The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette is the tenth book in the “Key West Food Critic” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Crooked Lane Books, coming August 11, 2020.

When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef’s murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn’t help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.

Meanwhile, Hayley’s home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley’s new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan’s crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island’s holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim–Au Citron Vert’s controversial new pastry chef–was a frontrunner in Sloan’s contest.

It’s bad enough that Hayley’s too-curious mother-in-law is cooking up trouble. Now, the murderer is out to take a slice out of Hayley. Can she handle the heat of a killer’s kitchen?

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Dru’s Musing:
This action-packed and fast-paced drama had me devouring every little detail in this appetizing tale. Mother-in-law, pies and murder don’t mix but that’s what you get with Hayley in her latest adventure. The author knows how to tell a story with a comfortable tone and a solid mystery that kept me engaged throughout. In her pursuit of solving this murder, Hayley gets a surprise partner and I enjoyed how they played off each other. I really enjoyed the essence of Key West through the eyes of Hayley and her friends as the scamper off after clues. I also liked how the author showed us the adjustments Hayley has to make with a new husband and meeting her mother-in-law. This character-driven whodunit is a delight and I can’t wait for the next book in this endearing series.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.