Murder on a Designer Diet by Shawn Reilly Simmons is the third book in the “Red Carpet Catering” mystery series. Publisher: Henery Press, June 2016

A KILLER APPETITE

Penelope’s life revolves around cooking and keeping her Red Carpet Catering business afloat, and she’s just landed a hearty new job for her and her staff. Just when Penelope thinks life couldn’t be sweeter, a panicked late-night phone call from Max, her best friend’s brother, ends abruptly with shots fired on his end.

The next morning, a handsome model and club promoter turns up dead, and when the police serve up Max as their main suspect, Penelope risks it all to prove his innocence (and find him before the police do). With her relationship as sturdy as a soup sandwich and her own life being threatened, it’s up to Penelope to find the truth before anyone else is eighty-sixed.

The heat in this book is just right. When her friend becomes the prime suspect in a murder, it is Pen’s relentless pursuit that will bring a murderer to justice. The pacing and comfortable tone that was the narrative, created a nice ambiance as the story easily flowed from scene to scene immediately luring me in as I had to know what was going to happen next. I like how everyone played a pivotal role in building this drama to a crescendo when it became apparent who the killer was, but it was the subplot that gave way to the identity. Those and other little twists help to enhance the telling of this tale. The author did a great job in capturing the essence of the characters that come in and out of Pen’s world. The dialogue was engaging and I especially love the setting where the sequence of events took place. This was a great read and I look forward to more exciting adventures with Pen and her friends.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) book from the author.