Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra (Food Truck Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Story does draw you in

Cons: Could have used some work to make it better

The Bottom Line:

When contestant dies

Food trucks become dangerous

Book could be better

This Debut Wasn’t Quite My Chicken Wing

When I spotted A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra, I couldn’t resist. Culinary cozies always catch my eye, and this one was set in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I grew up near there. I just had to give it a try. Sadly, it didn’t quite work for me. 

The book introduces us to Beth and Seth Lloyd, twins who have inherited a chicken wing themed food truck from their aunt Dolly. Beth has gotten the idea to enter them in a reality TV show for a food network, and Seth is going along for the ride. 

Unfortunately, among the competitors is Benji, a fellow food truck owner that Beth knows all too well. Another local, they have clashed in the past. So when Benji turns up dead in his truck at the end of the first day of filming, Beth finds herself answering lots of questions. Can she get a few answers of her own to figure out what really happened?

The book started out well. I was laughing at the first couple of chapters, and settled in for what I hoped would be a good read. Then the problems started. 

The first was the plot. While it started quickly, this was a classic example of events masking any real investigation. We learned little about any suspects and rehash the few things we do learn. Beth does figure some things out near the end, but we don’t learn what they were until later. I did feel the solution answered my questions, but I would have appreciated a bit more sprinkled throughout the book. 

As I said above, the suspects are pretty flat. Honestly, I had a hard time keeping most of the other contestants straight. Some of the other supporting characters did fare a little better. 

Even our main trio of Beth, Seth, and their friend Rylie were only a little better. I felt like their reactions to things was a little over the top. I found that funny early on, but it wore thin before the book was over. And Beth missed a few obvious things and was a bit too stubborn as things went along. 

Even the location turned out to be less than I’d hoped for. The setting was fictional, which I get and can enjoy. But there was little to anchor it to the San Francisco Bay Area. But I would bet that others have felt that way about fictional settings near areas they know well. 

This is one of those cases where the book’s flaws are obvious, but it doesn’t mean the book was bad. I still got caught up in the story as I was reading it. It just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for. 

Yes, this is a culinary cozy with a couple of recipes at the end. They do sound good. 

If A Murder Most Fowl really appeals to you, give it a shot. You might find that you enjoy it more than I did. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

TV Show Review: Happy's Place - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Many laughs with a great group of characters

Cons: Takes a couple episodes to truly get going; one character still under used

The Bottom Line:

Neighborhood bar staff

Form core of a new sitcom

Makes me laugh each week

“I Had a Murder, She Wrote Lunchbox until Somebody Stole It, and I Couldn’t Figure Out Who.”

I was hopeful when I heard that Reba was leading a new sitcom this fall. While I didn’t wind up enjoying Malibu Country, I am still a huge fan of Reba, her sitcom from the 2000’s. While it took me a few episodes, I came to look forward to my weekly visit to Happy’s Place with season 1. 

The show is set in a local bar in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reba plays Bobbie, who has just inherited the bar from her father, Happy. There’s just one catch; her father had a second daughter from an affair. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) is much younger, and Happy has left half the bar to her. 

Naturally, Bobbie is shocked by this news. Isabella wants to help run the place, but she has no idea what she is doing. How will this impact the staff?

Rounding out the characters, we have Emmett (Rex Linn), the chef who mainly wants to be left alone, Gabby (Melissa Peterman), the bartender, Steve (Pablo Castelblanco), the accountant for the bar with OCD and a germ phobia, and Takoda (Tokala Black Elk), the server. 

As I said, the show took a few episodes to really find itself, but then, most shows do, especially sitcoms. Those early episodes were focused on the relationship between Bobbie and Isabella. They felt a bit forced to me. But once they really started getting the rest of the cast more fully involved in the episodes, things started to click. I still don’t feel like they are using Takoda well, but the rest of the characters all get their moments to shine with both laughs and more tender moments. 

And the cast is definitely building their comedic chemistry. It is a joy to watch each week. 

Yes, the setting does immediately make me think of Cheers, and the theme song (sung by Reba, of course) doesn’t help at all. But the characters are different enough that it works. I think you can appreciate both without feeling like one is a rip off of the other. I know I do. 

Fans of the sitcom Reba will recognize Melissa Peterman as Barbara Jean from that show. With several of the same creative team behind the scenes, is it any surprise that Gabby is a very similar character? Not that I’m complaining. I laugh at her antics here just as much as now as I did then. 

Speaking of which, we got both Christopher Rich and Steve Howey to guest star this season. I enjoyed seeing both of them pop up and the nods to the earlier classic. Steve’s episode in particular is my favorite of the first season.

Season one consisted of eighteen episodes. I was sorry when it ended, but I’m cheered knowing that it will be back for season two. 

A heads up, this is a filmed in front of an audience multi-cam sitcom with a “laugh track.” I know some people hate those, but I find them hilarious. If that isn’t your thing, know that before you sit down to watch. 

Classic sitcoms have been struggling recently. I’m glad to see Happy’s Place proving they aren’t completely dead yet. If you’ve missed this one, you’ll want to fix that today. 

Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters, setting, and a good mystery

Cons: A minor niggle or two, but nothing major

The Bottom Line: 

Body in alley

Reece must find the killer

In this strong debut

Reece Finds Murder In His New Business

When I was at Malice Domestic this last spring, I met Adrian Andover, who was there promoting his debut mystery. Whiskey Business sounded like a lot of fun, so I kept my eyes open for the announcement that ARCs were ready and quickly requested one. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this cozy. 

This book introduces us to Reece Parker. He’s recently opened Subplot, a literature themed cocktail lounge in his small town in Pennsylvania. He’s slowly gaining customers, but he’s still looking for any way to bring in new customers, so he gladly agrees to host a monthly whiskey club. The first meeting is a little on the rocks thanks to a new member who is arrogant and pushy. He’s obviously getting under the skin of the members, especially one, who tries to call him out on his behavior. 

Later that night, when Reece goes to take out the garbage, he finds the new member’s body in the alley behind his lounge. Afraid it might reflect poorly on his business, and afraid the police might use it to make his life miserable, he starts investigating. Can he find the killer?

This book has the cozy vibe down perfectly. I don’t drink, and I’d still love to visit Subplot. The descriptions make it warm and inviting, and I love the drink titles, which are riffs on classic literature. Yes, I’d be sticking to the non-fiction mocktail side of the menu, but I think I’d enjoy a visit. 

Of course, I’d want to visit between murders. This book does a great job of balancing introducing the characters and setting up the story. It’s obvious who the victim will be, and we really don’t waste that much time before he dies. From there, we get some good surprises and clues as well as red herrings until we reach the satisfying conclusion. A couple of things could have been smoothed out, in my opinion, but that’s a minor point that probably only I would care about. 

In addition to opening his cocktail lounge, Reece is also struggling with his sexuality, having recently broken things off with his fiancée because he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s gay. Granted, I haven’t read too many stories with gay main characters, but usually they are further along this journey. I appreciated how this subplot was handled since Reece is still coming to terms with what this means for his future. 

And the rest of the cast? They are outstanding as well. We get a clear picture of them, series regular and suspect alike. Just like the setting, they give off the cozy vibes. I can feel the love they have for each other, and I want to spend more time with them. 

While I consider this a culinary cozy, there aren’t any recipes at the end. Since I don’t drink, that’s not an issue for me, and not all culinary cozies have them.

Whiskey Business is a strong debut. You’ll be glad you picked it up. Me? I’m looking forward to my next visit already. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Death at the Diner - An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery fans will enjoy

Cons: One subplot seemed unnecessary

The Bottom Line:

Aurora’s boss dead

Now she must clear her boyfriend

Overall, I liked

“You’ve Done Some Very Thorough Research.  How Annoying.” “She’s a Librarian. She Can’t Help Herself.”

I’ve lost track of Hallmark’s release schedule for their movies on their cable channels.  So I’m sure I missed the cable premier of Death at the Diner, the third Aurora Teagarden prequel movie, at some point.  But I spotted it on the schedule recently, so I sat down to watch it.  I found it to be the best of these prequels, but my usual complaints remained.

It’s been established in the earlier movies that Aurora (Skyler Samuels), in addition to being a teaching assistant and working on her thesis, is working part time at a diner.  Her boyfriend, Daniel (Jordan Buhat), is the cook.  He’s got a great relationship with their boss, Emilio (Paul Moniz de Sá), the diner’s owner.

When Aurora forgets her phone at the diner, she and Daniel agree to meet up there before their date to celebrate their six month anniversary.  However, she finds more than her phone – she finds Emilio’s dead body.  The weapon is part of a set of knives that Emilio gave Daniel, and only Daniel’s prints are on it, so the police focus on him as their prime suspect.  Can Aurora clear her boyfriend, especially as the evidence mounts against him?

As I said, my typical complaint about these movies holds true again here.  While Marilu Henner is still here from the original movies as Aurora’s mom, they’ve recast Aurora, Sally (Kayla Heller), and Arthur (Evan Roderick).  Even after three movies, they still haven’t quite erased my memories of the original actors in the roles.  This isn’t anything against these actors, who are all fine.  I will once again call for Hallmark to give them their own franchise/characters.  They are talented and should be given that gift.

That aside, I did enjoy the mystery here.  I thought I had it figured out early on, but I was happy to be wrong.  There were some good twists and complications along the way to the logical and suspenseful climax.

And the entire cast was good.  The low budget cheese was kept to a minimum, which is always nice.

Fans of the Garage Sale Mysteries will enjoy seeing a mini-reunion.  Steve Bacic continues in his role as the lead detective in these prequels.  Sarah Strange pops up as the victim’s ex-wife, aka one of Aurora’s suspects.

I wasn’t impressed with a sub-plot involving the DA coming down hard on the detectives for the conviction rate.  Even trying to explain some of her attitude, it didn’t play well and didn’t add anything to the story.

This is the last Aurora Teagarden prequel movies that’s been released on streaming or cable as of now.  No word if they are going to continue the franchise or not.  If it is the end, fans will be happy with Death at the Diner.