Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am pleased to feature Devon Delany’s Guilty as Charred today!
Guilty as Charred
(A Cook-Off Mystery)
by Devon Delaney
About the Book
Guilty as Charred (A Cook-Off Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496714474
ISBN-13: 978-1496714473
Digital ASIN: B07HVYY7KN
Sherry Oliveri has attained celebrity status after winning the America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest with her delectable New England Crab Cake Sliders. But now that she’s back home in Connecticut, she’s got to deal with something else fishy . . .
Sherry’s making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town’s community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt.
Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn’t anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head. There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level. Now while Sherry’s organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she’s also got a murder investigation on her plate . . .
Includes Recipes from Sherry’s Kitchen!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sherry Oliveri is back with a major win under her belt and another murder to solve. She won the America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest beating out cooks from the other 49 states. While talking about her win for a local radio station breaking news informs listeners that Poppy Robinson has been killed and that her body was found at Augustin’s community garden. Poppy and her family owned the land the community garden was on, she was on its board and ruled with an iron fist. She was also running for mayor.
The current mayor thought a 4th of July cookoff would be a great way to bring tourists to town and thought Sherry would be the perfect person to organize it. He also wants the murder case wrapped up asap! So Sherri is planning a cookoff, preparing for her next cooking contest, working with her dad at the Ruggery and has now added catching a killer to her already long to-do-list. She is going to need the perfect recipe to solve the murder and get on with her life. Hopefully, she can save the community garden too.
_____________
Protag Sherry Oliveri continues to grow and evolve as do all her relationships with a great cast of core characters. I continue to admire her relationship with her father. Detective Ray Bease also returns and tries to keep her out of his investigation but we all know that is not going to happen. I love when her sister comes to visit and the friendship she has built with Amber.
Ms. Delaney has cooked up quite a mystery this time complete with the red herrings cozy readers love. Twists, turns, surprises fill the pages. Sherri now has a reputation for solving murder mysteries and so many people were pressing her for answers. The deceased had an off-putting demeanor but was that enough for someone to want her dead?
I enjoyed the way Sherri handled her investigation, she really didn’t know Poppy well, but the killer is on her tail so she must be on the right track. Her current challenge is to live through her investigation. I must have totally missed a major clue because the killer reveal caught me off-guard.
I was very entertained by this great story. It was well-written and plotted which was key because there were several subplots that all needed to come together at the end. I will say all of Sherry’s activity exhausted me. But her recipes though delighted me. I hope she gets a few months off before the next case comes along. She needs to recharge her batteries and have time for doing what she loves, finding the perfect recipe to win another challenge.
About the Author
Devon Delaney is a wife, mother of three, accomplished cooking contester, recent empty nester, and lifelong resident of the Northeast. She has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years, including a full kitchen of major appliances, 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.”
Check out Devon’s Website and find her on Instagram
Praise for Guilty as Charred (A Cook-Off Mystery)
by Devon Delaney
Guilty as Charred has appetizing cuisine, a technologically challenged detective, a panicked populace, toxic threats, a canine named Chutney, and one prying protagonist.
~The Avid Reader
This book has well-written characters. I love how the author’s writing just flows through the pages. This is a cute cozy mystery.
~Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting
A great mystery full of quirky characters and mouth-watering food that will keep you hooked until the very end. Perfect for fans of culinary-themed cozies.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Cook-off competitions can be crazy, engaging and engrossing but small time life can be hectic and homicidal!
~A Wytch’s Book Review Blog
Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney is a delightful mystery with wonderful characters and a lovely small town setting. It has food, murder, and everything that leads us to a great whodunit.
~Baroness’ Book Trove
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
July 8 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 9 – Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting – REVIEW
July 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 10 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 10 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
July 11 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 11 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW, EXCERPT
July 11 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
July 12 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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July 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, RECIPE
July 16 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
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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.”
Thank you for your review on “Guilty as Charred” by Devon Delaney. Great cover and I can’t wait for the opportunity to read this wonderful sounding book!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
this sounds like a delightful book. thank you for sharing with us. hope your summer is super special
This sounds like a really fun book! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Very much looking forward to reading this book. Thank you.