I went into this book thinking it would be a palette cleanser of sorts for me. I was hooked from page 1!! What a ride! This was so fun!
The recipes & the "added" ingredients had me looking forward to each chapter as the story progressed.

Amelia's love for her son and her family were palpible. The strength of their relationship and the interactions were believable as well as hilarious. Amelia's sarcasm throughout the situations and the stress she kept finding herself in showed an inner strength that was admirable while showing an ability to find the humor in life's curveballs.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing to read this early! I couldn't put it down! I know if shows 4 stars on Netgalley but I did rate Killer Comfort Food 4.5 stars on TheStoryGraph.

This was a fun and entertaining cozy mystery with plenty of humor, small-town charm, and a murder that kept me invested. When Amelia arrives at work for the office potluck only to discover her boss has been murdered, she quickly becomes the prime suspect. As she works to clear her name, long-held family secrets and plenty of quirky town drama make the investigation even more interesting.

I really enjoyed Amelia as the main character and loved the balance of mystery, witty dialogue, and lighthearted moments. The small-town setting and cast of characters added to the charm, and the story moved at a steady pace. I especially loved the recipes! While I figured out a few things before the reveal, it was still an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with humor, memorable characters, and a touch of culinary flair, this is definitely worth picking up. A solid four-star read!

An entertaining and heartwarming mystery that balanced suspense with plenty of charm. The story flowed beautifully, and I was hooked until the final reveal.

I discovered cozy mysteries around five years ago, and since then I’ve read dozens, particularly culinary cozies. Although Killer Comfort Food by Stacey Roberts is described as a cozy, and has certain elements (recipes, a main character that isn’t a sleuth but becomes one out of necessity, a small town setting, gossipy townspeople, long held secrets, etc.) I didn’t find it especially “cozy.” It’s not a traditional mystery, either.

So, what is this story? It’s one of the most hilarious, well-written books I’ve ever read, with dialogue that’s sassy, realistic, irreverent, occasionally profane, and jumps right off the page. There are characters you’ll love, and some you may hate, all of whom are well-written and multi-dimensional. Moments of light (the relationship and banter between the main character, Amelia Stark, and her brilliant and hilarious 12-year-old son, Gene Four—as in the fourth Gene in the lineage, or Gene Pool, as she sarcastically named her ex’s family), and moments that are very dark (violence, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse). Amelia is a spitfire who says what so many of us have thought at one time or another but couldn’t come up with the perfect zinger. I adored her!

Amelia (also known as “Lurleen” to some locals, and not said with affection) is a divorced, recovering alcoholic who lives in the small town of Madison, Indiana, with her son, Gene Four. Of course, everyone in the small town knows everybody’s business. She lives on a farm that was left to her by her beloved Uncle George and works as an accounts payable clerk at Madison Mechanical. When Amelia’s boss, the lecherous Larry, who the day before had made yet another grab for Amelia (resulting in two black eyes courtesy of our heroine), is found dead at his desk, many of the townspeople immediately point the finger at Amelia, and they get worse as the story plays out. Even the new detective in town thinks he’s already found his perpetrator. Not so fast. There are other deaths and incidents that don’t help Amelia’s case, but fortunately there are a few people on her side. There are even some teasers about a romance, but that, too, doesn’t play out until the very end. The epilogue was a delight as well.
There are so many elements to this story, and when combined, make for a recipe that was hard to resist. Speaking of recipes, one thing I loved was that each chapter cleverly started with a recipe (paella, lemon-blueberry scones, chili, apple pie, potatoes au gratin, meatloaf for the masses) that was woven through the chapter. I really liked that, interspersed with the ingredients list, were hints and one-liners about what was ahead in the chapter. It kept me reading, and it made me hungry, too. I was so immersed in their lives that, while at one point I thought I’d figured out “who done it,” I couldn’t be sure, and I needed to know the “how” besides the “who.” All I knew was that I had to keep reading, laughing, and yes, tearing up at one point. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the second installment. Thank you to NetGalley and Sons of Joy LLC for the opportunity to read this eARC. My review is my unbiased opinion. #NetGalley