The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis

Item: The Diva Hosts a Murderer
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted May 29, 2026 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Diva Hosts a Murderer

by Krista Davis

Series: Domestic Diva Mystery #19
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on May 26, 2026
Setting: Alexandria, Virgina
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, The Diva Goes Overboard, The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg

Old Town Virginia’s entertaining guru and occasional sleuth Sophie Winston – a young Martha Stewart in the making – juggles Fourth of July fireworks, a houseful of guests, and homicide in the latest Domestic Diva culinary mystery from New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis.

With a big crowd descending on her Northern Virginia home, it’s a good thing event planner Sophie Winston is an expert at entertaining. Whipping up patriotic pastries is as easy as pie for her, though meeting the man her widowed Aunt Melly just impulsively married in Las Vegas is a little more awkward. Especially when Melly’s longtime, now-heartbroken secret admirer is there too, which could lead to some fireworks.

But the house party really gets explosive when Sophie’s favorite tour guide falls victim to a killer—and evidence points to Sophie’s own father. Will DNA really incriminate her dad? And what’s the real story with her new uncle-by-marriage and the mysterious pal he’s brought along with him? Some of the secrets Sophie’s discovering are raising flags—and while the police department casts suspicion on her father, she has to declare her independence as a detective to find the real culprit, and serve justice along with her red, white, and blue cupcakes . . .

Includes delicious recipes, fabulous decorating tips, and easy entertaining hacks!

The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis is a Fourth of July celebration that comes attached with a dead body.

Can Sophie solve the mystery of who killed her favorite tour guide?

Sophie Winston

Sophie Winston enjoys having people over, especially her family, whom she doesn’t get to see all the time. I love her relationship with her aunt Melly, as it’s wholesome, and I like how protective Sophie is of her. Sophie is great under pressure, which is probably why she is so good at her job as a caterer. I like how Sophie gets people to talk to her about the mystery, too. The best part is that this time her family helped her solve the mystery. I thought that was awesome, especially since they all know her dad didn’t do it.

The Mystery

This mystery was a confusing one indeed for poor Sophie and her family. Sophie didn’t find the dead body, but saw it with everyone else who was gathered around it. Not only that, but Sophie is even more determined to solve the case for her parents’ own sake. I thought I knew who did it, but I fell for a red herring. Even though I had an inkling about someone else, I thought it was too easy. Ms. Davis is an excellent writer.

Five Stars

My rating for The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis is five stars. I recommend this series as it’s fantastic. Granted, I haven’t read all the books, but the ones I have read are so good. I love coming back to Sophie and her friends in Old Town, Virginia.

Ms. Davis has some excellent recipes in the back of the book, so don’t forget to check them out. I may want to try some of them one of these days. They are Krista’s favorite Potato Salad, Peach Crostata, Red, White, and Blue Fruit Tart, Banana Cupcakes (with or without Brown Sugar Frosting), Flag Cake, Pasta Salad, Baked Scrambled Eggs, Cranberry Cole Slaw, Blueberry Buckle, Frozen Watermelon, and Banana Turmeric Milk for Sleeping.

Domestic Diva Mysteries

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Krista Davis

Krista Davis is a New York Times bestselling mystery author. She writes three mystery series: the Domestic Diva Mysteries; the Paws & Claws Mysteries; and the Pen & Ink Mysteries.

Krista resided in Northern Virginia for many years and lived for a time in Old Town, Alexandria. Today she lives with an assortment of dogs and cats in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Like her Domestic Diva protagonist, Sophie Winston, Krista loves to entertain friends and family, but would just as soon leave cleaning to someone else.

In the unlikely event that Krista ever wins the lottery, you will find her in the middle of a giant pile of rescued dogs and cats.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: