“An inside, irreverent look into the high profile world of celebrity culinary arts. Hilarious!”—from the author of Midnight Snacks Are Murder (Suspense Magazine). Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out . . . Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now … working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it’s coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancé, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy’s specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it’s Poppy.
Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim’s accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy’s cannoli—making her the chef suspect . . .
Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
Praise for the Poppy McAllister series
“Fans of Chopped will have fun juggling the complicated set of suspects and following a romantic triangle that has yet to be resolved.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Funny and entertaining. An excellent cozy mystery to curl up with.”—The Cozy Pages
“Each book is better than the last.”—The Montana Bookaholic
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Among the novels I read Cozy Mysteries are my favorite. They are funny at times and start right at the beginning building the story. Love them
Loved it and the whole series!
ok, but too formula – like other authors
I enjoyed this book tremendously.
This book is a wonderful addition to the Poppy McAllister Mystery series. I think it is the best yet! If you watch Chopped or any of the timed cooking competitions on TV you will love this book. There is a cooking competition between six local chefs and Poppy is on Tim’s team as his pastry chef in this book. Not only are there surprises in the baskets, but there are many mishaps in the kitchens during the week long competition. The way that the murder takes places really left me wondering who the killer was and I was surprised by the ending and the reason behind it. I like how Poppy has grown over the course of the series so far and I love Aunt Ginny and Figaro. You could read this book as a stand alone but I think it is much more enjoyable if you read the series in order to really get to know the characters. I am looking forward to many more great books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
One of Poppy’s lifelong dreams was to become a chef but events in her past derailed those dreams. Making gluten-free pastries for Gia’s coffeeshop has filled some of the void but when her ex, Tim, asks for help winning a cooking show contest, Poppy is all in for the event. Upon arrival of day one disaster strikes, Poppy is disrespected by a member of her own baking team, and accusations are tossed around. Things manage to get worse with each day the cooking show continues adding impromptu lodging accommodations, increased sabotage, and even murder. When the death of one of the judges occurs just after tasting Poppy’s dessert, her head is now on the chopping block the contestants turn on her and the police implicate her. Knowing she didn’t kill anyone, Poppy is, yet again, on a mission to find out who’s responsible for the catastrophe that is Restaurant Week.
Book three is just as wonderful as the rest of the books in the series. Restaurant Weeks are Murder pulled me in and kept me engaged from the very beginning. The author put a lot of thought into this book concerning Restaurant Week and the all of the events that occur, Aunt Ginny and her friends, and the romantic entanglements of Poppy. Poppy is a wonderful main character. She’s not perfect, not supermodel thin, yet has a personality that is awesome. She’s a very realistic character and funny. This book is full of wit, snark, and humor. Poppy’s Aunt Ginny is a such a quirky character, too. I love her antics and they are just amplified even more in Restaurant Weeks are Murder.
The strong character development and world building continues in Restaurant Weeks are Murder. The book is written with realism that I could feel. I love how the author continues to develop Poppy and Aunt Ginny. She uprooted herself from where she lived with her late husband and took on the caretaker role for Aunt Ginny – who is healthy and spry but needs a little bit of looking after. She changes her diet, meets a new flame and reunites with an old flame, and begins new business ventures. The author takes these themes and combines them into fantastic books in a terrific series. I have devoured every book in the Poppy McAllister series.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.
Restaurant Weeks Are Murder is the third book in the Poppy McAllister series and I absolutely love love love it. The chemistry between characters and the emotional stress from the competition. What could go wrong with Aunt Ginny in her corner and Figaro always getting under foot? It twists and turns and keeps you guessing. Bravo Libby Klein for an another amazing book and I can’t wait for book number four.
I highly recommend this series, if you love to laugh out loud and feel like part of the family this is the book for you!!
Fun as always! Poppy is in a cooking competition with her friend/boyfriend, Tim. All kinds of things start going wrong within the competition and then one of the judges is murdered. Poppy and Aunt Ginny decide to help clear Tim. Looking forward to more of Poppy and Aunt Ginny’s adventures and of course Figaro the cat. Hoping Poppy chooses Gia, but if she chooses Tim, we’ll see how it works out.
Restaurant Weeks are Murder is book three in the Poppy McAllister Mysteries. This was the first one of the series I have read but Ms Klein does a great job of getting new readers up to date.
There is a great story line that has plenty of twists and turns and even an explosion. I love the setting and felt like I was there. The characters are relatable and likeable and add a cat, perfect! Plus, I want an aunt like Aunt Ginny.
There is mystery, murder, romance, and a lot of humor. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read! It is a great, easy to read cozy mystery. I can’t wait to return to Cape May.
There are recipes included and some are gluten free.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and Kingsington Books for an honest review.
I I fell in love with the Poppy McAllister Mystery series with the first book and love it more with each novel I read. Restaurant Weeks Are Murder is the best of a fantastic series! The great characters feel like people I know and the plot offers so many reasonable possibilities but no easy answer. The humor ranges from witty to silly and is always fun. The it is the strength of our protagonist that calls to me most. Poppy is very human with health and emotional issues and a temper that she really tries to control. She has recently discovered that many of her physical issues come the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s which is similar to celiac disease and can lead to it, so she is a baker who loves food and is gluten intolerant. I know a lot of people who can relate to that problem! She is willing to work hard to take care of her aunt who raised her and still loves the Chaos Queen in spite of the trouble Aunt Ginny causes. I am not sure how she manages to stay so kind to some people but kindness and loyalty are two of the keys that she lives by. And yet, in spite of her good character, she is a strong multidimensional person who is sure to hold this series at the top for a long time.
The only thing I do not love is that here is a tradition love triangle. I like both guys but do not like that she is pulled both ways. Of course for a person who has not been all that popular, she kind of likes the attention from two hot men and I can’t blame her for that. After living her teen years with the weight problems and breakouts that come with the disease, she eats of the attention of those who pretty great guys.
Thanks to NetGalley of provided the ARC for Restaurant Weeks Are Murder, I am already sharing my excitement with my friends. #NetGalley #RestaurantWeeksAreMurder.
This is the third book in what I consider to be a very entertaining cozy mystery. It is fast paced and will keep the reader engaged from start to finish. The characters are highly likable and there is plenty of humor and witty dialogue that made me smile. Poppy McAllister is one of those protagonists that is very easy to like. As a reader, I find myself rooting for her to get out of whatever trouble she has gotten herself into and to finally settle into her place in her new life. Her Aunt Ginny is one of my favorite cozy characters. She provides plenty of humor and spunk in each of the books and you can’t help but like her and look forward to whatever mischief she can get herself into. The only part of the book that I would love to see resolve sooner rather than later is the love triangle between Poppy, Gia and Tim. Personally, I’m rooting for Gia.
The mystery was well done. The authors throws the reader a curve ball along with plenty of twists and turns as you try to navigate the clues to discover the identity of the killer. This mystery kept me on my toes and once again the killer’s identity is revealed in a climatic fashion.
I will definitely be back to see what this author has in store for the next book. I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by Kensington, through Netgalley.