Book Review: Pretty Lentil Liars by Cathy Wiley (Fatal Food Festival Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a great mystery

Cons: Not even one lentil con

The Bottom Line:

Lentil festival

With mystery from the past

Another fun book

Can Jackie Find the Truth in a Town of Liars

I’m learning a lot from Cathy Wiley’s Fatal Food Festivals Mysteries. For example, I never would have guessed there would be a festival around lentils. Yet that’s where Jackie Norwood has landed in Pretty Lentil Liars, the third in the series. 

Jackie used to be a celebrity chef with a popular cable TV show until her struggle with alcoholism cost her her job and reputation. Now, she’s trying to rebuild her career by appearing as a judge and presenter at festivals all over the country. Sadly, murder seems to follow her as well. 

For this third novel, Jackie has landed in Holland, Washington for a lentil festival. Jackie quickly realizes it isn’t going to have the same crowd size as the more famous festival in Pullman. However, she’s not expecting the notes someone calling themselves “A” is leaving her.  These notes are hinting at something hidden from the past. 

Then her brother finds online articles about a high school senior who disappeared on prom night 12 years before. Might the notes be referring to more than the festival? What will Jackie and her team uncover?

I always appreciate it when a book sets things up in a creative manner, and that’s what we get here. Yes, it became clear early on exactly where the set up was going, but the story didn’t take any more time than necessary getting there. Jackie uncovers plenty of motives and suspects as she investigates. I thought I had the correct villain pegged early on, but the real solution made perfect sense to me. 

Jackie has a large group of friends who wind up showing up to support her. I’m happy to say that we get to see them again. One of these supporting players in particular got some great development here. I also like the growth we saw in Jackie. The suspects fit well into Jackie’s world. 

I can’t leave out the humor. There are some funny exchanges and some great puns in the book. 

And yes, we get some recipes at the end, all of which feature lentils. No surprise there, right?  They range from the usual suspects (soups) to the more surprising like vegetarian burgers or blondies. In total, we get 10 recipes, so if you like lentils, you’ll be especially happy. 

Each book in this series has been a treat. You’ll gobble down Pretty Little Liars quickly and be ready for Jackie’s next case. 

Join Jackie for more of the Fatal Food Festival Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of the book.