Book 57, 2025

[chez_jae]

Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


View all my reviews

I finished my “spare” book last night. It was Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells, and it’s the first in her “Della Cooks” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Della Carmichael, a 47 year-old widow who runs a cooking school.

Della’s cooking school is doing okay, but she’s struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, she jumps at the chance to host a cooking show on a local cable channel. However, during the live airing of her first episode, the woman who volunteers to taste-test Della’s “killer mousse” drops dead. When it’s learned that Mimi died of an allergic reaction because the mousse contained peanuts, Della becomes a murder suspect. Her late husband was a police officer, so Della knows her way around the legal system. Soon, she is speaking to others involved with the cable station, trying to learn who may have had it in for Mimi. In the meantime, the TV station senses a PR opportunity and sends an investigative journalist to interview Della. She finds Nicholas D’Martino (or NDM, as she refers to him) to be arrogant and full of himself. When someone else connected with the studio is murdered and Della is attacked, she realizes she’s running out of time to find out who killed Mimi.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Della, and I appreciated that she was a mature woman. Other characters were three-dimensional and relatable, including the foul-mouthed owner of the station. When Della chose to indulge in a fling, I was both astonished and approving. It was refreshing to read about a woman who took what she wanted. Rowr! There really wasn’t much humor in the story, although Della was possessed of a dry wit. The plot moved at a good pace and didn’t meander.

Favorite lines:
♦ Maybe I was so upset at seeing a woman die in front of me that I was being unreasonable.
♦ She was as pale as a vampire’s entrée.

Very good story, and I look forward to reading others in the series. Four stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she has a dog
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Well, it dropped at her feet in front of dozens of other people...
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, she’s absent
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes