Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Review: Fatal Reservations (Key West Food Critic Mystery #6) by Lucy Burdette





  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2080 KB
  • Print Length: 304 pages
  • Publisher: NAL; Reissue edition (July 7 2015)
  • Sold by: Penguin Group USA
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00PT4IYYG



Book Description

In the latest Key West Food Critic mystery, Hayley Snow’s beat is reviewing restaurants for Key Zest magazine. But she sets aside her knife and fork when a dear friend is accused of murder…

Hayley Snow looks forward to reviewing For Goodness Sake, a new floating restaurant that promises a fresh take on Japanese delicacies like flambéed grouper with locally sourced seaweed. But nearby land-based restaurateurs would rather see their buoyant competition sink.

Sent to a City Commission meeting to cover the controversy, Hayley witnesses another uproar. The quirky performers of the daily Sunset Celebration are struggling to hold onto their performance space. The fight for Mallory Square has renewed old rivalries between Hayley’s Tarot-card reading friend Lorenzo and a flaming-fork-juggling nemesis, Bart Frontgate—but things take a deadly turn when Bart is found murdered.

If Lorenzo could read his own cards, he might draw The Hanged Man. He can only hope that Hayley draws Justice as she tries to clear him of murder…

INCLUDES RECIPES



About the Author

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries. As Roberta Isleib, she has also written the golf lovers mystery series and the advice column mysteries. Her books and stories have been nominated for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.



My Review

Fatal Reservations is the sixth book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series by author Lucy Burdette. I have read some of the previous books in the series. Fatal Reservations could easily be read as a stand alone.

I love culinary cozies but I am particularly attracted to this series as I love Key West. It is a unique, energetic paradise. So tropical yet so American. Sort of like Hawaii but more steeped in an independent spirit. A Nation of Conches (Konks). Fascinating place. Fabulous food. Steamy and cheesy.

Burdette brilliantly captures the mood of the sunset ritual at Mallory Square. The sunset ritual is part of the fabric of the island. It is wild and exuberant yet filled with a touch of carny. She also writes about the realities of the island. The issues between the old and the new. The drunken foolish tourists. The crowds and the crowdedness.

Great mystery. I was kept in the dark until the end. Liked the twist in Hailey's romantic life. Love the Bohemian lifestyles she lives on her houseboat in her houseboat community. She's young but still close with her parents. Great characters and great sense of place. Enjoyable, well-written cozy mystery. You'll love it!

Yummy recipes at the end as well as a preview of the next book in the series.

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