Book 19, 2024

[chez_jae]

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I was on fire in January, but I've fizzled out in February. Guh. Finally knocked back my first (physical) book of the month: Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley. It's the second book in her "Deep Dish" mystery series, starring restaurant owner Delilah O'Leary.

With the tourist season in Geneva Bay coming to an end, Delilah must think of ways to bring in some revenue to tide her restaurant over in the off-season. Winning the upcoming 'Taste of Wisconsin' contest would bring about a much needed infusion of cash. To that end, Delilah is busy trying to perfect a deep-dish bratwurst pizza. She feels good about her chances until she learns that celebrity chef Graham Ulrich will be coming to town to judge the entrants. Delilah's sous-chef, Sonya, once had an affair with Ulrich's wife, and now he has a hate-on for Sonya. As if Delilah doesn't already have enough on her plate, her ex-fiance, Sam, seems to have moved on mighty quickly, and sharing custody of their cat, Butterball, is stressing Butterball out. In addition, Delilah's aunt Biz has been snappish and short-tempered, which is not like her. When a customer is poisoned in the juice shop belonging to Sam's new flame and someone else is murdered elsewhere in town, Delilah can't help but think the deaths are related. Looking into it, however, may be a recipe for disaster.

There was a lot going on in this book. Ordinarily, it would have kept me riveted, but I've been busy. LOL! Stellar characterizations, fast-paced plot, and plenty of twists made for an enjoyable read.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Sounds like tonight is shaping up to be an epic goat rodeo."
♦ "You think with my life on the line I'd make up a story about stolen bratwurst?"
♦ "There's enough space here so that you can sulk in different wings of the house when you inevitably piss each another off."

Very good, and delicious sounding, too! Four stars.