REST IN PIZZA by Chris Cavender

Eleanor and her sister, Maddy, are ready and willing to help a friend who is opening a new book store near A Slice of Delight. But Chef Benet may make them regret their neighborly good will. He is smug, arrogant and hateful. It's really no surprise when he ends up dead. But he's killed at Slice, which means the sisters are on the hunt for a killer to protect their business.

A good addition to this series. There's a relatively small pool of suspects who get questioned over and over, which could start to feel old, but the clues were well placed so I couldn't be sure who the culprit was until the end. A satisfying mystery with likable characters in a likable community.

3.5 out of 5 stars

* I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE MISSING DOUGH by Chris Cavender

Eleanor and Maddy are sleuthing again - this time to protect Maddy's fiance from a murder rap. The victim was Maddy's ex-husband Grant. Grant was an unlikable guy, but the sisters are sure Bob was not responsible. There are plenty of other folks who hated Grant or wanted something from him. The sisters going to have to call in some favors and really work to dodge Maddy's crazy and volatile ex-sister-in-law while they try to get to the truth.

This was a good mystery - plenty of false trails to keep readers guessing to the end. The relationship between Eleanor and Maddy  is nice. They have their share of squabbles, but no matter what, they are always looking out for one another.

3.5 out of 5 stars

* I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

ALA Week: SECRET PIZZA PARTY by Adam Rubin

One of the highlights of my summer was our trip to Chicago for vacation and for the American Library Association annual conference. Publishers graciously provided Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of some of their upcoming books and I have been slowly working through my pile of these treasures. For the next couple weeks I'll be reviewing some of the books I picked up at ALA. If a book hasn't released yet, I'll post the release date in the review.  Enjoy!!

A raccoon who loves pizza gets advice from the narrator for throwing a secret pizza party.

Cute story! Will appeal to pizza fans as well as those who enjoy a story where the readers know the secret but the folks in the story don't. This will be a great story to read out loud to students.

3 out of 5 stars
Releases September 3, 2013
Penguin/Dial books for Young Readers

FRIDAY: A Slice of Murder

I love a new cozy mystery and this one didn't disappoint!

Eleanor Swift runs a pizza joint called A Slice of Delight - something she and her late husband started together. While he has been gone for two years, she is still clinging to the wonderful life they had together, and the pizza business is one of the ways she stays connected to her husband's memory.

But all they built together is put in jeopardy when a late-night pizza delivery leaves Eleanor looking at a dead body and a murder charge. She and her sister Maddy will have to do some serious sleuthing to get Eleanor off the police chief's list of suspects. Includes recipes for pizza crust and sauce.

The sisters in this book were a breath of fresh air. While they bickered at moments, it wasn't the contentious relationship you see in a lot of books. They back each other up and have a great give-and-take relationship. There were plenty of suspects, so I was guessing at the murderer right up until the end, which I like in a mystery (although, I also love figuring it out before the end, too!). There's another book already coming out - Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder (A Pizza Lover's Mystery) which is going to be in hardcover on August 1. I enjoyed this one enough that I would buy the next in hardcover (although it is a little annoying because they don't look right together on my shelf that way!).

One side note about the author - on page 12 of A Slice, Maddy says she has been reading Earlene Fowler's quilting series and then the narration says that Maddy likes mysteries and has "devoured mysteries on candle making, card making, soap making, and more." The Earlene Fowler reference caught my attention because I just finished her latest book. Because of that, I paid more attention to that paragraph than I might have otherwise. I know from the flap that Chris Cavender is a pseudonym, and I wonder if the author is actually Tim Myers - who wrote a soap making series, a candle making series (among others), and a card making series (under the name Elizabeth Bright. Maybe this reference was a clue to careful readers and Myers' fans. Who knows? If you haven't tried one of Myers' series, check them out - they have great characters, settings and themes.

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