In her third Italian Chef Mystery, Catherine Bruns offers restaurant owner Tessa Esposito a chance at a great holiday season, and a possible new love in her life. Tessa's husband Dylan, victim of a complicated crime in the first book in the series (Penne Dreadful, followed by It Cannoli Be Murder), is still very much in her heart—and her new possible boyfriend, Justin, has a potent connection with the moment Tessa chose that first romance.
But as THE ENEMY YOU GNOCCHI opens, it doesn't look like there will be time for romance anyway. Not only is it the holiday season, with intense demands on restaurant prep, staff, and service, but the bustling town of Harvest Park is bubbling with antagonism: Coffee-shop owner Mario Russo's been demanding Tessa's attention in unpleasant ways, and maliciously menacing the older café owned by Tessa's friend Archie. Just as Tessa begins to put this conflict ahead of her pasta sauce in her priorities, Mario gets murdered—and it looks like someone's very effectively framing Archie as the killer.
Bruns tackles the classic "cozy" issue of "why does an amateur become a sleuth" with an explanation from Justin, who already means a lot to Tessa:
Justin rubbed his eyes wearily. ... "Focus your energy on who might have committed the crime. You're smart and intuitive and Archie needs your help right now."
I forced back a laugh. "I'm a chef, Justin. Not a detective. That's Gino's department."
He gave me a tired smile. "Don't sell yourself short. You have great instincts about people. You were the one to figure out who killed Dylan. Then there was Daphne, the publicist who died in Gabby's bookstore. You found her killer too." ....
I stared into the fire thoughtfully. "Well, rumor has it that Tyler's wife was having an affair with Mario, so there's two possible suspects right there."
This is a well-knitted traditional cozy with a lovely thread of growing affection/romance, good friendships, and even some recipes at the back, including Tessa's gnocchi (Bruns seems to have an odd pronunciation of the Italian term) and a "Christmas Thyme" cookie recipe that looks like a must. It should provide holiday-season relaxation and relief, and it continues this series with heart and clever twists.
From Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks.
PS: Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.
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