Celticlady's Reading Room

This cozy mystery starts out in New Orleans in the Winter Market with Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava. While there a man, dies right in front of the ladies with a big fork sticking out of his neck. The man, Martin Lash is a food critic for an online website called Glutton for Punishment. Martin is a nasty little man who writes reviews of restaurants that do not put them in the best light. In fact, his reviews hurt the restaurants to the point of no having business and the future of these restaurants are pretty bleak. 

So who is the killer? There are numerous suspects, including a friend and previous beau of Carmela's, Quigg Brevard. Martin had written a scathing review of Quigg's restaurant. Carmela is asked by Quigg to use her investigative skills and find out who the killer is. Against the wishes of the man she is currently seeing, Detective Edgar Babcock, she does just that. She also puts herself in extreme danger as she starts digging around. Another man is murdered, is it the same killer or just a coincidence that this man is killed with a butcher knife? Who is the killer and what are his/her motives? Can Carmela stay out of danger?

Cozy mysteries are fun to read. I love a good crime thriller but once in a while reading a book where the violence and sex are toned down a bit is nice. Plus the fact that these type of stories are usually in a small community where everyone virtually knows everyone else and the main characters have some type of small business. This is the first book I have read by Laura Childs and I really enjoyed it. The descriptions of this New Orleans community makes the reader feel like they are right there. I found that the business that Carmela has, a scrapbooking store, to be quite interesting. I have never done any scrapbooking but it sounds like a fun hobby. I digress but again, I did enjoy the book, well written with a touch of humor. I may just read more by this author! 

"I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review"