Delicious and Suspicious (A Memphis BBQ Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Riley Adams (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 6, 2010 | Series: A Memphis BBQ Mystery (Book 1)

Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbecue restaurant, which serves up Memphis fun with a side order of murder.

Recipes included.

Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, Aunt Pat's family-run Memphis restaurant is known for its ribs and spicy cornbread. But now the Taylor family will be known for murder...

Rebecca Adrian came to Memphis to suss out the best local BBQ for a prominent Cooking Channel Show. Trouble is, a mystery ingredient has killed her-and now all fingers are pointing to Aunt Pat's restaurant. Horrified that her family is being accused of murder, Lulu fires up her investigative skills to solve the crime before someone else gets skewered.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this sassy first in a new series from Adams (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Spann Craig), Lulu Taylor, owner of Aunt Pat's, a Memphis, Tenn., rib eatery, is all aflutter because the Cooking Channel has sent food scout Rebecca Adrian to check out Lulu's down-home specialties for a future show. Too bad Rebecca's searching for dirt as well as the best BBQ in Memphis. She quickly insults a number of people, including Lulu's daughter-in-law, Sara, and Lulu's son, Seb, who happens to be Rebecca's former boyfriend. When Rebecca's poisoned, chaos reigns. Lulu later uncovers the corpse of Mildred Cameron, an elderly bookseller and aspiring romance author/sleuth, who was also offended by the tart-tongued Rebecca. Aiding and abetting Lulu's investigation are the Graces, docents at Graceland, whose devotion to Elvis adds some goofy firepower to this sometimes poky paint-bythe-numbers cozy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; First Edition edition (July 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042523553X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425235539
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She blogs at Mystery Writing is Murder, which was named by Writer's Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Her most recent releases are Quilt or Innocence (June 2012) and A Body in the Backyard (October 2012.) Her next book, Knot What it Seams, releases February 5, 2013.

Elizabeth is active in the online writing community. She shares writing-related links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig and posts on craft and the publishing industry on her blog, Mystery Writing is Murder. She and Mike Fleming of Hiveword also manage the Writer's Knowledge Base-a free search engine to help writers find resources.

As the mother of two in North Carolina, Elizabeth writes on the run as she juggles volunteering, referees play dates, drives carpools, and is dragged along as a hostage/chaperone on field trips.


Elizabeth Spann Craig (Riley Adams)
http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com
http://mysteryloverskitchen.com
Twitter: @elizabethscraig

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars DELICIOUS & SUSPICIOUS July 7, 2010

By Lori Caswell TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

WELCOME to AUNT PAT'S BARBECUE RESTAURANT--family owned and operated in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt and is the place to be for the best pulled pork, ribs and spicy corn bread anywhere.

Rebecca Adrian has heard about it all the way up in New York and has come to Memphis to check it out for a prominent Cooking Channel show. She barely arrives in Memphis and has racked up a slew of enemies. Sadly, before she can report back to the Cooking Channel, she is found dead in her hotel room. She was poisoned and most of the suspects happen to Lulu's dear friends and family. Lulu starts investigating on her own and with the help of a half-pint detective, her granddaughter, Ella Beth, she starts to get a clearer picture of what exactly happened.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

A fun, little, off beat debut novel in what I know will become an extremely successful series. The humor and mystery are perfectly fired with some truly capricious characters that make this story an excellent entree with sides of red beans and rice, slaw, and corn muffins. Recipes included.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lip Smacking New Series July 25, 2010

By Beverly L. Archer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

A Lip Smacking New Mystery Series - Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams

Aunt Pat's is a family run BBQ restaurant in the heart of Memphis. The restaurant, known for its ribs and spicy cornbread catches the eye of The Cooking Channel Network, which sends Rebecca Adrian to scout it out for a possible segment on the show. Lulu, the family matriarch is all set to show the network that Aunt Pat's has the best BBQ around. However, things take the wrong turn when Rebecca manages to insult nearly everyone she comes in contact with. It's no surprise when Rebecca is found dead in her hotel room, a victim of poisoning, just after eating a big meal at Aunt Pat's. Suspects abound. Lulu must solve the mystery to save not only her friends and family, but Aunt Pat's reputation.

At first, I found this story to hard to get into. There was just so much going on in the beginning (perhaps I was distracted by my crazy life), but it wasn't long before Adams has reached out grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into the story. I was hooked. Lulu is a wonderful amateur sleuth. She's not overbearing, as can sometimes be the case in cozy mysteries. She's a kind-hearted woman who cares about her friends and family and tries very hard to do the right thing. She draws information from suspects without them realizing they are being grilled.

Aunt Pat's regulars add season to the story making the restaurant feel like a true down home place. I'm looking forward to learning more about The Graces (docents at Graceland), the Jazz Trio (three gentlemen somewhat past their prime, but still in the swing of things), and Lulu's daughter in law, Sarah who happens to be an artist. After finishing this book, I have a craving for some good southern BBQ. This is not a book to read on an empty stomach. Be sure to check out the recipes included at the end.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious and Suspicious - Great New Author July 23, 2010

By Bo

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I just finished reading the new mystery Delicious and Suspicious and highly recommend it to cozy mystery fans. The characters are a quirky, entertaining and fun group that you'd like to have for your friends. Aunt Pat's sounds like a fabulous restaurant where friends gather for food and fun. I look forward to many more stories as LuLu returns in future editions.