Final Roasting Place (A Cook-Off Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Kensington (September 25, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496714458
ISBN-13: 978-1496714459
Kindle ASIN: B078QSJR3H
Sherry Frazzelle is back to being Sherry Oliveri, her divorce all but final and her new life in full swing. Her part-time job is helping her father with his hooked-rug business, and her full-time passion is competitive cooking. But murder is about to rock their little Connecticut town . . .
Erno Oliveri made sure to be on set for his daughter’s cook-off appearance on Sunny Side Up with Brett and Carmell. Or as it’s now known, Sunny Side Up with Carmell and Brett—since the ambitious young Carmell seems to have the producer and station owner eating out of her hand. But the important news is that Sherry has bested the competition with her Spicy Toasted Chickpea and Almond appetizer and clinched the spatula-shaped trophy. It’s her shining moment—until everything goes dark.
A quick-moving storm has knocked out power to the studio—and when the lights come back up, Carmell is at her desk with a sharp object lodged in her neck. The weapon is an unusual tool, used by craftsmen who make hooked rugs. Has someone taken corporate backstabbing to a new level, and framed Erno in the process? If Sherry’s going to protect her dad and their family name, she has to find out where he was when the lights went out . . .
Includes Recipes from Sherry’s Kitchen!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sherry Oliveri formerly Sherry Frazzelle (divorce is almost final) has just won a cook-off at a local tv station on the Sunny Side Up with Brett and Carmell program. Her Spicy Toasted Chickpea and Almond appetizer won her the prize. She had her father along for moral support. But before they could leave the building a quick moving storm blows through and knocks out the station’s power. When the power is restored one of the show’s co-hosts is dead. Carmell was not well liked by many on the staff but seeing the implement she and her father use for hooking rugs protruding out of her neck was a huge shock. Sherry was around someone the whole time so she is not a suspect. The same can’t be said for her dad. She now has to create a recipe more important than any other . . . how to get her dad out of this mess.
Ms. Delaney’s core characters continue to evolve and impress. Sherry is a strong woman, a very type-A individual but she seems to control her panic attacks much better in this story. Erno does not handle being a prime suspect very well. In fact, he ends up in the hospital and is diagnosed with a panic attack all his own. Her friend Amber returns just in time to help with the shop. Erno has been ordered by doctor’s to take some time off. Amber has no trouble taking things over at the store or teaming up to help Sherry track down a killer. But Amber is sweet on one of Sherry’s suspects so that could make things chilly between friends.
The death at the television station brings readers a new group of characters to meet. They are all unique and any one of them could have killed their co-worker. A receptionist plays a very small part, not involved in any of the drama but really liked Sherry’s cookies and her attitude about the station’s dilemmas brought a smile to my face. The rest all seemed to be out for themselves. One cute new character is Bean, a puppy that becomes quick friends with Chutney and finds a new furever home.
The mystery was tightly connected to Sherry and her dad, due to his friends and the Founder’s Day celebration the town was planning. It was a real puzzler for Sherry and me as the reader. I was up in the air completely until the excellent way the killer was revealed. Twists, turns, red herrings, this story had them all. Detective Ray Bease showed up just in time to take the culprit away.
What I love most about this series is the father/daughter relationship. They are close but Erno still manages to keep a few secrets from Sherry. I have truly become invested in both of them and am excited for the next book in this series.
Check out my review of
Expiration Date
About the Author
Devon Delaney is a wife, mother of three, accomplished cooking contester and a recent empty nester. She taught computer education and Lego Robotics for over ten years prior to pursuing writing. Along the way, she has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years. Among the many prizes she has won are a full kitchen of major appliances, six-figure top cash prizes and four trips to Disney World. She has also won the grand prize in a national writing contest for her ‘foodie’ poem “Ode to Pork Passion.” Combining her beloved cooking contesting with her enthusiasm for writing was inevitable.
Check out Devon’s website at: www.devonpdelaney.com
Thanks to the publisher I have 1 paperback copy to give away!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
You made me want to read this book with your review Lori. I subscribe to your blog, follow your FB page ( and am friends on Goodreads)
I added this to my TBR list on Goodreads.
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Thanks for the giveaway & a compelling review.
Barbara
cameronbarbara@ymail.com
Thank you for the great review on “Final Roasting Place” by Devon Delaney which has me feeling like I must read this book. Love stories with a strong bond between father and daughter. Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I have been wanting to start this series
Sounds like a great book.