New Key West "Foodie" Mystery, DEATH ON THE MENU, Lucy Burdette

Wouldn't you love to be a food critic? Talk about not counting the calories, for a good reason! Hayley Snow putters around Key West, that southern Florida island haven, on her motorbike and checks out the latest restaurants, food carts, and other delights as part of her reporting job at Key Zest magazine. In DEATH ON THE MENU, number 8 in the delicious series from Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib), Hayley's job and her mother's catering business overlap, since both send her into tasting and writing about traditional Cuban food. (Yummy recipes at the back of the book include a Mojito Cake. Really!)

That's the good news -- that the food she's preparing, serving, and tasting (my stomach growled most of the way through this mystery) is doubling up for helping her mom and keeping her job at the magazine. Readers of earlier books in the series know Hayley's job hasn't always been secure, especially when her dating life and her boss coincided. But now she's head over heels in love with the right man for her, Nathan, who's also a police detective. Of course, friction ramps up when Nathan asks her to back off from the Hemingway Key-West-and-Cuba conference where her mom is catering. A "negative event" is part of the information Nathan has, and he wants Hayley safe.

But that's never been her key passion. Instead, she goes for loyalty to family and friends, which in this case directly counters that request. Gulp. Other stresses include how her adorable elderly roommate Miss Gloria would manage on their houseboat if Hayley ever gets married and leaves it ... her mom's business survival ... and of course the effects of the conference.

In the spirit of a traditional "amateur sleuth" mystery, there's soon a death on the catering crew. It's the brother of Cuban-born catering worker Maria, and soon Hayley's drawn into her own investigation, since the police have few clues and seem likely to blame the Cuban community for its own losses -- in this case, Maria's afraid her murdered brother Gabriel would be accused of a Hemingway-related theft at the historic "Truman Little White House":

"Why in the world do they think he was responsible for the theft?" I asked her. She bit her lip and shook her head. "If you want me to help, I have to know the truth. Is there any chance that he took it?" ...

"Please, please," Maria moaned as I started to walk away. "Closure is the only thing that might help my mother right now. It's not right that a mother's son should go first. It's not bearable.

I could only nod in agreement. I also wondered again how in the world the missing gold medal fit into his death.

Hayley's heart and mind both push her into committing to find the killer. Which will, in turn, put another of Gabriel's relatives at risk -- and then Hayley herself.

Tightly plotted, with plenty of island-style red herrings and mouth-watering food-prep descriptions, DEATH ON THE MENU is also full of friends helping friends, and the sweetness of love. I had a great time reading it, and I dream of the weekend when I'll be testing some of the recipes for the traditional delights that Hayley and her mom present along the way.

No need to read the preceding books in the series before plunging into this one -- double back to them later. DEATH ON THE MENU is a great choice for the summer reading stack, lively and evocative with plenty of action. And if I add that Jimmy Buffet makes a cameo appearance, I'm sure you'll nod in appreciation -- but you'll never guess the other celebrity guest until you turn the page and gasp. Have fun!

[Crooked Lane Books, July 31 publication date.]

PS:  Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.

Key West Food Critic #7, KILLER TAKEOUT, Lucy Burdette

Food critic Hayley Snow isn't a huge fan of Fantasy Fest, the 10-day "party for grownups" that's become an annual part of Key West life. Like most of the "conchs" -- that is, locals -- in the resort paradise, she notices the traffic issues, problem drinking (even the island's tourist bureau calls Fantasy Fest a "bacchanal"), and impossibility of everyday normal life.

Not that Hayley's life has every been all that simple ... readers of the earlier six books in Lucy Burdette's lively "Key West Food Critic Mystery Series" have seen Hayley work up crushes on hunky guys (including police officers), fall into crime-solving, struggle with her roommate situation (nothing's simple on a houseboat!), and wrestle with the workplace politics of the small weekly newspaper where her column runs regularly, along with write-ups of other events she's expected to cover. (I especially liked numbers 4 and 6 -- reviews here.) But as KILLER TAKEOUT opens, Hayley's life seems doubly hectic: Her mom's arriving to get married to a late-life love, her own love life is just getting into high gear with the delectable Nathan Bransford, Hayley's got parade duty to handle, and there's a possible hurricane headed her way. The weather kind, not the twisters of her life.

Add to that the zombie theme of the 10-day island festival, extreme tension at work (new owner Palamina is still determined to overrule Hayley whenever possible), a literal catfight -- and then there's the baffling and really upsetting situation of Hayley's sweet friend Danielle being attacked, just when Danielle should have been making the most of being crowned queen of the festival. Hayley's got a simpler-than-usual food assignment, nibbling from some of the island's best food trucks and takeout windows, but getting it written might not be easy.

Sure, you can call this a cozy mystery -- the yummy meals described, the recipes at the back, the brushes with lusty romance, and of course the cats send it in that direction -- but don't expect a relaxed sweetness in KILLER TAKEOUT! Burdette ramps the suspense up in multiple directions, and even Hayley admits she's overwhelmed. What's going to happen to her romance if she disobeys "police instructions"? Is there any way to retrieve the fun that Danielle should have been having? And what on earth is worth killing for, in the midst of the party?

I couldn't put this one down. It's downright delicious and adventurous, and I don't just mean the recipes (I can hardly wait to make a Mango Dog, or Hayley Snow's Shrimp Salad, tasty but pretty simple -- classic Burdette gifts to the reader).

And I'm still thinking about the stresses and catastrophes of this loaded investigation -- it occurred to me (and it has before, too) that Burdette probably borrows from her "other life" as clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib (Burdette is a pen name), so she knows what makes us happy and what makes us very, very worried. Still, I've gotten used to Hayley by now, and I trust her to get us out of danger. Well, at least, she's got the right friends to pull her, and her family, through the worst!

Release date is April 5, from Penguin Random House. Have fun!

Food, Fun, and Crime Solving in FATAL RESERVATIONS, Lucy Burdette

On the cover of the new paperback mystery from Lucy Burdette, number six in her Key West Food Critic series, are many of the enticing elements of this enjoyable summer "cozy" -- Tarot cards, yummy meals, a cat (there are three on the houseboat this time!), and a fabulous Key West (Florida) sunset.

What you don't see in this image though (and by the way, Lucy Burdette, have you thought of producing it as a jigsaw puzzle? the details are darling!) is the tangled situation Hayley Snow confronts as the action opens: her new boss's uncomfortable expectations at the local newspaper (not just urban-level writing style but also classier outfits!), the prolonged absence and odd reactions of her boyfriend (and old boss), and her uneasy relationship with members of the local police force. In FATAL RESERVATIONS, that relationship is strained by the usual problems facing an amateur sleuth -- the police aren't thrilled to have Hayley snooping into a sudden death that they're labeling murder. Why can't she just step back and let them arrest her fortune-telling friend Lorenzo?

But there's another ongoing issue for Hayley as she pulls on her crime-solving heels once again: She's drawn to those smart and decisive characters on the local police force, even when they're trying to evict her from the scene. And having at least one of them decide to be protective of her is making it tough for her to hide Lorenzo in her houseboat home, even with the willing help of her octagenarian housemate Miss Gloria.

"I'm sorry we were a bother, Officers," I said. "I'm a friend of Officer Torrence, and he's always telling me, 'Call the police even if you're not sure you need help.' I have a little reputation for trying to do things myself." I pasted on a silly grin and bobbled my head.

"You may very well have had an intruder in here," said the big cop, his face looking fierce. "You ladies need to be more careful about locking your door."

"We need to get the latch fixed," said Miss Gloria, fibbing so quickly my head was spinning. "It just gave out this week."

Miss Gloria also adds great expressions to the conversations, from "case the joint" to "Sheesh" and "Coast is clear." She's a marvelous houseboat roommate, even with her current passion for exploring and talking about burials at the cemetery. But that too may come in helpful.

Burdette is clearly on a roll here -- like her most recent two books in the series, Death With All the Trimmings  and Murder With Ganache, FATAL RESERVATIONS is tightly plotted, quick-paced, and full of unforgettable characters, dead and alive. Don't wait to get the other books in the series before reading this one. Hayley's interactions and quick recaps fill in what you need to know from her past, and there's so much going on that you might as well leap right into the bay ... err, book.

Of course, a big part of the pleasure of this series is the foodie chat, from the meals Hayley is preparing or reviewing, to the recipes packed into the back of the book. This time, the one I want to taste-test is "Once in a Blue Moon Blue Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter"; I've just adjusted my shopping list accordingly! Strain lines for Hayley this time around include how to review a less-than-great meal at a new floating restaurant, and whether her printed words could be responsible for the owner's loss of control.

I had a lot of fun reading my copy -- which I was delighted to "win" by a drawing that the author provided (thanks, Lucy! aka Roberta Isleib). I won't be able to lend it around the neighborhood, though ... I am still considering another of the recipes in the back!

PS - Visiting the Lucy Burdette website is always fun (click here), but I also enjoy keeping up with this author's food chat on Facebook and at the Mystery Lovers Kitchen blog. Hope you'll have a chance to check them out.