A Catered Murder (Mystery with Recipes, No. 1) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Isis Crawford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2004

It's only been a few days since Libby hired her sister Bernie to help out at A Little Taste of Heaven, and already they've got their hands full. The high school reunion has a "Dracula" theme, and the guest of honor is Laird Wrenn, a bestselling author of vampire novels. Then, during his after-dinner speech, Wrenn pours a glass of water, takes a long sip - and drops stone-cold dead. Talk about a recipe for disaster . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her assured debut, Crawford, a caterer with many travel-related articles to her credit, introduces an appealing family trio: tender-hearted Libby Simmons, owner of a catering business, A Little Taste of Heaven, in Longely, N.Y.; her wisecracking sister, Bernie, a refugee from L.A. and a disastrous marriage; and Sean, their wheelchair-bound father, a retired police chief. Nasty Laird Wrenn, a best-selling author of vampire fiction, plans to celebrate his success with appropriate menu (Bloody Marys, devil's food cake) and decor to match (black roses, a coffin) at a reunion dinner to be held at the local high school. When Laird drops dead at the dinner after drinking a glass of water, a slew of ill-wishers, including Libby's close friend Tiffany, whom Laird was stringing along, become suspects in his sudden demise. A naturally flowing narrative, lively and likable characters, and plenty of clever word play amid the foul play set this first novel above the common run of cozies.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A naturally flowing narrative, lively and likable characters, and plenty of clever word play amid the foul play set this first novel above the common run of cozies."
-- Publishers Weekly (Publisher's Weekly )

Product Details

• Paperback: 409 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (June 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587246589
• ISBN-13: 978-1587246586
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delicious culinary mystery, November 26, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Catered Murder (Mystery with Recipes, No. 1) (Hardcover)

After discovering lover in bed with her friend and co-worker, Bernadette Simmons walks out of their house wearing only the clothes on her back and carrying her pocketbook. She returns to her hometown Longley where her father and sister still live in order to do some emotional healing. She helps her sister Libby cater the seventeenth Annual Clarington High school reunion with former alumni and guest of honor Laird Wrenn, a world renown horror author who just signed a seven figure book deal for two novels.

At the reunion, Laird is giving his opening remarks when he takes a drink of water and dies almost instantly. The police believe the water is poisoned and the killer is Libby's friend Tiffany Doddy. The prime suspect had a very public fight with the author after she found out he was going to marry someone else after leading her on for almost two decades. Though Tiffany confesses, Libby refuses to believe her friend killed the man and decides to find the guilty party. Bernie also helps her sibling by questioning some viable suspects and by the time she figures out who the killer is, she is at that person's mercy.

Fans who love culinary mysteries are going to gain pounds after reading this delicious who-done-it. The two Simmons sisters are heroines even though they think, act, and resolve problems differently. They bring a sense of balance to A CATERED MURDERED, a very exciting debut mystery by an author who provides a moveable feast starring characters readers will care about. The non-stop action adds another touch of excitement to this fast moving plot.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaing mystery, but flawed..., May 25, 2005

By 

Mackie "mackie3745" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Catered Murder (Mystery with Recipes, No. 1) (Paperback)

This book definitely is worth a read if you like culinary mysteries (and I do). However, I was surprised that the book was originally published in hard cover; it reads like a novice writer's paperback original. The characters are painted with a broad brush: the "not nice" people are really, really not nice, while the nice people are overly nice. The author overuses attribution, which can become annoying if you're a reader who likes good writing. Also, I find the lack of POV requires Ms. Crawford to use proper names in overabundance. Then there are the times I'm not really sure which of the sisters is speaking, because it sounds like one while being attributed to the other. Hmmmm. These are minor flaws when compared to the number of writers who shouldn't be allowed to string words together for money, but they are an irritant to someone who appreciates a skilled use of language. As a final insult, the recipes are for some of the most mundane dishes mentioned in the book. Read the paperback; it's entertaining and fun. But don't bother with the hard bound edition.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, February 12, 2006

By 

Mystery Girl "Zuzi" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Catered Murder (Mystery with Recipes, No. 1) (Paperback)

Isis Crawford's first book is a good, easy read. The two sisters work well together and I especially enjoyed their father Sean, a former police officer, who being disable, is similar to a Perry Mason's "Ironside." The banter is light, but many, many editing mistakes which made it choppy reading in some areas, which I hope the editors will take note of next time. The Dracula theme was a little over done, but the cast of characters, overall, made this a delighful read. I never did figure out who the killer was on my own, a BIG plus. I can hardly wait to read the second book, "A Catered Wedding." The description of Libby's cooking made me hungry throughout the whole thing, but then bonus pages with all the recipes at the end of the book were very welcome.