The Diva Spices It Up
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Expected publication: April 28th 2020 by Kensington Books
Goodreads synopsis:
After a celebrity ghostwriter dies on the job, Old Town’s favorite entertaining expert and sporadic sleuth, Sophie Winston, whips up an impromptu investigation in the new Domestic Diva mystery from New York Times bestselling author, Krista Davis . . .
Sophie never considered ghostwriting as a side gig, until former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru, Tilly Stratford, trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needs someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agrees, hoping she’ll earn enough bread on this assignment to finish her bathroom renovations. But as it turns out, Sophie isn’t the first foodie to get a taste for recipe ghostwriting, and if the marginalia are any indication, this project could be a killer . . .
Wesley claims professional ghostwriter, Abby Bergeron, suddenly abandoned Tilly’s cookbook with no warning. But Sophie quickly discovers that Abby may be more ghost than writer now . . . and her disappearance was no accident. So Sophie cracks open a fresh investigation, but sifting the seasoned murderer from this sampling of salty suspects won’t be easy. Will Sophie savor another case closed or will the culprit simply melt away?
Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!
***
4.5 Stars
This is the thirteenth book in the A Domestic Diva mystery series by Krista Davis.
I have read a couple of other books in this series and it is really growing on me. It is definitely a series I want to do a marathon on. I am really resonating with all the cooking and foodie cozy mysteries right now.
Basic premise: Mars asks Sophie to ghostwrite a cookbook for the wife of one of his clients. It appears as if Abby, the original ghostwriter, just left town. But when they find a dead body in the freezer in her basement, it seems as if this disappearance might mean something more sinister.
I enjoyed all the cooking references and food ideas brought up in this book. It always inspires me since I am not the greatest cook and am greatly learning from those who do make and create these recipes.
There are a lot of quirky characters in this series and I totally dig most all of the cast. The bumbling spy guy just cracked me up when he appeared in the scene. I do find that I am a bit mystified by Sophie’s relationship with Mars and Natasha. Mars dated them both and this easy comradery they find with each other is downright crazy and fascinating at the same time. With so many characters in the mix, it made the whodunit aspect of this quite difficult to figure out. I enjoyed Abby’s neighbor and former socialite, Edith. I do hope she pops up in a future book.
There was a bit of spy school going on behind the scenes in this story with all the code breaking, dead drops and hidden messages. Quite a fun aspect of the story, really.
I thought the little advice column snippets at the beginning of each chapter to be helpful when by Sophie and quite a hoot when by Natasha. Remind me again why Natasha has the tv cooking show and not Sophie? That particularly boggles my mind.
This is definitely a series you grow into but one you won’t want to miss!
If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out . You won’t be disappointed.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
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