Book Review: A Dish to Die For by Lucy Burdette

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Peace and quiet are hard to find in bustling Key West, but Hayley Snow, food critic for Key Zest magazine, is taking the afternoon off for a tranquil lunch with a friend outside of town. When she comes home, she discovers her husband Nathan’s dog, Ziggy, has disappeared. She follows his barking, to find him furiously digging at a shallow grave with a man’s body in it. Davis Jager, a local birdwatcher, identifies him as GG Garcia, a rabble-rousing Key West local and developer. Garcia was famous for over-development on the fragile Keys, womanizing, and refusing to follow city rules—so it’s no wonder he had a few enemies.

When Davis is attacked in the parking lot of a local restaurant after talking to Hayley and her dear friend, the octogenarian Miss Gloria, Hayley is slowly but surely drawn into the case. Hayley’s mother, Janet, has been hired to cater GG’s memorial service reception at the local women’s club, using recipes from their vintage Key West cookbook—and Hayley and Miss Gloria sign on to work with her, hoping to cook up some clues by observing the mourners.

But the real clues come when Hayley begins to study the old cookbook, as whispers of old secrets come to life, dragging the past into the present—with murderous results. (Goodreads Synopsis)

I have read only one previous novel in Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic mystery series, but I have to say that I liked this one better than it. The previous novel had introduced Nathan’s mother and sister with vague past references of the father. This novel introduces the father, and I have to say I didn’t care for Nathan’s attitude at all. Maybe I just don’t understand individuals who continue to hold grudges when it is clear someone is trying, but I just thought Nathan was openly refusing to give his father the benefit of the doubt. I was impressed by how Hayley handled the situation. She didn’t let her husband’s or his family’s views prejudice her against Skip.

Some of the dialog was still choppy, and I lost sense of what had actually happened. At moments, it seemed like the characters had a few seconds of conversation then they were done. It also appeared that pertinent and basically obvious questions weren’t asked when they should have been. Maybe it’s because I read and watch so many mysteries, but some things are exactly as they seem. Miss Gloria was surprising less involved in this novel as she had been in the previous one I read. Maybe because they were back in Key West and maybe because Nathan’s father was there, but I also would have expected more involvement from him. Miss Gloria, Nathan, and Skip all felt like “oh by the way” characters and less supporting ones.

The mystery seemed almost unsolvable, because there were no apparent witnesses and no connections. Everyone who was a suspect, and there was no shortage of suspects, appeared to have solid alibis. However, Hayley finds a clue that she wasn’t even aware she needed, and things started to fall into what I sort of expected. However, the ending did give a slight turn which I really liked. I was happy that there was only the one murder and satisfied with the ending.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars. I’m definitely going to be making the Banana Cream Pie recipe that Lucy Burdette added at the end of the novel. I enjoy novels that give something of a takeaway.