When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu . . . Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the … mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.
She could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect . . .
Recipes included!
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Another South Jersey girl! What a cute story with fabulous characters! Plus I love me some romance in my cozy! I can’t wait to read the next one!
Great beach read! It takes place at the Jersey Shore and the descriptions of the restaurant’s various meals alone are enough to recommend this book. But it also involves a murder with enough twist and turns and great characters to keep the reader interested until the satisfying end. The perfect book for a day relaxing on the beach!
I absolutely loved Hummus and Homicide!! The completely convincing suspect list, sleuthing tactics and family dynamic; with the cultural traditions the Berberian family so tightly clinged to, elicited chuckles throughout the book. The pace never slowed, and the ethnic dishes that Lucy’s mother prepared in Kabob Kitchen made my mouth water!!
I really enjoyed this first cozy mystery in Tina Kashian’s Kebab Kitchen Series. Attorney Lucy Berberian returns home to Ocean Crest, NJ, after leaving her job in Philadelphia, only to become quickly embroiled in a murder investigation after the health inspector is found dead in the parking lot of her family’s restaurant. To clear her family’s name Lucy must deal with the mob, an unpleasant police detective, and her ex-boyfriend. A+++
Bursting with flavor and brimming with murderous intent, this deftly written cozy mystery left me smacking my lips for another helping! The characters were a delight, the plot simmered with spicy red herrings, and the descriptions of the Mediterranean cuisine were to die for. I can’t wait for the next installment in this charming new series!
I loved this one. Lucy was such a great character. I loved her family and the community. I will definitely be continuing the series.
Successful daughter comes home and finds she may need to “save” the family restaurant.
The reader is immersed in the reality of business on the Jersey shore and being part of a tightly knit family.
The suspects are an interesting collection.
You will not feel sorry for the victim!
Enjoyed Want to read more by this author
What a fun book to read!
Well written and enjoyable!
It was an easy read – I finished it in a weekend- but also a book I didn’t want to put down. The ending was surprising but made sense! Great book!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Lucy finds herself unemployed and decides to spend a few weeks at home to decide what she wants to do. As soon as she enters her family’s restaurant her parents are pushing her to stay, reconcile with her college boyfriend, and have babies. After sampling the restaurant’s hummus bar, the health inspector drops dead outside in the parking lot. Can Lucy figure out what happened before she is not the only family member unemployed?
This series has been on my TBR list since it was first released. I am so glad I finally read it. It was a fast-paced read full of energy. I loved how Lucy embraced her situation and ran with it. I was surprised by the murderer. I was sure it was someone else entirely. There is the beginning of a love triangle but I sure hope it doesn’t drag out. Both gentlemen have potential.
Whether you like hummus or not you will find your mouth watering. While in law school I ate a small Greek restaurant in Lansing several times a week because the food was good and lots of leftovers for those late-night study sessions so the descriptions of the food brought back good memories. It makes me want to find one here local in my hometown for some delicious stuffed grape leaves.
this could have been a typical cozy with girl coming home after failures out in the world, but Lucy was engaging and honest and I understood where she was coming from. It didn’t get too deep into her failures and just laid the groundwork for the series with good characters. It was enjoyable to see how she progressed to finally feeling at home and wanting to stay.
An enjoyable first in the series. Lucy comes home to her family to try and figure out her life, only to be pulled into the investigation of a murder of an old school rival, with Lucy as the suspect.
Likable characters, good story and a mystery that wrapped up nicely. There is the added bonus of some great sounding recipes. I will continue on with this series.
I enjoyed the first book in one of my favorite series. I totally went at this series backward. But aside from knowing that one of the suspects was in the clear, (they show up in other books), you can read this out of order. I love the characters and the setting in this series. The mystery in this one was well done. I didn’t see it coming. There are three tasty recipes included. One, of course, was for non-deadly, delicious hummus.
Kept my mind going to the end
I loved the story line and the charecters interactions. I loved learning about the restaraunt business. I loved the descriptions f Ocean Crest. I loved the humor throughout the book. It was amazing reading about the main suspect as she solved the murder.
Hummus and Homicide is the first book in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series and I can’t wait to read the next one! The story takes place in Ocean Crest, a small town on the Jersey shore. Kebab Kitchen is a Mediterranean restaurant owned by the parents of Lucy Berberian, who has come back home after she quit her job at a large law firm. She is immediately put to work as a waitress. When the health inspector gives the restaurant a not so stellar grade on their inspection and then dies after eating in the restaurant, Lucy sets out to prove herself and her parents innocent. Great character and a good mystery, not to mention the mouth watering food mentioned in the story, will keep you reading. There are also some delicious recipes at the end of the book. Definitely recommend!
Better than expected
This is an exciting new series with a mystery to solve and lots of good food to drool over (recipes too!).
This story flowed quite well and it was hard to put down. I enjoyed getting to know Lucy and her crazy family – well most families are crazy, but when you throw in a different ethnic background they seem to get crazier. If you have seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding you will understand what I mean.
I did figure out who the killer was early on but only because of a few clues that you may or may not interpret as clues. A hazard of reading so many mysteries I think. Now while I guessed who, I did not know the why. I’m not sure anyone might have figured out that part until it was revealed. The only issue I have is trying to figure out how the killer killed Heather. I don’t want to give away too much, but considering how it happened there just did not seem to be the opportunity for the killer to act.
And no book would be complete without a romantic triangle. Will Lucy give Azad, the known man, another chance to right his wrong from so many years ago? Or will she give Mike, the bad boy on the motorcycle a chance to fill a role in her life?
Overall a great book and a killer series in the making.