The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
A
Domestic Diva Mystery with Sophie Winston
Krista
Davis
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market
Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22426-0 (0425224260)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22426-7 (9780425224260)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $6.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to
entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly
tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces
and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things
simple…real simple. Natasha may have stolen the
spotlight—and Sophie's husband—but Sophie is
determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing
Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredients…
But Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey goes cold when she
stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name
and photo inside the victim’s car, they think she has some
explaining to do. Sophie will have to set her trussing aside
to solve the murder or she’ll be serving up prison
grub—and that definitely wouldn’t be a
“good thing.”
Review: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
is the first in a new cozy culinary mystery series by Krista Davis
featuring domestic diva and gourmet chef Sophie Winston. As is typical
with mysteries of this subgenre, delicious recipes and entertaining
tips are included.
Sophie and Natasha Smith were rivals in high school and now, each in
their mid-forties, they remain fiercely competitive. And if that
weren't enough, Natasha "stole" Sophie's ex-husband. During the week
before Thanksgiving they take part in a Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown
with the winner taking home a Golden Turkey. Though both are
accomplished cooks, Sophie prefers to take a simple approach to her
recipes and presentations while Natasha uses "not over the counter"
foods and stipulates meticulous, elaborate table settings. Before the
contest, Sophie discovers a corpse in a dumpster. (It's never quite
clear what she was doing looking in a dumpster.) In the dead
man’s truck is a picture of Sophie with her name. Then, on the
day of the competition, one of the judges is found, again by Sophie,
murdered. Being the first on the scene of two murders makes Sophie a
prime suspect. All this happens just before the arrival of her parents,
sister and her fiancé, for their annual family Thanksgiving
dinner. When Sophie is taken into custody for the murders of two men,
her family and friends rally around to lend a hand for her Thanksgiving
dinner originally planned for six, but now more than a dozen. When
bodies begin dropping, starting during Sophie’s simply planned
dinner, the question becomes: Who is trying to kill Sophie’s
guests? How many will lay dead or wounded before an answer can be
found? Who is creating this family disaster?
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
is as much comedy as mystery. The author has a light touch with her
narrative, almost mirroring Sophie's approach to dining and decorating.
Each chapter begins with letters to Sophie or Natasha (who, in addition
to everything else they do, write competing columns in the newspaper)
who offer in response witty, often realistically useful, suggestions on
topics of cooking, table settings, even dealing with in-laws. The
mystery isn't demanding, the story entertaining, and there's no mention
of who's wearing what designer to be found; all in all, a really good
book. This is a series worth watching.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Diva Runs Out of Thyme and to Krista Davis for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Diva Runs
Out of Thyme
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), October 2008
ISBN-10: 0-425-22426-0 (0425224260)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22426-7 (9780425224260)
Omnimystery keywords for The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
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