A Catered Murder

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.

This is an enjoyable series. The characters are fun in their own neurotic ways. Definitely a rising new author!

Libby and her spunky younger sister are in the catering business in small town Longely, where crime never occurs... or does it? At a dinner in honor of local hero Laird Wrenn, author of famous vampire books, the odd author drops dead after drinking some water. Soon, Libby's best friend Tiffany becomes the prime suspect and Libby wants to do some amatuer detective work to clear her friend of the crime she's sure she didn't do, even though Tiffany confessed. Amusing characters pop out of the woodwork with a variety of motives, and another dead body appears along the way in this amusing and highly entertaining cozy. The action packed chapters kept my attention!

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