Haley dreams of being a food critic for a Key West publication. Seems like a great job to me too. However, she has to clear her reputation in the town of Key West, Florida and solve a murder mystery before she will get the chance to write for the local paper.
This is book #1 in a great cozy mystery series set in Key West, Florida. Haley is an aspiring food critic and recipes are included in this novel. Expect to read about lively characters and delicious treats.
An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette
Cozy Mystery Novel Series with Recipes
Book Review
Outline and Tone:
This is the first book in the Key West Food Critic series. I had mistakenly read book #10, The Key Lime Crime, earlier, so this was a fascinating look at early character development. In this series premier, the reader meets many characters, some who will grow and some who may not be in future stories, but the main protagonist, Haley will probably do the most growing because in this book she seems to be newly independent and still contacts her parents for help. Author Lucy Burdette starts this series with so much potential and I am delighted to say, book number one is a hit. The reader meets Haley Snow, who is new to Key West, FL, she is trying to find her way to a good job and the right place to live. The process of job hunting as a food critic leads police to think Haley has poisoned someone with a key lime pie. Haley spends the book trying to balance proving her innocence, job hunting, and hunting down the real killer.
The author:
Like so many cozy mystery authors, Lucy Burdette is a pen name for Roberta Isleib; she is a clinical psychologist and author of three book series. She has written 12 books in the Key West Food Critic series and book 13 is due to be released in 2023. She is also the author of a Golf Mystery Series and the Advice Column Mysteries. Many of her books have been on the short lists for awards and The Key Lime Crime won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards. She is active on many social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She also has an active Pinterest account. On Goodreads, she does a great job answering questions. Be sure to reach out to her on some platform to let her know you enjoyed her book.
What is not to like?:
There is one unusual part of this story and that is Haley turning to a card reader to help her figure out how to solve her problems. This is way out of my comfort zone, as it has never even crossed my mind to go to a card reader, but I’m opening my mind to for some people this is not unusual. It is definitely not unusual for Haley, or according to her, her mom.
The verdict:
Like most first books in a series, there is a lot of time spent getting to know the characters and learning how and why they react the way they do. However, the book is fast paced and both the peak climax of the mystery and the resolution are satisfying and will make you want to pick up the next book.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Simple Cookie Recipe from the Novel
Assemble the ingredients
Melt butter over low heat. Cool, add sugar,
molasses, and egg. Beat well.
Since this batter mixes in a pot with melted butter, it is important to use a heat resistant silicone spatula like this OXO Good Grips Silicone Spatula
Another tip is to use OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
These work great when baking and measuring liquids. A little spritz of a nonstick spray in the measuring cup and the molasses slide right out.
Sift together flour, soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, add to first mixture. Mix well and chill.
The dough is soft and almost runny. I decided to mix the batter one day and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, the dough was stiff, a little too stiff, but it softened easily and I was able to form the dough balls. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in sugar.
My tip with this dough is to make all the balls at one time. If the dough is well chilled, they won’t get too soft by the time you bake them. An added bonus to rolling all the dough balls at one time is you only have to wash the dough off your hands one time.
Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Molasses Sugar Cookies from: An Appetite for Murder
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- sugar for rolling dough
Instructions
- Melt butter over low heat.
- Cool, add sugar, molasses, and egg.
- Beat well.
- Sift together flour, soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, add to first mixture.
- Mix well and chill. I chose to chill overnight.
- Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in sugar.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
What would I do differently next time?
I found these perfect. Perfect amount of spices and fantastic chewy texture. The only thing I can think of to do differently next time would be to make a double batch.
Are you a cookie fan like I am? Try some of these cookies!
Cocoa Snaps from Strawberry Shortcake Murder or Chocolate chip Crunch Cookies from Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.
