Book 20, 2026

[chez_jae]

The Big Chili by Julia Buckley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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I finished my latest “spare” book last night. It was The Big Chili by Julia Buckley, and it’s the first book in her “Undercover Dish” series of cozy mysteries, starring Lilah Drake, wanna-be caterer.

Lilah’s dream has always been to have her own catering business. In the meantime, however, she pays the bills by working in her parents’ real estate office while doing some cooking on the side. Lilah has amassed a small but loyal client base, for whom she cooks dishes that the clients pass off as their own. One of her best customers is Perpetua “Pet” Grandy, who has Lilah make chili for various church events. At Bingo one evening, congregant Alice Dixon tastes Pet’s chili and drops dead of poisoning. Lilah wants to spill the beans to the police, but Pet begs her not to reveal her secret. Lilah reluctantly agrees, mainly because Pet is not considered a suspect. When someone else in town is murdered and Lilah is threatened, she starts doing some sleuthing of her own. It seemed that everyone in town had a beef with Alice, from fellow churchgoers, to her ex-husband, to her neighbors. Lilah can’t believe one of them is a killer, but she’ll need to figure it out fast before she’s the next victim.

I enjoy this author’s writing. She creates characters you care about, the story lines are engrossing and sensible, and she typically shows the main character engaged in activities other than investigating.

Favorite lines:
♦ Outside of an Agatha Christie novel, who really poisoned people?
♦ “You both look like you killed someone and are worried about where to bury the body.”
♦ “I need a third cookie for this.”
♦ I loved cold weather. I loved October, and I loved a good dark Halloween night.
♦ “You should go, Lilah. Go to your parents’ house, and I’ll be in touch.” // “I can’t,” I said, miserable. // “Why not?” // “Because you’re standing on my tail.”
♦ I was becoming utterly paranoid, and even church ladies had started to seem sinister.

Fabulous story, five 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? Not really
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) Yes, she’s falling for the detective
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? Not really
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? No
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? NA
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes