Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust: A Cozy Mystery Book Review
If you haven’t read a cozy mystery before, this is a great series to start with to dive into this world. The Deep Dish Mysteries is a new series and Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the latest book in the series and the plotting and pacing of the story will enrapture you and make you laugh.
Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is struggling to keep her restaurant open, so she looks for other ways to generate income, which happens to be entering into the town’s “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. Delilah ends up being embroiled in the town’s latest murder investigation as close friends become accused as suspects.
The cast of characters all have a story and that’s what I find so intriguing about this series. Delilah’s character is flawed (as with all the others) and instead of things always working out and wrapped in a tidy bow, she overcomes obstacles with her eccentric crew in tow; which makes it all endearing. There is also a possible blossoming romance occurring that makes my romance loving heart happy between the lead detective and Deliah.
The mystery was full of well thought out red herrings and I especially enjoyed the little moments Deliah had with her chunky cat, Butterball.
For those who are cozy mystery virgins, I recommend this book for you (but be sure to read Six Feet Deep Dish first because it’s just as fun!)
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the finished copy. Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Description
Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is determined to keep her restaurant afloat in the picturesque resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she sets her sights on winning the hefty cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. In her corner, she’s got her strong-willed, “big-boned” cat Butterball, her wisecracking BFF, her cantankerous great-aunt, and a nearly-flawless recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza. But while Delilah and her team have been focused on pumping out perfect pizza pies, her ex-fiancé has cozied up to a new squeeze, juice bar owner Jordan Watts—Delilah’s contest rival.
When one of Jordan’s juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, Delilah lands deep in the sauce. Accusations fly, suspects abound, and a menacing stranger turns up with a beef over some missing dough. Between kale-juicing hipsters and grudge-bearing celebrity chefs, Delilah must act quickly before another one bites the crust.