A Crust to Die For (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery)
by Toni LoTempio
About A Crust To Die For
A Crust to Die For (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Georgia
Severn House (January 2, 2024)
Hardcover : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 1448310032
ISBN-13 : 978-1448310036
Digital ASIN : B0CB8YDJFV
The Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off has the small town of Branson, Georgia buzzing. Not least its organizer, Southern Style’s food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. But right before the finals one of the celebrity judges falls ill, and to Tiffany’s horror the magazine replaces him with none other than handsome TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll.
Tiffany once gave his restaurant a poor review, and she’s convinced he’s only accepted the job to get revenge. She fully expects Driscoll will find a way to ruin the contest . . . but she definitely doesn’t expect to trip over his dead body backstage!
Soon, it’s clear Tiffany wasn’t the only person who had less than positive feelings towards the sharp-tongued Driscoll. She’s surrounded by suspects – but which of the motley crew of contestants, family members and scorned friends and colleagues had the guts to commit murder?
With the help of her BFF Hilary and annoyingly handsome detective Bartell, and with cat Lily and puppy Cooper as emotional support, Tiffany investigates, only to discover that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Southern Style’s food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin’s idea is coming to fruition with the Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off. She is very excited about the event but when one of the celebrity judges begs off due to illness she is more than upset by the magazine’s replacement. TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll has to be up to something. Tiffany gave his restaurant a well-deserved bad review and she knows he has not forgiven her. Does he have plans to ruin the Bake-Off?
Nervous about Driscoll’s motives Tiffany never expected to find his dead body backstage before the first round’s results were read. She is not surprised the man had his share of enemies but who hated him enough to kill him? Surrounded by contestants, family members, and the crew for the event Tiffany realizes one of them is a murderer, but who could it be? She knows it wasn’t her best friend Hilary’s sister even though all the evidence seems to be pointed directly in her direction.
Tiffany and Hilary team up to help the hunky Detective Bartell find the real killer while trying to save the Pizza Bake-Off, but it going to take more than crust, sauce, and cheese to get a slice of the killer. Tiffany may get burned before the killer is captured.
Tiffany has found her place at Southern Style and is thriving. Working with her BFF Hilary and for her friend Dale is just icing on the cake. All three are involved in the Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off so it is nice to see them continue to develop nicely. The confusing relationship Tiffany had started with Detective Phillip Bartell gets some clarity within the pages of this story as well. Miss LoTempio introduces an interesting group of supporting cast too. All have a purpose in the story and the interactions of the entire cast feels true to life.
I enjoy the Food Blogger theme of this series and that the Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off was for home cooks who were readers of the blog.
The mystery put forth in A Crust to Die For was intricate. There were a lot of people in and around the Branson High School Auditorium where the event took place and any of them could have grabbed the murder weapon and done the deed. It made sense that Tiffany would want to investigate. She was there, it was her event, plus she couldn’t believe Hilary’s sister Arleen would kill anyone. She also has a way of getting people to open up to her. But she did take some huge unnecessary risks and was sometimes overly zealous in her questioning. I was very surprised by one of her actions but it did make all the clues start to fall into place. I did have the killer at the top of my personal suspect list so I was thrilled when all was revealed.
A Crust to Die For was a fine mystery with an exciting showdown and satisfying ending. The characters were entertaining and engaging. I hope I get to revisit them soon. It sounds like a Foodie Fest will be Tiffany’s next assignment and that sounds like a whole lot of fun to me with so many options for murder and mayhem.
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About T.C. LoTempio
T. C. LoTempio is the award-winning, national bestselling author of the Nick and Nora mystery series. Her cat, Rocco, provides the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat. She also writes the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery Series, as well as the Cat Rescue series. Her latest series is the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger series from Severn House. Check out her and Rocco’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com, and visit her website, www.tclotempio.net, for more information.
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Great Escapes Praise for A Crust to Die For (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery)
by Toni LoTempio
This is a well-written cozy mystery and I look forward to reading more in the series! The author’s strong descriptive voice brings each setting to life so that the reader can clearly envision the action and the details.
~Cinnamon & Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder
A CRUST TO DIE FOR is a smart witty mystery full of friends and good food. Be sure to bring an appetite for pizza and sink your teeth into this delightful read.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
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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.”
Sounds like a good book.
What an intriguing mystery! A pizza bake-off is a great setting. I look forward to reading this book.