An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic, #1)

by Lucy Burdette

Hayley Snow's life always revolved around food. But when she applies to be a food critic for a Key West style magazine, she discovers that her new boss would be Kristen Faulkner, the woman Hayley caught in bed with her boyfriend.

Hayley thinks things are as bad as they can get, until the police pull her in as a suspect in Kristen's murder. Kristen was killed by a poisoned key lime pie. Now Hayley must find out who used meringue to murder before she takes all the blame.

• ISBN10: 0451235517
• ISBN13: 9780451235510
• Publish Date: 3 January 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
• Imprint: Signet
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451235510

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Great setting, interesting plot with nice twist. But the characters all needed work, in my opinion. The main character, Hayley, was portrayed as such a ditz, and so dysfunctional it was off-putting to me, although the scenes with her involving food showed her in a much more competent light. Her friends were portrayed as a bit insincere, though the author did a divine job portraying the ex as an ass. The detective never shows Hayley an ounce of kindness throughout the book, but at the end we're to believe they have an instant friendship.

I gave the book two stars because I really didn't like many of the characters much and cozies depend on a connection to place and people as much as a good mystery. But I could see the author working things out as the book progressed. Enough so that I'll read the next book in the series to see if the characters become worthy of their Key West setting.