Out of the Dying Pan by Linda Reilly is the second book in the “Deep Fried” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, March 2016

Revenge is set to sizzle in the tasty new Deep Fried Mystery from the author of Fillet of Murder.

For Talia Marby, the sweet smell of success is a lot like the pungent aroma of fried fish and vinegar. Her new business, Fry Me a Sliver, is rapidly expanding beyond fish and chips to become one of the best eateries in the Berkshires. But the nasty owner of a neighboring boutique is making a stink, baiting Talia in a very public fight at a community center fundraiser and nursing an inexplicable grudge.

When the boutique owner is found strangled with Talia’s scarf knotted around her neck, our favorite fish fryer finds herself in hot oil. Needing to clear her name, and fast, Talia’s investigation soon yields some shocking surprises as well as a sizzling suspicion: someone had good reason to want the victim dead—and it’s frying Talia’s nerves. . .

This was a very enjoyable tale that I embraced from beginning to end. I love how comfortable the drama that folded within the pages of this story made me feel and the flow of the chapters made it easy to follow along with all aspects of the telling of this tale. The author did a very good job in focusing on the particulars that allowed me to see who the suspects were and how the clues narrowed the list down until there was one. I kept saying to myself, “don’t let them in”. . .that’s how intense I got at that pivotal scene. Talia is a great heroine who is surrounded by a great secondary cast. The dialogue kept me engaged and I love the small town feel. I can’t wait for the next book in this delightfully appetizing series.