Shredding the Evidence (A Cookbook Nook Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber #Review @DarylWoodGerber

I had planned to read and review Wining and Dying, the newest book in this series but realized I missed this book last year. I am a fanatic about reading series books in order so I shuffled some things on the calendar. I will be reading and reviewing Wining and Dying soon.
Shredding the Evidence (A Cookbook Nook Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Beyond the Page Publishing (April 21, 2020)
Paperback: 226 pages
ISBN-10: 1950461440
ISBN-13: 978-1950461448
Kindle ASIN: B0868WMMHN

The Agatha Award–winning author of Sifting Through Clues returns to the Cookbook Nook, where a combative food reporter gets her just deserts . . .

The denizens of Crystal Cove are salivating over the upcoming Food Bowl Week when local chefs offer some of their best and most imaginative creations in bite-size portions all over town. Bookstore proprietor Jenna Hart is hungry to sample as many of the delicacies as she can, but when she stumbles onto the dead body of a local food reporter and learns that her best friend’s husband is the primary suspect, she’ll have to summon the appetite for a side dish of sleuthing to prove his innocence.

Jenna knows the ambitious and aggressive reporter, who was strangled at a fitness center with her shredded restaurant reviews scattered around her, left behind a long list of potential suspects. As she begins piecing together the scant clues, she uncovers illicit ties between the victim and a local newspaper owner, a spurned would-be lover, and a host of disgruntled restaurant owners, not a bit torn up by the critical reporter’s demise. And with a solution so close she can almost taste it, Jenna turns up the heat on the culprit, realizing too late that she’s the next course on the murderer’s menu . . .

Includes tasty recipes!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

It’s Food Bowl Week in Crystal Cove and Jenna Hart is excited to not only try the chef’s creations but knows the event will bring plenty of customers to her Cookbook Nook. Chef Katie also has plans of her own for the food at the Nook Cafe too including a special guest. Jenna’s finance Rhett’s new bistro, Intime has a very special dinner planned as well. Kylie O., the Crystal Cove Courier food critic is determined to cover all the events by herself even though reporter Tito Martinez has offered to help. Bailey’s husband, Tito has wanted to take on more stories and he and Kylie have a very public argument over it. So when Kylie O. is found dead in a local gym, a gym where both Tito and Bailey work out, he becomes the prime suspect in her murder.

Truthfully, Kylie O. was a pretty aggressive reporter and dished out some caustic reviews so she left behind a wide variety of suspects. Jenna knows Tito is innocent so she just has to clear his name by finding the actual killer. Easier said than done because the clues point to several individuals. When Jenna starts to hone in on the killer she finds the killer is already homing in on her. Can Jenna corner the killer or will she be the next victim?

It is always fun to catch up with these characters because there never seems to be a dull moment in Crystal Cove. In addition to the town events, Jenna and Rhett are starting to plan their wedding, Aunt Vera is dating, everyone is swooning over Bailey’s baby girl and another core character is expecting a baby. With everything going on Jenna still finds time to investigate the murder and this makes for one very unhappy Cinnamon. As always the characters are cleverly written and they all continue to develop in realistic ways.

The theme of this story is Shredding and it is not just the evidence that is shredded. Food is shredded in amazing ways. The descriptions had my tummy rumbling and I really appreciated the recipes the author provides at the end of the book. She is a true foodie and her passion reigns within the pages of her stories. The Cookbook Nook theme of the series is just perfect for her.

The mystery was very well-plotted with some red herrings to divert everyone’s thinking. Bailey really pushes Jenna along in her quest to prove her husband is not a murderer. Twist after twist start to pull the killer into focus but I was really off on this one. I really came to dislike the deceased more than I usually do when reading cozy mysteries and I think that clouded my thinking. The author has a real strength of pulling her readers into the story and she really did that for me this time.

Shredding the Evidence was A Perfect Escape. I was entertained from the beginning to the end and look forward to reading Wining and Dying soon.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries as well as the French Bistro Mysteries.  As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!

Author Links

Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com.

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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.”