Pirate Patty Reviews

A Key West Food Critic Mystery

Can we all just appreciate the tropical beauty that is this cover? So peaceful and lush.

But not for Hayley Snow, the food critic for the Key Zest Magazine. Things almost never slow down in the Keys and Hayley’s hot cop husband is as busy as she is. Not to mention that his father is in town and Hayley has yet to meet the imposing man.

When Hayley and a friend take their pups over to Geiger Key for a peaceful lunch and dog run, it should be relaxing enough. And it is. Until Ziggy digs up more than sand on the dunes. Local Davis Jager, an avid and very serious birdwatcher, who is also out on the beach identifies the body as one GG Garcia. Garcia has a lot of enemies. He’s loud and brash and is buying up all the real estate he can get his hands on to create even more tourist destinations. The locals aren’t so happy with that idea.

Of course, Hayley isn’t going to just let a dead body go without an investigation. When she and her trusty sidekick, Miss Gloria pay Davis a visit they find out later he was attacked in the parking lot. So, he isn’t a suspect? Maybe.

They find more mysterious things as they help Hayley’s mother with the funeral reception at the Women’s Club. A very old cookbook and a box of notes about some of the members. What a find! Full of recipes from the original cookbook the women put out in the 1940s. Some of them sounded gross, but some of them weren’t recipes at all, but a diary!

This was a good installment of the series. Hayley and Nathan are getting into a married routine and things are looking up for her at work as well!

And as usual, Ms. Burdette has included all of the delicious recipes!

Netgalley/ August 9th, 2022 by Crooked Lane Books