Cooking Up A Mystery
About the Book
Book: Cooking Up A Mystery
Author: Gail Pallotta
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release date: April 24, 2020
Laney Eskridge worked to put her husband through dental school. Then he left with another woman. She’s on edge from the emotional scars and her parents’ deaths. Then she hears unexplained noises in her new tea house, and her anxiety is tripled. Add a budding romance with Eric—a guy with a fear of commitment—and it’s all too much to handle. She cuts ties with Eric and plunges into making her business pay off.
When Eric discovers that Laney’s in danger, he vows to protect her. But can he make a lasting promise? Will she trust him? . . .and when they overhear a threat that could cause national turmoil, will anyone believe them? There’s more brewing than herbal tea in Cooking up a Mystery.
My Review:
This book is light, fun reading. The characters are easy to like and the mystery has just enough suspense to hold your interest without being scary. This is not a “murder mystery”, but rather one of seeking to discover who is trying to destroy Laney Eskridge’s tea room business. She also finds herself falling for Eric, one of her customers. The romance in this book is sweet and clean, and I liked Eric and Laney as a couple. There’s some good secondary characters in this book that contribute fun, faith, and a touch of humor to the story.
My only drawback to this book is that I think the mystery part of the storyline got off to somewhat of a slow start—I kept waiting for the “big event” to happen. However, I also realize that the author was establishing her characters’ backstories during that time, and she did a nice job of that. The mystery developed into an interesting one and the plot was surprising. I enjoyed reading this book and I think devoted readers of the cozy mystery genre will enjoy it, too. I’d like to read another book that featured these same characters. And I have to mention this—there are several delicious-looking recipes included at the end of the book.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner and a TopShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist. She’s published six books, poems, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums.
More from Gail
In Cooking up a Mystery running a business with no background or formal training in accounting or management overwhelms Laney, the heroine. George, her assistant, tells her she has him and God, who knows her needs. Then he adds, “You … have your mom’s wonderful recipes and you whip them up like a pro.”
I chose the food industry for Laney, a woman entrepreneur succeeding against the odds, because I have lots of cooking experience. I learned the skill at age ten. The reason, according to my father—I’d know how when I got married. I didn’t marry until I was thirty. By then, I’d received lots of instruction, so I knew how to prepare some pretty good dinners. My husband said, “You could start a restaurant.” I wanted to do other things instead, such as write, but I started one in this book.
Mt first woman entrepreneur appears in Hair Calamities and Hot Cash, a romantic comedy about a hairstylist. It’s set in Eve’s Clips, a salon in Triville, a fictitious town in the North Carolina Mountains where Laney opens Laney’s Delectable Delights.
A section in the back of Cooking up a Mystery, Laney’s Chefs in the Making, features over two dozen recipes. Only Laney’s Pineapple Rice is mine. The rest are from a book, Heavenly Delights, authored by my friend, Pam Nichols Griffin, as a fundraiser for Mission Love Seeds, a charity that helps children throughout the world and responds locally after disasters to demonstrate God’s love.
Laney’s Pineapple Rice
Ingredients:
Rice (can be instant, but not boil-in-the-bag)
Cooking oil or spray
One small onion (chopped thin)
Five cloves garlic (or minced gloves equaling five cloves)
One tablespoon fresh grated ginger
One cup fresh pineapple
Small amount of pineapple juice
One teaspoon sugar
One lime
Cook rice according to directions on the box, but substitute a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup pineapple juice (depending on taste) for part of the water.
Chill rice
Coat a heavy bottom skillet with oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, pineapple and sugar and stir. Add cold rice, break up, squirt with the juice of one lime and stir until heated and blended.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 9
Blogging With Carol, April 9
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 10
She Lives To Read, April 11
Texas Book-aholic, April 11
Inklings and notions, April 12
Genesis 5020, April 12
For Him and My Family, April 13
deb’s Book Review, April 14
Worthy2Read, April 14
Reflections From My Bookshelves, April 15
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 15
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 16
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, April 17
Godly Book Reviews, April 17
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 18
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 19
CarpeDiem, April 19
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 20
April Hayman, Author, April 20
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 21
Simple Harvest Reads, April 21 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 22
Labor Not in Vain, April 22
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Gail is giving away the grand prize of a $40 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/10a4e/cooking-up-a-mystery-celebration-tour-giveaway
Hi Patti,
Thank you for participating in the Cooking up a Mystery blog tour and for the nice review. I hope you’ll have fun with the recipes.
I loved these characters and think they would make a great series!
Yum! A good mystery and recipes? Yes please!
This cozy mystery sounds perfect for an afternoon of fun reading.
Hi Megan and Roxanne, Thank you for stopping by to read about Cooking up a Mystery and for your kind words.
Hi Patti,
Thank you! I hadn’t thought of that, but who knows they may need to get out of some more tough situations!
This sounds like a fun read. Great cover!
Thanks for the review.
I enjoy Gail Pallotta’s books.
Blessings~
thank you for your review. sounds like i would enjoy this book. what a fun cover. sounds a bit different and that sounds fun.