For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder! Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some … RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .
Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!
Includes quick and easy recipes!
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Twins, murder, and mouthwatering descriptions of delicious food. One Taste Too Many is a page-turner debut of a cozy mystery that leaves you wanting more.
Debra H. Goldstein did a wonderful job weaving together a mystery that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I love Rahrah, the kitty and worried about him and if he’d end up in a good home the entire book! I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Debra Goldstein whets our appetite for murder in this series debut. Scarf down a full serving of this tasty mystery as soon as you can.
Sarah Blair is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from her twin sister Emily who exclaims that Bill is dead and the police think Emily is responsible. Sarah isn’t that upset that her ex-husband is dead, but she is surprised that Emily is the chief suspect. But Emily was found with Bill, who had eaten her rhubarb crisp despite the fact that he hated rhubarb and avoid the nuts Emily used because of his allergies. What is really going on? Meanwhile, Sarah gets a shock when Bill’s current girlfriend, Jane, produces a will that claims Jane gets custody of RahRah, the Siamese cat that Sarah has had ever since Bill’s mother died several years ago. Can Sarah prove she should keep RahRah while clearing Emily of murder?
While it doesn’t take much to intrigue me with a culinary cozy, I found Sarah’s status as a cook of convenience to be a great pull for this series. For more serious culinary lovers, Emily works as a line chef and is part of a culinary festival taking place in their town, so all abilities are covered, although the two recipes at the end are definitely on the simple side. The mystery starts strong, with us learning about Bill’s death on the first page. I did find it harder to care about the sub-plot involving RahRah; I think it’s more because I’m not a pet person so I needed more time to warm up to him before I would care. Still, both storylines reach great climaxes, and Sarah manages to figure out all the twists along the way. The characters have some room to grow, but the main cast, including the suspects, are all solid, providing a good base for future growth. Fans of culinary cozies will enjoy this tasty debut.
Debra Goldstein has a hit on her hands with this terrific new entry into the world of cozy mysteries! Sarah Blair was such an engaging protagonist, and her devotion to her cat made it extra special. So many surprises, and a huge one at the end that knocked me silly. I can’t wait for the next Sarah Blair mystery!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sarah and Emily Blair are twins and as different as night and day. Emily is a fabulous chef with plans to make it to the top of her field. Sarah married young and divorced 10 years later. She is starting over and has taken a receptionist job at a local law office and lives in a studio apartment with her cat, RahRah.
The restaurant where Emily works has a booth at the Food Expo and the staff will be giving demonstrations and sharing tasty treats. Emily will be making her special rhubarb crisp.
But tragedy strikes when Sarah’s ex is found dead at the convention center before the event even begins. Covered in rhubarb, it is quickly determined he was poisoned, by Emily! Also, with his death, it seems Sarah’s cat RahRah no longer belongs to her. A chef that works with Emily has laid claim to the feline.
As someone that hates to cook, Sarah knows she needs to hang around the expo to try to catch the real killer, even if it means filling in for her talented sister. That is if the killer doesn’t get to her first. She also needs to find a way to keep her cat.
This series is off to a stellar start and I am head over heels with the wonderful cat, RahRah. The cat was rescued during Hurricane Katrina my Sarah’s ex-mother-in-law who loved Sarah, so of course, she took the cat when the woman passed away. Her ex left out some key details about his mother’s will. Now, with him dead the secrets are revealed. Let’s just say he was a first-class a**, and I was happy he was the first victim. Yes, first, because the killing didn’t stop with him.
Ms. Goldstein has created a pair of sisters, twins, that are truly each other’s half. They are smart and fun. Best friends that take care of each other. Sarah is an interesting protagonist. I hope she continues to team up with her sister. I believe we have barely scratched the surface on when the author can take these sisters.
The story has a little bit more of an edge than a typical cozy but doesn’t go too far. It is exciting and fresh with plenty of twists and corkscrew turns. The author drops in the clues with such precision. I was up in the air about the killer right up until the big reveal. Someone on my radar but not at the top of my list. The motives were unclear until all the last clues slid into place.
This was a very entertaining story. A great mystery with characters I want to visit again. I am excited to see where the author takes this series. This one was A Perfect Escape!
Thank you, Debra H. Goldstein, for writing a cozy mystery where I didn’t know who dunnit until the end. It has been a long time since I’ve read a cozy where I didn’t know the killer, at the latest, ¾ of the way through the book. So yes, I will be reading the next book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series, Two Bites Too Many, coming out September 24, 2019.
My husband and I watch an episode of Top Chef while we eat dinner, so the premise of Sarah and Emily Blair solving a murder while working at a cooking expo with cooking demonstrations was super fun for me. It was a cool new take to a food cozy instead of having it just take place at a restaurant of cafe.
Since most of the book takes place at the cooking convention, Goldstein didn’t have a lot of description about the town, but what she did write, makes me excited to read more about the community in upcoming books.
Goldstein’s characters were really well developed for a first book. In some books I’ll come across a character later on in the book, and don’t remember much, or anything about them. But even the side characters were wonderfully detailed. I’m looking forward to continuing to get to know Sarah, Emily, and the rest of the town even more.
The mystery itself was very well written. Besides not knowing the killer until the end, Goldstein included lots of red herrings and secrets that had me thinking various characters could be the killer. She didn’t leave any flashing clues that let me know what was going on, instead writing more subtle ones that can be easily missed.
And being a judge, Goldstein’s descriptions of the legal contracts and interrogation room scenes had a more powerful presence to them. In other cozy series the scenes are more glossed over, but in One Taste Too Many, it felt more authentic.
Do yourself a favor and get a copy of One Taste Too Many!
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is a cozy mystery novel that starts off with a death, and takes the reader on a ride of “who did it” and a series of complications, twists, and turns! There is so much at stake, and some things aren’t even seen immediately due to all of the chaos swirling all around the characters. So buckle up and get ready for a story that will hook you in as you scramble to figure out who is the guilty party…and why.
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is the first book that I have read by this author and once I got a taste of this book I couldn’t put it down. The author introduced me to twin sisters Emily and Sarah. Emily is a chef at Southwind, and due to being in the right place at the wrong time is suspected of murder. The victim? Sarah’s ex-husband Bill. While on one level I would have liked more background into Sarah’s and Bill’s former marriage and the details of the divorce, the author quickly kicks things into high gear when Sarah finds herself facing some legal woes herself. Catnapping and theft?! What?! Yep! Somebody seems to have it out for the sisters! Thankfully Sarah’s employer, Harlan, is willing to be a generous soul and help them out pro-bono. Something isn’t right though, and when another body drops more suspicion is thrown onto Emily. Sarah has her suspicions, but without solid proof, what can she do? There is a lot riding on the truth coming out, but can it come out before Sarah loses everything? And I mean EVERYTHING!
This is a great story! Now! Am I saying that you’re never going to get annoyed with the characters? Absolutely not! LOL! There are moments where I got annoyed with both sisters. Sarah learns that her sister is keeping lots of secrets, but she’s not the only one. Sarah gets annoying, too but I just get annoyed because she gets impatient or short with people out of frustration.
All in all, this is a well-written book and I enjoyed it immensely. The author gives the reader a dynamic cast of characters and keeps the reader guessing as to who the guilty party is almost until the very end. Just when you think it’s one person, the story slides to make you guess again. I love it! If you enjoy cozy mystery novels that throw in a few red herrings and keep you guessing then this is the book for you! I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. While “One Taste Too Many” may have been the case for unfortunate Bill, it won’t be the same for me. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
Synopsis:
For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch–murder!
Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty-eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily–an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .
Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death–being in the kitchen!
Includes quick and easy recipes! (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. I enjoyed getting to know Sarah and Emily, twin sisters. Sarah has not had it easy, being divorced and not having very much money. Her sister, Emily, is a very good cook, not so much Sarah. But Sarah will help Emily any way she can, especially when Emily is a person of interest in a murder (or maybe two). Hopefully Sarah is a better detective than a cook.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could picture the Civic Center and all of the booths that were there. It looks like a great event to go to, with lots of good food. The mystery is well plotted and was carried on well throughout the entire book. There were a lot of twists and turns and red herrings thrown in to make this a more difficult mystery to solve.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well crafted cozy mystery. This was a very good start to a new cozy series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
A well-written cozy mystery with a solid, likable protagonist (and her twin sister). Sarah Blair is a character I will love getting to know in future books. The fast-paced plot kept me involved, and the suspects were well drawn. Sarah doesn’t do too much “out of the box” investigating–in other words, she doesn’t walk herself purposely into a plethora of dangerous situations (one of my pet peeves with cozies). Love the cat! Highly recommend!
The first in series, One Taste Too Many by Debra H Goldstein is a delightful culinary cozy mystery. The cover is so cute and features a Siamese cat–a breed I love. I actually read book two first, and enjoyed it so much I decided to start from the beginning and I am so glad I did. This book has a swift tempo with intriguing characters and a plot that has many moving parts—just the way I like it. As for the murder mysteries, I did not guess the culprit — I love it when that happens! I enjoyed everything about this cozy mystery.
This is the first of the Sarah Blair mystery series, and I do hope there’s more! Sarah’s ex is murdered and her sister Emily is blamed. Then there are fights over wills, houses, money and, yes a cat! The intricacies of it all is mind-boggling. And all of it takes place in the midst of a cooking expo! This book will definitely keep you entertained until the end! The author gifted me a free copy but my review is entirely voluntary.
I enjoyed this well-plotted cozy mystery with a unique twist on a culinary cozy.
Sarah needs to figure out what is going on before her twin sister, Emily, ends up in jail for a murder she didn’t commit and she loses her adopted cat to an evil chic who is out for money, but who can she trust when it looks like everyone is out to get them all. An intriguing new cozy mystery series, well new to me, that has me quite intrigued and ready for more. Sarah’s ex-husband is dead and it looks like not only has he left her nearly destitute, but now it seems he is out to take her adopted cat away from her to get at the money that his mother set aside for the cat! The character’s are well developed in a manner that helps you connect with them quickly and even better the book is available via audiobook to entertain you as you drive, exercise, clean or whatever you do as you listen!
Sarah Blair receives a call from her sister Emily…it seems Emily is involved in a possible murder…of Sarah’s ex-husband Bill. During the investigation it seems that Sarah must give up custody of her feline love (RahRah) to Jane who was Bill’s current fling. What else can possibly go wrong? How about another murder and attempted cat-napping? How will the Blair sisters ever figure out who is behind the murders and bring RahRah home?
This is the first in the Sarah Blair mystery series. I had fun reading One Taste Too Many. Twin sisters, a cute and rambunctious kitty named RahRah, baking, lies and twists and of course murder. What else could a cozy lover ask for?
I absolutely loved this first book in the A Sarah Blair Mystery! The killer was definitely a big surprise! Would not have guessed this person! Which made it even better! I will definitely get the other books in this series!
Add this fun mystery to your TBR pile!
Lately there seems quite a number of cozy mysteries featuring chefs. I did a quick search and found several without effort. What’s the appeal? I haven’t nailed it but you can bet there is one. Comfort food? Maybe. Who doesn’t like quiche (which I’ve never quite mastered) or a fondue or a ‘you name it, they’ve made it’ decadent dish? Murder with panache. Perhaps.
What I can do is nail the appeal of One Taste Too Many. Good, solid writing. A mystery complex enough to keep you turning those pages. Characters real enough and appealing enough you want to see them again when the story is done. And a cat, not just any cat but a lofty, only on my terms Siamese named RahRah. I adore cats.
When a book leads me to buy the next in a series, it warrants a five-star rating from me. One Taste Too Many did just that!
Sarah Blair is newly divorced from Bill, a man she married at age 18, and starting over with her former mother-in-law’s cat, RahRah. When it turns out that her Bill was dead, possibly murdered, and her sister, Emily is the suspect, Sarah asks the attorney she works for to represent Emily and she begins to try to solve the mystery herself. When another man is found murdered, Emily is once again the main suspect. In addition, the girl who broke up her marriage is trying to take RahRah from Sarah because there’s a will stating that she was named caretaker of RahRah with a house and monthly allotment for his benefit. Can Sarah and Emily along with their attorney figure things out before it’s too late?
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the second in the series. I loved getting to know the characters and the twists and turns of the mystery. I highly recommend this for fans of cozy mysteries and those who love cats.
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is the first in a fun new series featuring Sarah Blair, her twin, Emily, and RahRah, a Siamese cat. I love that Sarah is a hapless cook of convenience and Emily is a professional chef. In this mystery, Sarah is trying to clear Emily, who has been wrongly accused of murdering Sarah’s ex-husband. Lots of sleuthing and I was totally thrown by the ending! I totally did not see that one coming. I am looking forward to the next Sarah Blair mystery.
I received an advanced reading copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest opinion.