Cookin' the Books

I greatly enjoyed this first book in a new cozy mystery series. Tish is a wonderful protagonist, complicated in her own way with a rocky past, and her two companions (Jules and Mary Jo) were developed well, not just existing to serve Tish's story. So often in cozies the main character carries most of the weight, both in plot and character development, but Cookin' the Books broke from that with growth occurring in secondary characters separate from the protagonist. We even got to leave Tish behind a couple of times to follow Jules and Mary Jo, which worked so well and was so delightful it left me wondering why other cozies don't do multi-POVs more often. 

Hobson Glen is a perfect setting for a cozy mystery with its small town charm and gossip. Another way this book deviated from the levity typical of the sub-genre was to face up to some pretty dark realities of life as characters confront things like date rape and mental illness. It gave the story some weight but didn't distract from the overall lightness of a cozy. I was really impressed with that. I was also impressed with the ending. I didn't guess the killer until just before the reveal and the two seemingly-unconnected murders came together well in the end.

It's a very charming book. Any reader will adore Tish's literary puns. I'm a huge fan of cozies with food themes so to combine that with literature was so wonderful for me. My only critique, though, has to do bits of overdone description in certain parts of the book. At times it gets quite bogged down by describing insignificant details, particularly clothing colors. Every shoe seemed to have a color and there was one point where there was a description of driving directions that could have easily been summed up as, 'Tish left that place and arrived at this other place.' It's nitpicky, I know, but it would be an easy editing fix for a stronger story. 

Regardless, I am VERY much looking forward to more from Meade about Tish and Hobson Glen. I think it will be a fantastic series going forward and would certainly recommend it to any cozy mystery fan.


NOTE: I received a free kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Severn House, and the author Amy Patricia Meade for the opportunity to do so.

“Cookin’ the Books” earns 5/5 Spicy Sauce…Clever Fun and Entertaining!

Amy Patricia Meade has made a fan out of me penning a great first book! Letitia “Tish” Tarragon is starting a new restaurant and catering business, Cookin’ the Books Café, defining herself as a literary caterer. Her first catering job is exactly what her budding business needs, however is dealing with Binnie Broderick worth it? She has been a huge challenge, and her efforts to lowball Tish on the catering is only the beginning. But, she is also a challenge to…everyone, I guess. However, despite a storm and power challenges, the evening’s event is a huge hit. Everyone is raving about the food and Tish’s new café, and Binnie, of course, is commenting that the food is only satisfactory and demanding hot sauce. Then gurgling, gasping, face planted in entree…Binnie is dead! From there the adventure is clever, characters well defined along with vivid descriptions, entertaining banter, and a “Wow!” ending. I love culinary-themed cozies mentioning food, serving food, eating food, and maybe having food posing as the murder weapon…yum! But, I also love having something extra added to my cozy book, and that's the one thing missing from Amy’s book. There are no recipes for the cleverly named creations Tish created for the dinner or her café menu. It's not a big deal, nor does it detract in any way from my recommending the book…but I’d love to have a recipe for Cheesy Edgar Allen Poe-lenta and definitely a Tequila Mockingbird cocktail.

I have always loved cozies especially when paired with food/cooking and books and this new series wraps all those up into one tidy package.

This new series finds us in Hobson Glen with protagonist Tish and her two college friends, Jules and Mary Jo.  They are the three musketeers and find themselves embroiled in discovering who killed the unlikable Binnie Broderick.  There is no shortage of possible suspects and because Binnie was killed at a dinner that Tish was catering, she is on the hunt to make sure she or her business is not implicated in the murder.  In their quest for the truth,  there are many secrets revealed about various town citizens and Tish even finds a potential love interest.

I really enjoyed the characters, the town, the mystery, and the food!  I loved the names of the dishes that Tish comes up with for her cafe and while I'm not 100% sure on some of those sandwiches, the creativity is unique and worth exploring.  I wish there was a cafe like that in my town.

The mystery was cleverly disguised and I have to admit I didn't figure it out until near the end.  Now that is my kind of book.

I think this is going to be a fantastic series and can't wait for the next book to come out.  We give this 5 paws up and suggest picking it up next time you are looking for a new cozy series.

As soon as I saw this book listed I knew I had to read it. Amy Patricia Meade has given me many hours of enjoyable reading (the Majorie McClelland mystery series, Pret' Near Perfect mystery and Rosie the Riveter mystery) and this series debut did't let me down.  Tish Tarragon is opening a literary themed restaurant and murder tries to derail it before her first day in business. The very much disliked director of the library wants to hire Tish to cater an event for 300 people which would be great except that she is being hired to replace the previous caterer and she has very little time to pull it off. The event is in full swing when Binnie the library director drops dead after eating a couple of bites of Tish's creation. The police suspect poison and, when it's confirmed, all attention is focused on Tish and her crew. Needless to say, Tish has the best reason to find out who used her food as a murder weapon. This may be a small town but it is chock full of suspects and their secrets. Tish, along with her friends Mary Jo and Jules are a great team.                                                                                                                                          . I was glad to see that the second book, The Garden Club Murder, is listed for publication 9/1 2019.

The protagonist, Tish Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen after catching her husband cheating on her. Tish is looking for a fresh new start and plans to open a literary themed restaurant and catering business. With the help of her two best friends, Jules Davis and Mary Jo Okensholt, the Cookin’ the Books Cafe is almost ready to open its doors.

Her new landlord (and potential love interest), Schulyer Thompson, recommends Tish to Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the local library. Binnie needs a last-minute caterer for the library’s annual fundraiser.

Unfortunately, midway through the main course, Binnie chokes to death and Tish’s food is the main suspect. The police confirm that Binnie was poisoned with arsenic and the town goes into overdrive discussing who wanted Binnie dead. Apparently EVERYONE did – Binnie wasn’t exactly a nice person.

There were two distinct moments when I fell in love with this book: 1) (page TWO!!) Tish had a “Hogwarts-inspired back-to-school menu (Yes, I do own a Harry Potter cookbook); and 2) after hearing of Jules and Mary Jo’s investigating adventures, Tish calls them “Tommy and Tuppence” – one of my favourite couples (I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan).

Most cozy mysteries include loyal and plucky sidekicks but we only get to know them through the main character. In Cookin’ the Books, we follow Jules and Mary Jo as they run their own investigation into the murders. I really liked this change of scenery – it was fun to get a different viewpoint and a great way to get to know the secondary characters.

Not everything is ‘cozy’. While this book is considered a cozy mystery, it definitely includes some tougher topics, including mental illness and date rape. There’s a lot going on in this story, but I felt it added to the characters’ backstories and was dealt with in an empathetic way.

The characters are well fleshed out and have unique personalities. The writing felt realistic and the dialogue was definitely believable. Overall, this is a fantastic start to what I hope is a long-running series. I can’t wait for Book 2!

Cookin’ the Books by Amy Patricia Meade is the first A Tish Tarragon Mystery.  Letitia “Tish” Tarragon has moved to Hobsen Glen, Virginia where she is opening Cookin’ the Books Café.  Tish serves book themed items food items in the café plus caters event using a literary theme.  When Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the Hobsen Glen Library, finds herself without a caterer for the upcoming annual library fundraiser, Schuyler Thompson, Tish’s landlord, recommends Tish for the job.  Schuyler does warn Tish that Binnie can be difficult.  Tish feels she is up for the challenge and gets the job catering a three course meal for three hundred guests with a literary theme (nothing too deep per Binnie).  The library fundraiser is the premier social event of Hobsen Glen.  The party is well attended despite the rain and the first course is well received by everyone except Binnie.  She insists on dousing her food in hot sauce before taking a bite. During the second course, Binnie suddenly clutches her throat and then falls face first into her plate of prime rib.  Sheriff Clemson Reade is in charge of the case.  He takes a close look at Tish and her staff when it is discovered that Binnie was poisoned.  Tish needs to prove her food and staff were not at fault or Cookin’ the Books Café will close before it has had its grand opening.  Tish soon learns that Binnie was an unpopular woman which leaves her with a lengthy suspect list.  Who disliked Binnie enough to want her dead?  Tish intends to find out in Cookin’ the Books.

Cookin’ the Books has an interesting premise with a literary themed café.  The author came up with some clever names for the food dishes with my favorite being The Prime Rib of Miss Jean Brodie.  Tish Tarragon is our main character.  I liked Tish, but I wish we had learned more about her.  There is an assortment of secondary characters including Enid Kemper who walks around with her bird, Langhorne on her shoulder (she is banned from the library by Binnie).   Jules Jefferson Davis, Tish’s friend and local weatherman, is a gregarious man who works hard to promote Tish’s new endeavor along with Mary Jo Okensholt, Tish’s friend).  The story had varied pacing.  I found it a bit slow in the middle and could have done with less internal dialogue (Tish thinking).  There is romance (of course) for Tish with her landlord, Schuyler Thompson.  It is obvious from the beginning that Binnie will be the victim (it is mentioned in the blurb as well).  Binnie is an unlikeable woman who goes out of her way to antagonize people.  There are multiple suspects and good clues.  I have a feeling many readers will not be surprised by the killer’s identity.  There are literary puns that will delight book lovers.  The town is beautifully described (we get more on the town than on Tish).  It is a small town where everyone knows your business and gossip spreads faster than butter on hot pancakes.  There are many lovely cozy moments in the book for readers to enjoy.  Cookin’ the Books is a charming story and a positive way to begin A Tish Tarragon Mystery series.

I loved this first book in this new series.  I found the characters likable and the book well-written.  The mystery kept me guessing and I kept reading even though I thought that I could predict the outcome. I also enjoyed the backdrop career as a 'literary caterer'.  

I'm looking forward to the next book and watching these new characters develop.

This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series! The cafe that serves as the main setting for this book is wonderfully literary. Tish, the main character, is delightful.

The first in the Tish Tarragon mysteries. Tish (Letitia) is a caterer with a literary bent - and proud owner of a new restaurant and catering business. Tish loves her work with a passion. So.....catering a literary inspired dinner for the local library's annual fundraiser should present no problem....or will it? Arsenic and hot sauce combine for a deadly mix and Tish finds herself in hot water and must put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test. A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery with a swiftly moving plot, colourful characters and a likeable protagonist in Tish. An engaging and entertaining read - I very much look forward to reading more in this series.