s stopped dead in her tracks when the cook-off host drops a bombshell. With no time to spare, she’ll have to unearth the one missing ingredient that will ensure the killer’s cooked . . .
Includes recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!
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Review of A Holiday for Homicide by Devon Delaney
Fans of culinary cozy mysteries will devour A Holiday for Homicide, the 9th book in the popular A Cook-Off Mystery series, and the latest tasty tale from Devon Delaney. For readers starting the series here, reading the synopses of the prior books will help get up-to-speed on the recurring characters and the path from book one to book nine. For returning readers: dig in and bon appétit!
In this installment, Sherry Oliveri, the main character of the series, has been invited to participate in a televised, three-day cooking challenge. Although she holds amateur status, Sherry knows the drill when it comes to cooking competitions, but one of the twists to this one is the confidentiality agreement that has Sherry sworn to secrecy. However, in her small Connecticut town, “sworn to secrecy” is more like sworn-to-semi-secrecy. As Sherry brings more people into her confidence, someone begins leaving napkins printed with mysterious messages about the show on a local food truck’s window. Then, one of the production crew goes missing, and another is murdered, and the notes become more threatening. As the clock ticks down to cook-off showtime, Sherry’s perfecting her recipes and hunting a killer, all while deceptions are building up to a twist readers won’t see coming.
As with the prior books, the author includes a healthy dose of subtle humor that helps better define Sherry’s personality. (As does her Jack Russell Terrier, Chutney.) Also, the author has again included some recipes related to those prepared in the story. I’m not a cook, but with some of these recipes, I must admit that I’m getting interested. (As a sidenote: I love the tip within the story about “the secret meat moisturizer, butter,” and I used that info the same night I read about it. Wow! What a difference that made in flavor!) I recommend reading A Holiday for Homicide with a snack on hand, or you’ll be distracted by the tummy grumbling and drool induced by food descriptions.
Having read the eighth book, Serving Up Spite, not too long before reading this installment, I was surprised that a big twist concerning two characters at the end of book eight didn’t get much attention in book nine. That subplot stalled a bit in A Holiday for Homicide, so long-time series readers may be disappointed there, as well as with how often they’re asked to suspend their disbelief. New-to-the-series readers may not quite be able to flesh out the characters, and persnickety readers like me may also notice the book isn’t cleanly edited, which can be just as distracting as a grumbling tummy. Quibbles aside, I’ve still added the first seven books to my to-be-read pile, as I think reading them will: make me an even bigger fan; prepare me for the tenth book (surely there will be one); and maybe encourage me to cook a recipe or two. I’m ready for more of Sherry’s shenanigans.
Check out our book review of Book 8 in A Cook-Off Mystery Series, Serving up Spite, which is also an MRC-recommended read.
About Devon Delaney
Devon Delaney has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years. Among the many prizes she has won are a full kitchen of major appliances, five-figure top cash prizes, and four trips to Disney World. She is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of two. She’s a lifelong resident of the Northeast and currently resides in coastal Connecticut. You can learn more about Devon at www.devonpdelaney.com.
