A Crust to Die For
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin investigates a murder at a pizza baking contest in her Southern home town in this second instalment of the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery.
"I was hooked from start to finish!" Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries on Eat, Drink and Drop Dead
The Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off has the small town of Branson, Georgia buzzing. Not least its organizer, Southern Style's food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. But right before the finals one of the celebrity judges falls ill, and to Tiffany's horror the magazine replaces him with none other than handsome TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll.
Tiffany once gave his restaurant a poor review, and she's convinced he's only accepted the job to get revenge. She fully expects Driscoll will find a way to ruin the contest . . . but she definitely doesn't expect to trip over his dead body backstage!
Soon, it's clear Tiffany wasn't the only person who had less than positive feelings towards the sharp-tongued Driscoll. She's surrounded by suspects - but which of the motley crew of contestants, family members and scorned friends and colleagues had the guts to commit murder?
With the help of her BFF Hilary and annoyingly handsome detective Bartell, and with cat Lily and puppy Cooper as emotional support, Tiffany investigates, only to discover that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold . . .
A Crust to Die For is an appetizing culinary cozy for fans of Joanne Fluke, Lucy Burdette, Krista Davis and Jenn McKinlay. Lovers of smart, savvy female sleuths, twisty mysteries and mouth-watering food shouldn't miss it!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In LoTempio's tepid second cozy featuring Austin (after Eat, Drink and Drop Dead), the former chef turned restaurant critic has her hands full organizing the Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off in her hometown of Branson, Ga. Shortly before the amateur chefs can start rolling out their dough, one of the contest's celebrity judges bows out. After some scrambling, he's replaced by Bartholomew Driscoll, a local restaurateur and food critic who's become famous after appearing on several reality TV shows. He's also a suave ladies' man with a grudge against Tiffany for a bad review she gave one of his restaurants. Before the first pizza is out of the oven, Driscoll has already exchanged tense words with some of the contestants. A short time later, he disappears. Tiffany goes looking for him and finds his body in the competition's kitchen with a chef's knife sticking out of his throat. After Tiffany's love interest, Detective Philip Bartell, arrives on the scene and acknowledges that Tiffany is indeed a "murder magnet," she teams up with her best friend, Hilary, to suss out the culprit. LoTempio paints by numbers here, offering little wit or panache to elevate this above standard cozy fare. In a crowded field, this fails to stand out.
