Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Severn House Books via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own
It's Christmas. It's cozy. It's culinary. It's chaos! It's the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.
Synopsis:
Have yourself a merry little . . . murder?
Ricki James-Diaz gets the best present ever when her parents arrive in New Orleans for the holidays. Not only is it a chance to catch up, it’s also an opportunity to jog her mom Josepha’s memory about Ricki’s adoption. The details have always been shrouded in mystery. And Ricki understands why when she learns her mother was blackmailed for years, simply for not wanting to lose her precious daughter.
But digging into the past soon lands the James-Diaz clan in water hotter than a big pot of gumbo! When the woman who extorted Ricki’s mom is found dead at her home, Josepha becomes the primary suspect. Now Ricki has another murder to solve, and tracking down a killer in Crescent City is going to take a miracle.
Luckily, ‘tis the season! And Ricki has all the staff at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum on hand to help. Can she prove her mother’s innocence and have the case wrapped up in time for Christmas?
Review:
Ah Christmas in the Big Easy! While it doesn't rival Mardi Gras or the Halloween series, for Ricky, this year it's giving her more chills than feels. She's thrilled to have her parents in town to visit and thinks it's great for her dad to be working on her boyfriend's new TV show, but when her search for her birth parents lines her mother up as the main suspect in a murder, her fear that her mother may be arrested is too real. Ricki will need all her friend's help to try to get to the bottom of what her mother's former co-worker was really up to, and why she was killed. Add in some chaos from carolers hired to lead the Bon Vee tours, and some pre-Mardi Gras drama for the other side of her family, and Ricki has almost more than she can handle! Another fun entry into the series, this is a quick read, perfect for those who love NOLA and her charms!
About the Author:
Ellen Byron is an Anthony Award-nominated bestselling author and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico). She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. Ellen was the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups.
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