The Pierogi Peril

I loved this!!!! It was such a fun read and really enjoyable. I definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC on exchange for an honest review.

It was my love of Pierogi that drew me to this cosy murder mystery. The book itself is a delight and perfect for keeping me company whilst snuggled on the sofa on a dank, dismal day.

A newly opened family run Polish themed cafe on the shores of Lake Erie is thrown into turmoil when owner Lydias former French pastry tutor, Madame Delphine graces them with her presence bringing family and students along with her. Things don't get any better when her body is found on the lakeshore beneath the broken decking.

This is the second in the Kielbasa Queen Mystery series of books and whilst I enjoyed reading it, I'd think I'd definitely have benefitted from reading the first before starting this one. That said this novel
has warmth, humour and as Lydia and her irrepressibly roguish Grandma Mary put their sleuthing skills together to find the villian I found myself completely wrapped up in this lighthearted easy read

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the review copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

Who doesn’t love food, the 1980’s, and a murder mystery? The Pierogi Peril was a fast paced, entertaining story which leaves the reader wanting more. I adored Lydia and Grandma Mary’s mystery solving skills and hope other do too! Now…I am off to find some pierogis of my own to eat.


Disclaimer: this is book two in a series, however, it was easy to read it with no prior context. I am also so thankful for the ARC received via Netgalley.

What an absolute delight of a book. I’m in my cozy mystery era and grew up in a very Polish neighborhood, so this was right up my alley. Even though I haven’t read the first in this series, the author did a good job establishing recurring characters and plot points from book one.

Who killed Madame Delphine? That's the question that Lydia and her grandmother Mary decide they must answer. Lydia's finally got her own shop even though she still helps out her dad at his and she's busy. She didn't like Madame Delphine, who wasn't nice to her when she was a student, but they've just managed to have an adult, positive conversation. Cozy fans know that Madame Delphine wasn't nice to a lot of people. I liked this for the focus on food (yum) and family (even though I found Mary a bit much), Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. And- there's a recipe you might want to try.

A homage to the Polish dumplings and other similar delights mixed in with a bit of murder.
The second in this series, Lydia has now opened her cafe and bakery and is so busy with that and helping her Dad out in his butcher's shop that she has forgotten to enter the Pierogi contest at the international festival being held locally.
She is disappointed, but carries on as normal. When she arrives at the cafe one day she discovers her nemesis and former teacher there enjoying her food. They talk and all is forgiven between them. To Lydia's horror Madame Delphine's body is discovered the next morning on her beach. Cue Lydia and Grandma to investigate.
A nice cozy mystery and very easy to read.

This was a fun, cozy mystery that hooked me quickly and kept me intrigued to the end. The scene is Buffalo, New York, in the early 1980s, and a Polish-American café owner who stumbles over her second dead body in a few months. Though I haven't (yet) read the first book in the series, enough backstory is provided for the references to make sense.

Lydia returned to her home and family in Buffalo after leaving pastry school in Ottawa over differences with her instructor, Madame Delphine. She splits her time between helping her father with his butcher business and running her newly opened café and bakery, with little left to spend with her boyfriend, Stanley. I like Lydia's close relationship with her family; the love, respect, and support are clearly there.

The story begins with an unexpected visit from Madame Delphine and others from the pastry school. Lydia is wary, as they did not part on the best terms. But the visit is surprisingly cordial, with both admitting to mistakes made. I liked the prospect of a friendly and professional relationship between the two former adversaries. Matters become complicated the next morning when Lydia discovers Madame's dead body in the lake behind the café.

I enjoyed Lydia and Grandma's investigation into the murder. Though the local cop writes it off as a suicide, Lydia is sure it was murder and sets out to prove it. The clues are few and far between, and there is a wide range of suspects, from Delphine's husband or son to students from the pastry school. Despite warnings from the local cop to stay out of it, Lydia is determined to solve the mystery before it impacts her business. I liked following her thought processes, though sometimes they led her to take risky chances. The final confrontation was well done, with enough intensity to keep me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

The story's characters were well-portrayed and unique enough to keep them straight. Lydia was fervently family-oriented but also looking for her place separate from them. She has her moments of unlikeable behavior, but it is easy to see the changes she undergoes during the book. Her boyfriend, Stanley, is a law student who is as busy as she is. I liked how they worked at their relationship. I loved his support and protectiveness as she got more involved in the investigation. I adored Grandma Mary. She reminds me a lot of Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum books. She is feisty and outspoken, making me laugh at some of her comments.

1982. Lydia Wienewski's Polish/American cafe, Lydia's Lakeside Cafe and Bakery, is now open in Buffalo, New York. Lydia's pierogi is hailed as the best in the area, and everyone wants her to enter the pierogi contest at The Buffalo International Food Festival. But when her former mentor, Madame Delphine, comes to town, along with some of her students, she dredges up memories that Lydia would sooner forget. And then Lydia finds Delphine dead at the cafe. Lydia and her grandmother, Mary, again team up to try to solve the murder. This is Book Two of the Kielbasa Queen mysteries.

I loved the portrayal of Polish/American culture, the 1980s Western New York setting, and the delicious descriptions of all of the food. Lydia's grandmother steals the show with her unconventional behavior, such as getting caught making out in the car with her boyfriend. At times I felt the overall mystery moved too slowly. There were plenty of red herrings, but the conclusion was a little bit predictable. However, the characters and the setting make it well worth another trip to Lydia's cafe.

I received a free copy of this book from Severn House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

The 80s vibes are strong in this book! It really helps immerse you in the setting. I loved seeing Lydia succeeding with her cafe. Seeing Madame and her family was an unexpected delight. I so enjoy Lydia, her family, and the setting.
The mystery and the investigation were good. Lydia and Grandma Mary make a great sleuthing duo. The romance is developing nicely. It is just awesome.

Move over Banacek!

In reading Geri Krotow’s Pierogi Peril, I felt like I had met a sleuthing baker cousin in Lydia Wienewski and was right there alongside her in Lydia’s Lakeside Café and Bakery, enjoying the smell of Polish breads and cakes, kielbasa and pierogies fried in butter and onions coming from her kitchen and of course helping my cousin and Grandmom Mary to solve the murder of Lydia’s one-time nemesis.

I loved the relationships between the cast of characters, the tension between the detectives and. Lydia and Grandmom’s Angie Dickinson attitude.

While I guessed the murderer early on, though you never really know until the end, I enjoyed every minute of this delightful cozy mystery, the second installment of A Kielbasa Queen Mystery series. I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in the series, The Kielbasa Killer.

I highly recommend Pierogi Peril for cozy mystery lovers, especially those of Polish descent. I received this Advance Reader’s copy of Pierogi Peril from Severn House, courtesy of NetGalley.

The big day has finally come and Lydia’s new shop had opened. Much to her surprise, her former teacher, Madame Delphine shows up. While Madame was never nice to anyone, moreover Lydia, the two actually have a rather pleasant conversation and amends appear to have been made.

When Madame is murdered, Lydia and Grandma but on their sleuthing chaos. While Lydia may be busier than ever, she and Grandma feel they must solve the mystery of whodunit. Will whomever did the ghastly deed get away with it, or will Lydia and grandma be next on their list?

This was a super fun read. Grandma can be a but much at times, but ya gotta love her. Looking forward to more hi jinx and murder with Lydia and grandma.

This book is just darling!! I actually read it before the 1st in the series and now I’m going to go back and read it. It’s engaging, smart writing and always made me smile! Definitely recommend.

I haven’t read the first book in this series but I think I’ll have to after reading this one. I saw pierogi in the title and as any good Polish person, I said heck yeah. I enjoyed this murder mystery, but I think it would have been beneficial for me to read the first book as some things related back to it. But that didn’t takeaway from the story, It was nice to read a book that has Polish people as main characters but is not set in Poland during WWII (nothing wrong with that- I love a good historical fiction novel). This novel is fairly fast paced and you can’t help but to root for Lydia. If you want a mystery book that’s easy to read and makes your mouth water from all the mentions of kiełbasa, pierogi and Polish food then this book is for you. 5/5

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC.

Geri Krotow's cozy mystery series is highly entertaining and the mystery are fast paced and solid. This second installment is even better than the previous one and I was glad to catch up with the characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Knee Deep…
The second outing in the Kielbasa Queen mystery series and Lydia may just find her newly found dreams already being dashed. Her lakeside Polish-American cafe and bakery is everything to her but when a death occurs things begin to come crashing down and Lydia finds herself knee deep in mystery. A nicely drawn mystery with a deftly drawn cast, a likeable protagonist and an engaging plot laced with gentle humour. A worthy follow up to the first in the series.

A fun read! Being from a Polish-American family, I loved the tidbits about Polish culture that were added in. I especially loved the ever feisty and fun Grandma Mary.

I hadn’t read the first in the series but didn’t have a problem jumping in on this book. It was a little slow to start, but I really enjoyed the characters.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Severn House for my copy of The Pierogi Peril by Geri Krowtow in exchange for an honest review. It published January 2, 2024.
First off, the cover and title of this book totally drew me to it. I have Eastern European ancestry that got lost upon immigration generations ago, and anything that I feel can teach me about my ancestors' culture is instantly exciting for me! This book totally delivers on all the delicious foods, and even has some recipes! The book itself wasn't my favorite cozy mystery that I've read. I found it to be a little more crass than you're typical cozy, with lots of innuendo, this isn't your grandma's cozy mystery! The writing itself was pretty good, and I loved the descriptions of the restaurant, Buffalo and the setting itself. I could totally picture it based off of the description, and that is wonderful!

A very fun sequel! If you liked The Kielbasa Killer, you will love Pierogi Peril. Lydia has finally opened her dream polish bakery and her relationship with The Guy is going strong. Pop is back to work after healing from his stroke. Seeing Lydia solving a mystery under these new conditions of her lifestyle changes was very interesting. And things heating up between Nowicki and Grandma made me giggle, but also I love seeing Grandma happy.
The mystery itself was very good and full of twists. In some ways this doesn’t feel like a typical cozy mystery. An example of this would be that Lydia running her new business is written very realistically - happy yes, but more stressful than adorable and happy all the time. Also the characters do make occasional sexual references and use some swear words. Again, it just gives the novel a more grounded and realistic feeling. In my opinion, it also makes the murder more believable.
I like the writing very much and I enjoyed seeing these characters progress. Lydia, Grandma, Teri, Stanley, Pacha the cat, all these characters are so fun and I hope to see more of them.