And Murder for Dessert by Kathleen Delaney, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Kathleen Delaney's third entry in the Ellen McKenzie series, And Murder for Dessert, is a delightful mystery featuring some jealous and distrustful chefs, those who enjoy the fruits of their labors, and those who invest in their talents.

The quiet lives of real estate agent Ellen McKenzie and her husband, Chief of Police Dan Dunham, are turned upside down when Ellen's niece, Sabrina, and her husband, Mark Torelli, move in with them temporarily until they could find a home of their own. The two quickly accept jobs at the local Silver Spring Winery on a trial basis. Their first assignment: plan a festive formal dinner and wine tasting event. For the dinner, Mark hires a famous chef, Otto Messinger. Mark not only wants to impress his guests with his own talent regarding wines, he also wants Otto to impress them with his fine cuisine. The wine is exquisite and the food divine. All of the invited guests are overwhelmed by the event. All but a murderer, that is, who sets out to kill Otto that very night. Soon thereafter another murder takes place. Ellen's curiosity and her unsolicited help are all that are needed for Dan to be able to identify the culprit.

Every character written in the story felt real. The residents of the city seemed like neighbors. Even Otto, who could easily have been portrayed as a caricature of an arrogent out-of-control chef, seemed no worse than the typical culinary expert on television. No doubt every reader has experienced a situation where a meal had to be sent back to the kitchen for some reason or another. But would you kill the chef because of it? No need to answer that! To be drawn into a book and feel a part of it (dead chef notwithstanding) is a wonderful reading experience.

What's not to like about a gourmet meal, fine wine, and a little murder thrown in for dessert? Not much! And Murder for Dessert is a treat and is highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of And Murder for Dessert.

Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of And Murder for Dessert for this review.

Murder Half Baked
Camel Press (Trade Paperback), May 2011
ISBN-13: 9781603818285; ISBN-10: 1603818286

And Murder for Dessert

An Ellen McKenzie Mystery by Kathleen Delaney