Be on my team for the cooking competition, he said. It will be fun, he said…
Restaurant Weeks Are Murder by Libby Klein combines this splendid mystery with real to life character that stole my heart.
This book is the first that I have read by Libby Klein and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes that she included in the book. I adored the way that she described people. Here is an example:
He leads us up to a very dignified chef, who reminded me a little of Sam the Eagle from the Muppets, with his bushy eyebrows and tufts of gray hair over a serious expression.
Poppy McAllister
Our sleuth is Poppy McAllister. She is living with her 80-year-old Aunt Ginny, whose house they have turned into bed and breakfast. Poppy has gone on a Paleo diet and has lost some weight. She is feeling really good about herself. I think she should be; Poppy is reliable and compassionate. She has also turned into one of the trouble magnets; you know the ones that find dead bodies or are present when people are murdered.
Poppy is also in a love triangle at the moment, and she doesn’t seem to know which way to go or whom to choose. Let’s say that both guys are hot and they want her undivided attention.
What I like about Poppy
- Poppy is a brilliant baker, and she creates these fabulous gluten-free desserts. Yum!
- She is polite nice even when her inner voice is telling her not to be. OK, most of the time she is nice.
- Poppy treats her Aunt Ginny with respect and tolerates Ginny amusing fashion outfits and attitude.
- She has the cutest little cat Figaro, who is a naughty little sneak. Poppy doesn’t hold it against him.
- Poppy is trying to better herself and be the best that she can be. I adore her attitude.
What I didn’t like about Poppy
- That she wore that yellow apron when she could have just gotten another one herself.
- Poppy allowed Gigi to make her feel bad, all the while knowing that she was just as good as Gigi.
The Mystery
What a crazy mystery with suspects galore. I honestly didn’t figure out who the murder was or the motive until Poppy stumbled upon it herself. The restaurant business is crazy, or was that just the Jersey shore? No seriously, there were so many things going on, and it was so entertaining. I loved the accents, the outfits, whole Chopped-like cooking competition.
Well done, Ms. Klein.
My favorite character
Let me tell you there were lots of characters; they are funny, snarky, quirky, rebellious, and sweet ones. But, my favorite is Aunt Ginny. She is dynamic, fresh, witty and outrageous. Aunt Ginny has lost her filter, and the things that come out of her mouth are hilarious. Ginny and her senior friends just go and do what they want.
One of the best things about Ginny were the outfits that she would show up in; here is one of them:
Aunt Ginny was dressed in marine-blue harem pants and a matching gauzy long-sleeved to bejeweled with aqua sequence and tiny gold bells. There were gold bedroom slippers on her feet.
5 Stars for Restaurant Weeks Are Murder by Libby Klein
My rating for Restaurant Weeks Are Murder by Libby Klein is five stars. Once, I started this one I just couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was happening to Poppy next. Although, I haven’t read the first two books in this series, I have added them to my TBR (yes, it is huge, but that is OK).
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a marvelous mystery with laugh out loud characters and their antics.
Other Books in the Series
Class Reunions Are Murder
by Libby Klein
Series: A Poppy McAllister Mystery #1
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on January 30, 2018
Genres: Mystery, Cozy
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
For fortysomething Poppy McAllister, taking a stroll down memory lane in Cape May, New Jersey, isn’t just awkward—it’s deadly.
Newly widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. There’s no way on earth she’s attending her twenty-five-year class reunion—especially after receiving a very bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school. At least, not until Poppy’s best friend practically drags her to the event . . .
Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. And worse, that her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker. Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a gluten-free diet, can Poppy crack the case before she’s voted “Most Likely to Die” by the murderer?
Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
Midnight Snacks Are Murder
by Libby Klein
Series: A Poppy McAllister Mystery #2
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on July 31, 2018
Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Paranormal
Pages: 371
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
When her sleepwalking aunt is accused of committing murder, Poppy McAllister finds out there's no rest for the weary . . .
Between trying to get her gluten-free baking business off the ground and helping her aunt remodel her old Victorian into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, Poppy is ready to call, “Mayday!” And now Aunt Ginny—who's a handful wide-awake—is sleepwalking on her new sleeping pill prescription and helping herself to neighbors’ snacks and knickknacks.
Even more alarming, a local humanitarian who worked with troubled teens is found murdered, and the police suspect the “Snack Bandit.” Other than a bad case of midnight munchies and some mild knickknack kleptomania, Aunt Ginny is harmless. Someone’s trying to frame her. Poppy will need to work tirelessly to uncover the killer and put the case to rest—before Aunt Ginny has to trade in her B & B for a bunk bed behind bars . . .
Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
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And you will want to check out the recipes in the back of the book.
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Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove