She’s serving up soup—with a side of gunpowder.Aspiring chef Bethany Bradstreet dreams of opening her own restaurant, but she knows she has to work her way up from her current job as a fry cook. So when her real estate developer boyfriend offers her a sweet catering gig, she jumps at the chance to cook for his gala and rub elbows with the town’s elite. The problem? That fancy gala is only … problem? That fancy gala is only happening because her best friend’s home was burned down by an arsonist. And the more Bethany learns about her boyfriend’s planned development, the more she suspects that he might have had something to do with the crime.
Determined to uncover the arsonist’s identity, Bethany cooks her way through the gala, listening to the secrets, lies, and gossip swirling around the neighborhood.
But when someone close to her is killed during the party—and the murder weapon is found in her pot of clam chowder—Bethany finds herself in more than a little hot water.
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If you like smart culinary mysteries with quirky characters and quaint seaside towns, you’ll love the Death du Jour series that follows Bethany Bradstreet as she builds her culinary career and solves crimes with the help of her friends.
Crime Chowder is the first book in the Death du Jour series.
This book has clean language and mild suspense with no cliffhangers. It contains depictions of an LGBT relationship.
P.S. – There’s a dog in it.
The DEATH DU JOUR Series:
Crime Chowder (Book 1)
Risky Bisqueness (short story, Book 1.5)
Rest in Split Peas (Book 2)
Chili con Carnage (Book 3)
Lentil Death Do Us Part (Book 4)
more
Bethany Bradstreet is a fry cook at the Seafood
Grotto. Bethany’s roommate since Culinary school,
Kimmy Caldwell works as a cook at another
restaurant.
Kimmy’s Aunt Amara lives in a historic house that
a local real estate developer gave her money to
build a porch. One night the house, the house goes
up in flames. Arson!! Luckily Aunt Amara and her
fur baby, Sharky escaped the fire. The destruction
of the house made the way for the approval of
a new condo development.
Bethany is asked to cater a gala celebrating the
development. When things go sideways, Bethany
presents a clam chowder soup demonstration.
Beside her food ingredients, a pistol is found in the
bottom of the soup!! How did it get into the soup?
The developer is found dead in the Bell Tower. Shot.
Now it is up to Bethany & Kimmy to clear her aunt’s
name and to find the culprit who turn her clam
chowder into “Crime Chower” as the newspaper is
called it.
A well written, well plotted murder mystery with a
few subplots involved.
I felt right at home with all the characters within the
story. They were all well described both the good
ones and their nemesis.
A nice, quick good read.
Bethany Bradstreet has a dream of opening her own restaurant. She currently works as a fry cook at the Seafood Grotto, while her room mate, Kimmy Caldwell, is a cook at the Cafe Sabine. Kimmy is very upset when her aunt Amara Caldwell’s historic home is destroyed by arson. Fortunately, Amara and her dog, Sparky, were able to escape the fire unharmed. The destruction of the historic home led to the approval of a new condo development in the historic area of town. One of the people supporting the development is Bethany’s boyfriend, Todd Lund, a local real estate developer.
Todd asks Bethany to cater the gala celebrating the condo project. Unfortunately, when she mentions catering gig to her boss, Alex Vadecki, and asks to use the Grotto’s facilities to do some of the prep work, he is not only upset, he fires her! As a result, Bethany really needs the gala to be a success or she will be out of work. At the gala, Todd goes to the bell tower of the old church to ring the bell to start the festivities, but is not seen again all afternoon. Matters go from bad to worse, when a gun is found in Bethany’s chowder pot and then Todd is discovered dead in the bell tower!
Who started the fire at Amara’s house? Who killed Todd? How did the gun get into the chowder pot? Are the arson and the murder connected? Can Bethany find a new job? How will the mysteries be solved?
This is a great start to a new series from Hillary Avis. As with many first-in-series books, this one starts a little slower to allow for background information and character development. All of the characters, nice and not-so-nice, are very realistic and the situations believable. There are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep a reader guessing clear to the end.
An enjoyable cozy with a lot going on, creating a fun whodunnit. I look forward to reading more.
This is a very cosy mystery book! The main character Bethany is a little unsure of herself and finding her way amid all the obstacles in her life. It is a delightful read and the supporting characters are very relatable. I look forward to the next book in the series. Also the recipes sound amazing.
Bethany Bradstreet wants to open her own restaurant, but right now she is a fry cook for someone else. When her boyfriend offers her a chance to cater a fancy gala, she finds out that the only reason she got the job is because her best friend’s home was burnt down by an arsonist. Big problem is that the arsonist just might be her boyfriend! The someone is killed and the murder weapon is found in a pot of her clam chowder…..now Bethany is really in hot water!!! Can she prove she is not the killer? You will need to read the book to see how this story unfolds. I voluntarily reviewed a free ARC of this book.
Crime Chowder is the first book in the new Death du Jour mystery series. This book is a great start and I am eager to read more books in this series. Bethany Bradstreet is a great cook and crime solver. The plot contains arson as well as murder. The characters are all well written. The reader is treated to some Connecticut history, recipes and a good mystery. I highly recommend Crime Chowder.
Cozy Murder in Connecticut
This cozy murder mystery takes place in Connecticut. It features French -influenced cooking and baking with recipes. The plot is intriguing with plenty of historical color. The characters are just quirky enough to be believable. This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the entire series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
Entertaining Cozy Mystery!
Cute entry for Hillary Avis’ new series. Her characters are warm, funny and believable, especially Sharky’s antics. A quick, easy read. The story is well written and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in the future. I was given an arc copy and am happy to leave my honest review.