Sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons are used to catering lip-smacking treats to an artsy group of book lovers—until fiction spills into reality . . . If anything can be said about endearingly predictable Margo Hemsley, it’s that she always serves elaborate desserts at her mystery book club meetings. That’s why everyone fears the worst after she doesn’t pick up her order from Bernie and Libby and … skips out on the monthly gathering. The Simmons sisters can’t imagine their acquaintance vanishing like a character from one of her favorite novels, at least not willingly. When the search ends with the discovery of a dead body, Bernie and Libby agree to help the nine remaining book club members prove their friend was murdered. But a speed read through Margo’s background reveals there was more to the victim than harmless hobbies and frumpy cardigans would suggest. As the sleuthing sisters unearth scandalous secrets about the book club members, they’ll have to determine who was connected to Margo’s shady dealings—and who sent her to an early grave . . .
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Loved the latest in this series with Bernie and Libby! When Margo Helmsley, one of the Longely Mystery Book Club members doesn’t show up to pick up her order for book club and doesn’t arrive at the book club meeting, the other members ask for Bernie and Libby’s help in finding Margo. The two sisters find Margo dead in a swamp area and the police think it was accidental. The book club members think Margo was murdered and ask for Bernie and Libby to help find the truth. During the investigation, all sorts of interesting secrets come out about Margo’s life as well as the other book club members. This was an intriguing book with a very surprising ending. I always enjoy reading about Bernie and Libby and their investigations while they run their catering business. The food in the book always sounds amazing and I enjoy how the two sisters work together despite their occasional differences of opinion. I look forward to reading more of this fun series and seeing what’s next!
Another adventure with Bernie and Libby. It has been a while since I’ve read one of these books. I always enjoy these books, and I have not read most of them in order. I’ve never had any problems understanding the plot of any of the storylines. The characters are entertaining, however, Bernie is sometimes just a little bit too reckless. The mystery is well-plotted with plenty of suspects and twists and turns. I was completely surprised by the ending of this mystery.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.
A Catered Book Club Murder by Isis Crawford is part of the Mysteries with Recipes series. This was the first one I have read.
This quick, easy to read Cozy has plenty of suspects and plot twists, sisters working together, not only at their business, but also as amature private investigators., I loved the family story line with their father and his years of experience. There are also recipes included.
I was given an ARC from Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.
I adore Bernie and Libby and have for a long time. However, I have found fault with books in this series from time-to-time. Unfortunately, the Catered Book Club Murder is no exception. The main characters were, as usual, sticking their nose where it didn’t belong, not being careful, and with Bernie, letting her ego take control. And that is the crux of the issue I have found throughout the series. Bernie’s ego is just too much to bear. Her belief in and subsequent reckless actions, that she is somehow better than, and more qualified than, an actual detective in conducting a murder investigation simply because she is the daughter of a retired cop, is grating and unrealistic. The food played little part in the story but should have been a prominent feature.
The mystery in this new book was easy to figure out but had enough action and red herrings to keep many readers interested. The suspects are very similar. Their motives are almost identical. This made it hard to like any of them or empathize with them. The actual killer was good but not exceptional. The motive, like with the other suspects, not original or unexpected. The police investigation seemed to be non-existent until the end of the book, and even then didn’t play a huge role.
In general, Catered Book Club Murder was a quick read, with moments of intrigue and heartfelt emotion but simply was not overly exciting. I still like Bernie and Libby, but after sixteen books, I guess I feel they should have grown and matured. It’s too bad that they seem to have stayed the same, even when faced with circumstances that should have changed them to be more cautious and less egotistical. I would like to have had more cooking and more about the food and desserts, and their father should have been more involved in the investigation. A little less breaking the law would be nice. If this series continues, I hope to see some changes with the main characters that will widen their world and make life more entertaining for them and the reader.
In this next book of the series the sisters think it’s weird when regular Margo Hemsley doesn’t come to pick her regular order but figure there has to be a reason why. When she doesn’t make it to her book club meeting the others in the club get worried and pull the sisters into going to Margo’s house to see what is going on. Bernie and Libby decide to help the ladies and they soon learn why Margo was a no show, they find her dead, murdered in her own home. The book club ladies ask the sisters to look into the death and they soon learn there was more to Margo than anyone knew. She was hiding more than one secret but the question is which one got her killed. They decide they must delve deeper to figure out the reason Margo was murdered and why. Follow along to find out if one of the book clubbers did the dirty deed or was it someone from her past?
A Catered Book Club Murder by Isis Crawford is the newest in a long-running series, none of which have I read. This may account for why it was a little difficult to get in to, around all the bickering that confused the issue. These two women were scattered and disorganized and it was difficult to believe that they could successfully solve a murder. Lots of things seemed to come from left field. There were plenty of characters to keep track of, both directly involved with the murder or not. The plot was complex and bordered on difficult to keep up with. Admittedly, it all came together at the end.
Bernie and Libby are sisters who run a restaurant and catering business called A Little Taste of Heaven. Their father is a retired police detective and they are amateur detectives who charge for their services having no license. Their father has contacts from his time on the force that they use when necessary. They drive around in their business’s van, making it hard to keep a low profile. They do seem to know a lot of people. I didn’t love it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of A Catered Book Club Murder by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #acateredbookclubmurder
culinary, cozy-mystery
Most of the characters are part of an insider crowd and seem lacking in depth to me. This is the first I have read in the series, but it seems more focused on food and recipes than on finding out who did what to the murder victim. I was disappointed. I do not think it stands alone well.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley.