annieb123's Review of Murder Served Neat (A Cocktails and Catering Mystery, #2)

by Michelle Hillen Klump

Cozy up to the bar as Michelle Hillen Klump pours another “sparkling cocktail of murder and mystery” (Amy Pershing).

Fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lee Hollis will savor every delectable sip of this clever and utterly intoxicating cozy.

Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos.

Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking.

Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Murder Served Neat is the second cozy mystery featuring plucky mixologist and amateur sleuth Samantha written by Michelle Hillen Klump. Released 21st Feb 2023 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a nice summer-themed small town cozy with a humorous, lightly sarcastic MC and well constructed mystery. The book is full of the quirky and appealing small-town characters, and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and complete. It works well enough as a standalone, but the returning characters do have some back history which is explained in the first book in the series.

This is the kind of cozy which has some recipes included at the back of the book, and the author and publisher have included one for glazed salmon, fig cake, and some mixed drinks. Throughout the book, the author has included lots of interesting info and factoids about mixing drinks, food and professional cooking.

Four stars. Interesting and engaging.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

15 July, 2023: Started reading

15 July, 2023: Finished reading

15 July, 2023: Reviewed