I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Guilty as Charred
by Devon Delaney
Series: Cook-Off Mystery #3
Series Rating:
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on June 25, 2019
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 288
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound, Google
Also in this series: Murder for Good Measure
Sherry Oliveri has attained celebrity status after winning the America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest with her delectable New England Crab Cake Sliders. But now that she’s back home in Connecticut, she’s got to deal with something else fishy . . . Sherry’s making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town’s community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt. Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn’t anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head. There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level. Now while Sherry’s organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she’s also got a murder investigation on her plate . . . Includes Recipes from Sherry’s Kitchen!
Who killed Poppy and why?
Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney is a delightful mystery with wonderful characters and a lovely small town setting. It has food, murder, and everything that leads us to a great whodunit.
Sherry Oliveri
Sherry is the winner of a few cooking competition; she also helps her dad run his rug store, plays tennis, edits the town’s newsletter and now is helping to organize the cook-off for the town’s Fourth of July celebration. She is a really busy person. Yet, Sherry is searching for the Poppy Robinson’s murderer. Sherry is an unlikely sleuth, but she loves puzzles much like recipes, and she tries to figure it out.
Things to look for (and that I liked)
- Sherry’s family is close even though her sister doesn’t live in town.
- This small Connecticut town is full of secrets and gossips.
- The community has that small town community flavor.
- The idea of the community garden is a fabulous idea that benefits not only those who have garden beds but also the local food bank and the younger generation that learn to grow plants.
- The friendship between Amber and Sherry.
4 Stars for Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney
My rating for Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney is four stars. I enjoyed the story, characters, and the details about cooking competitions and making of the rugs. You will have to follow the clues because I didn’t figure it out until Sherry did.
Don’t forget to check out the recipes at the end of the book. I also loved the cover, and you know how much a cover snob I can be.
The recipes are Shrimp Nachos with Artichoke Hummus, Nutmeg State Cheddar Apple Baked French Toast, and Warm Ruby Roots Forbidden Rice Salad.
I highly recommend this book to all Cozy readers.
Excerpt from Chapter 1
Nolan lifted the window shade. “I was thinking, a huge team must be required to coordinate a cookoff as big as America’s Good Taste. Fifty cooks, each representing their state. Do you have any idea what goes into getting a cooking competition up and running? I imagine the process is as complicated as a space shuttle launch.”
Sherry tucked her phone back in her purse.
“Could be. Every time I’m in one, I pick the organizer’s brain, after the fact. I appreciate their efforts to make the competition a good experience for everyone involved. I don’t know how they get the job done. The task of narrowing the field of entrants down to the finalists takes a panel of experts months. For instance, for yesterday’s contest, I submitted my crab cake recipe online almost six months ago. After the contest received my entry, and hundreds maybe thousands more, a group of reviewers weeded out ones that had too many typos, weren’t organized well enough for an average home cook to be able to replicate, any duplicates, plain awful recipes, and on and on. At the same time, a venue for the contest had to be found, sponsors attracted, advertising created, travel arrangements made, not to mention all the stoves set up, ingredients purchased at the last minute, and aprons and gift baskets provided. The list grew every day until the event day arrived. There always has to be some emergency contingencies in place like what to do if there’s a last minute contestant cancellation, while addressing the obvious, like planning first aid for burns and cuts, etcetera. I’m forever fascinated talking to the officials after a cook-off when they finally can exhale. They let their hair down and spill the beans on everything that went on to get the event to appear smooth as coconut cream. All I know is how to be a contestant. I wouldn’t want the coordinator’s job. Behind the scenes, I imagine they deal with unforeseen disaster after unforeseen disaster. At the end of the day, I’m always so impressed that no catastrophe occurred.” Sherry lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Except for the occasional murder.”
Nolan’s eyebrows merged and he blinked hard.
“I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say murder?”
“That was the mishap I was referring to. Twice there’s been a murder associated with a cook-off I’ve been a part of. You probably read about the incidents if you’ve been anywhere near Augustin over the last year or so. There was nonstop coverage by all the news outlets.”
He leaned forward and planted his elbows on each of his armrests. “Come to think of it, that was my first introduction to cook-offs. I didn’t know a thing about them until I read the news articles. I’ve certainly never attended one, so when I found myself with some extra time in Orlando, I bought a ticket to see what goes on. I really had a good time and there was no murder. That’s a plus.”
Other Books in the Series
Giveaway
Prize: (3) Print Copy – Guilty as Charred (A Cook-Off Mystery) by Devon Delaney- U.S. ONLY
Tour Organized by:
To find all the tour information, click the banner at the top of the page or HERE.
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway of this great book.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Devon Delaney
Devon Delaney is a wife, mother of three, accomplished cooking contester, recent empty nester, and lifelong resident of the Northeast. She has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years, including a full kitchen of major appliances, top cash prizes, and four trips to Disney World. She has also won the Grand Prize in a national writing contest for her “foodie” poem “Ode to Pork Passion.”
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Cloak and Dagger
- 2019 Craving For Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2019 New Release Challenge
Leave a Reply