Cookin’ The Books by Amy Patricia Meade is the first book in the NEW “Tish Tarragon” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Severn House Publishers, coming March 1, 2019.

Literary caterer Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon fights to save her reputation and catch a killer when a murder occurs during a fundraising dinner for the local library.

Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen and opened a new restaurant and catering business, Cookin’ the Books Cafe. So when her new landlord, Schulyer Thompson, recommends her to Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the local library, Tish is delighted. Binnie needs a last-minute caterer to create a literary inspired three-course dinner for the library’s annual fundraiser, one of the highlights of Hobson Glen’s social season. But there’s a problem: Binnie Broderick is a notoriously difficult woman to please. And when she chokes to death from arsenic poisoning after dousing her main course in hot sauce, Tish suddenly finds herself fighting to save her business – and her reputation. It seems that very few of Hobson Glen’s residents escaped Binnie’s disapproval. But who would want her dead, and why?

Purchase Link

A new not yet opened café business. Victim dies at catering job. Cause of death poisoning. There’s only one thing left to do to save her business. . . ask questions, listen and find a killer.

I was immediately pulled into this well-written drama from the first page and the hold on me kept my interest going to the last page was read. The tone was very comfortable making it easy to follow along the path that the author has laid out and the pacing was on par with how well this story was being told.

I enjoyed how the author set up the story with the right amount of character introductions and a premise that catered to what I like in a mystery – – a solid plot, engaging dialogue, a bevy of suspects and clues peppered throughout to keep me devouring every scene with gusto as I learned about the various motives.

The author knows how to tell a story with visually descriptive narrative that had me consumed with all that was happening on the page. I enjoyed watching it all play out as each clue took me closer to the killer’s identity – but of course, the author changed directions leading me from one suspect to another, especially when a few secrets were exposed all to enhanced my reading pleasure.

Tish is a great protagonist and I look forward to learning more about her as well as other residents of Hobson Glen including Mary Jo, Schuyler, Sheriff Reade and Jules, who I adore. This was terrific start to a delightfully appetizing series and I look forward to more adventures with Tish and her friends.

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