A Poisonous Palate (A Key West Food Critic Mystery) by Lucy Burdette #Review / #Giveaway @LucyBurdette @crookedlanebks

A Poisonous Palate (A Key West Food Critic Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
14th in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 6, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639108475
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639108473
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLKZCJBH
Audiobook ASIN B0D54N9CG2

The heat is turned up for Hayley Snow and her friends in the next installment of the Key West Food Critic mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette.

When food critic Hayley Snow receives an intriguing email about a mysterious, decades-old disappearance, her curiosity is piqued. Writer Catherine Davitt has returned to the Keys to research a book about Hemingway’s wives, but she’s also on the hunt for the truth about her missing friend. Hayley quickly agrees to help investigate and they hit the road to see what clues they might find.

Back in the late 1970s, Catherine and her friend Veronica were part of a group of lost souls camping in the mangroves of Big Pine Key, until Veronica vanished, and the sheriff’s office cleared out the camp. Catherine and Hayley begin interviewing Big Pine Key residents who were around at the time of Veronica’s disappearance, but uncover more questions than answers.

Catherine and Hayley stop to speak with a motel owner who frequented the fringes of the commune, but they find him stabbed to death. Then Catherine also goes missing, and signs point to a connection between the old case and the new murder. It’s up to Hayley to unravel the knot of secrets and lies before time runs out.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Key Zest food critic turned amateur sleuth Hayley Snow was scrolling through her emails. There was one from a name she didn’t recognize but the subject line was intriguing “Hemingway toxic love and an old story“. Catherine Davitt had written several books and she is now researching Hemingway’s relationships with his wives. But it isn’t her first trip to the area. Catherine and her friend Veronica were there back in 1978. They joined a group camping in the mangroves outside of Big Pine Key. Each had their reasons for being there and there was some friction from time to time but all seemed surprised the day Veronica just disappeared. The sheriff’s department did investigate but never found her. Now it is a cold case. With Catherine is back in the area she wants to figure out what happened to her friend and she has asked for Hayley’s help.

Hayley agrees.  There were a few people still living in or near Big Pine Key who had camped in the mangroves. Sadly, none were very forthcoming leaving Hayley and Catherine with even more questions. Then they went to interview a local motel owner who had hung around at the camp but he wasn’t talking. He was dead, recently stabbed. Shortly thereafter Catherine goes missing. Hayley knows both events are connected to Veronica going missing all those years ago.

Can she piece the clues together and get past all the secrets and lies in time to solve the new cases and the old?

I really enjoyed returning to catch up with Hayley, her detective husband Nathan, her parents, her best friend, octogenarian, and next-door neighbor Miss Gloria. Miss Gloria is smart as a whip, clever, and funny. She is up for anything and jumps at the chance to help Hayley in any way she can. She is my favorite character in this series but the entire core cast is likable and genuine. Nathan and Hayley’s relationship is strong and comfortable. He has accepted that she is going to get into some crazy situations and investigations but he still worries and will always be there to aid her in everything she does. Her parents are supportive too but have less time to worry as they are busy with their catering business. All these characters continue to develop nicely.

The mysteries Hayley is trying to untangle send her in circles as the information she needs comes out in drips and dabs. She had to visit some people several times. Good thing she is tenacious. I was delighted to follow the clues right along with her. I thought I had the culprit pinned down when Hayley found herself in a precarious situation but I was all wrong. As I kept reading my heart started pounding. I was truly surprised but there was still something up in the air and Hayley needed to solve that mystery too. What an ending!

The way Ms. Burdette plotted out this story was interesting. Within the chapters is Catherine’s story about her time at the camp in 1978.   The snippets made that time more real as we learned why these girls ended up in Big Pine Key and their time there. I also liked how she weaved in Hemingway’s history within the story.

A Poisonous Palate contains a complicated mystery with endearing characters, and plenty of humor that kept me totally captivated from beginning to end. Then we got to the recipes for all the food that had my stomach growling continually. I highly recommend the entire Key West Food Critic Mystery Series. They are all fun and entertaining, but this is my new favorite. That Miss Glory, I sure do love her!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Crooked Land Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About the Author

New Jersey–born clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette, a.k.a. Roberta Isleib, is the author of twenty-two mysteries, including A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, the latest in the Key West series featuring food critic Hayley Snow (Crooked Lane Books). The tenth book in her Key West food critic mystery series, THE KEY LIME CRIME, won the Florida Book Award’s bronze medal for popular fiction. Her first thriller, UNSAFE HAVEN, was published by Severn House in 2021. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. She’s a past president of Sisters in Crime and is currently serving as president of the Friends of the Key West Library.