The only snow in Key West this Christmas is Hayley Snow, food critic for Key Zest magazine, who is not getting time off for the holiday…or time off from murder.
It may be Christmastime, but thoughts of peace on earth, good will toward men, don’t seem to extend to the restaurant biz. Hayley has been assigned to interview Edel Waugh, chef/owner of Key West’s hottest new restaurant. But off the record, Edel reveals someone’s sabotaging her kitchen and asks Hayley to investigate.
Things heat up fast when the restaurant is set on fire—and a body is discovered in the charred wreckage. Is someone out to destroy the chef’s business—or actually kill her? Amid holiday festivities like the lighted boat parade and visiting relatives who stir up mixed emotions, Hayley needs to smoke out an arsonist and a killer who may turn up the heat on her next…
INCLUDES RECIPES!
For fans of: Joanne Fluke, Diane Mott Davidson
Hayley Snow is thrilled to be tapped by her bosses at Key Zest magazine to write a feature on Chef Edel Waugh; the exposure can only help her career, right? Unfortunately for Hayley, though, her reputation as an amateur sleuth proceeds her, and when she shows up to talk to Chef Waugh, she doesn’t find a willing interviewee – she finds a woman convinced her new restaurant’s being sabotaged and looking for someone to conduct a quiet inquiry. Hayley agrees to do some digging, but then the restaurant’s storage shed is set on fire, a man turns up dead, and our fair food critic is forced to wonder if she’s finally bitten off more than she can chew.
While I’ve historically been a huge fan of Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic Mysteries, I was a bit underwhelmed by this fifth installment, Death with All the Trimmings. Burdette does a great job moving the series’ arc forward; the parts of the story centering on Hayley’s problems at work, her issues with her boss-slash-boyfriend Wally, and her mother’s hang-ups regarding marriage make for compelling reading. The book paints a vivid picture of Key West at Christmastime and of life on the Keys in general. Hayley’s a sweet, tough, smart heroine; the well-drawn supporting cast adds life and energy to Burdette’s tale; and the story’s end makes me excited to see what book six has in store for Hayley both personally and professionally.
Unfortunately, though, the mystery at the heart of Death with All the Trimmings could use some work. Hayley’s motivation for getting involved in the case and then staying involved is shaky at best. The investigation itself is haphazard, which slows the pace and causes the plot to meander. The villain’s actions feel arbitrary, even after you learn the supposed reasoning behind them. Burdette never successfully establishes the stakes, which makes it difficult for the reader to care about the outcome. And while Burdette’s conclusion makes sense, it still somehow fails to satisfy. She doesn’t technically leave any loose ends, but the whole thing relies on a few too many coincidences to be realistic. If you’re a fan of the Key West Food Critic Mysteries, definitely give Death with All the Trimmings a read to catch up on the lives of Hayley and company. If you’re looking for a good puzzle to solve, though, focus your search elsewhere; Burdette’s latest may be a good story, but it’s not a terribly successful whodunit.
Reviewed by Kat
