Book Review: Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian (Kebab Kitchen Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong start to a new series

Cons: A few of the supporting characters could be stronger

The Bottom Line:

Health inspector dies

Always bad for restaurant

Delicious debut

Death by Hummus

I don’t tend to buy hummus often for myself despite the fact that I like it.  However, it is something that my mom buys quite regularly.  Why am I bringing this up?  I found it funny that I was reading Hummus and Homicide while my mom was visiting, so I was actually eating hummus while enjoying this delicious debut.

After being passed over for a promotion at her law firm yet again, Lucy Berberian has returned to Ocean Crest, New Jersey, to figure out what is next in her life.  Even though it is the slow season, her parents are down a waitress in their Mediterranean restaurant, so she is drafted to help out in Kebab Kitchen – not that Lucy really minds helping out for a few days.  In fact, she’s finding it fun to be back in town reconnecting with family and friends.

One person Lucy isn’t happy to see again is Heather Banks, her old nemesis from high school.  Sadly, it seems that Heather hasn’t matured much, as their first run in proves.  Heather has taken on the job of health inspector in town, and right after their run in, Heather shows up at Kebab Kitchen and suddenly finds a bunch of violations they need to fix.

Weirdly enough, Heather shows up for lunch the next day, wanting to try the new hummus bar that Lucy’s mom recently introduced to the restaurant.  Heather starts to act funny before she leaves the restaurant, and then Lucy finds Heather’s body behind the restaurant.  Naturally, the rumors that Heather was poisoned at Kebab Kitchen start to hurt business.  Even worse, the police think that Lucy is responsible.  Despite her vows to stay out of it, Lucy begins to investigate.  Can she figure out what really happened?

I was drawn right into this book.  We are allowed a little time to meet Lucy and some of the other characters before Heather dies, but not too long.  Lucy manages to uncover quite a few secrets and motives before she unmasks the real killer.  The climax was suspenseful and surprising.

Lucy is a great main character, and I liked her right away.  I did feel that her parents were a bit predictable, but we got to see a different side of them as the book progressed.  I hope they are developed more as the series progresses.  Lucy’s friend Katie is a delight and a wonderful sidekick.  The suspects are strong enough to keep us guessing as Lucy continues to unearth secrets about them.

We get three delicious sounding recipes at the end of the book.  Naturally, one of them is for hummus.  The others are for a tabbouleh salad and a white almond cookie.

This new series is off to a promising start.  Hummus and Homicide will whet your appetite for more mysteries to come.  Meet Lucy today so you’ll be ready for her next mystery.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kebab Kitchen Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.