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A review by kimdavishb
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron
5.0
CAJUN KISS OF DEATH, the seventh book in the Cajun Country Mysteries by Ellen Byron, ends the series with a bang. A longtime favorite series of mine, Ms. Bryon pulls out all the stops with a topnotch mystery, characters that will linger in my memory, and the drool-worthy bayou setting of Louisiana in addition to a jaunt in New Orleans. With a strong descriptive voice, the author takes the reader on a ride where you can see, taste (oh, especially taste!), feel, smell, and hear all the things the setting has to offer. Starting the book already knowing that this will be the last one, left me with a bittersweet feeling. That said, I appreciate that Ms. Byron allows the reader to experience joy alongside protagonist, Maggie Crozat, as she settles into life with her new husband and charming stepson. She also does an admirable job of wrapping up and bringing closure to all the core characters from the series so the reader isn’t left dangling with a “whatever happened to so-and-so”.
The mystery itself is expertly woven into the fabric of the characters and the setting. When a celebrity chef ventures into the small town of Pelican to open a new restaurant, tempers fly both at his arrogance and his theft of cherished recipes from local eateries. His tragic death proves to be a murder and Maggie’s own mother becomes a suspect. Maggie’s perseverance for finding the truth gives the book a fast pace while several subplots kept the action going. With plenty of suspects around who hated the celebrity chef, by locals and out-of-towners alike, I was surprised at the Agatha Christie-style reveal – I didn’t guess the culprit in the least. And just as I thought the story was wrapping up, another heart-stopping conclusion came along. Ms. Byron has proven, once again, to be an expert storyteller!
With so many mouthwatering dishes mentioned throughout the story, I was practically drooling on the page and couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book to check out the delicious recipes the author includes.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The mystery itself is expertly woven into the fabric of the characters and the setting. When a celebrity chef ventures into the small town of Pelican to open a new restaurant, tempers fly both at his arrogance and his theft of cherished recipes from local eateries. His tragic death proves to be a murder and Maggie’s own mother becomes a suspect. Maggie’s perseverance for finding the truth gives the book a fast pace while several subplots kept the action going. With plenty of suspects around who hated the celebrity chef, by locals and out-of-towners alike, I was surprised at the Agatha Christie-style reveal – I didn’t guess the culprit in the least. And just as I thought the story was wrapping up, another heart-stopping conclusion came along. Ms. Byron has proven, once again, to be an expert storyteller!
With so many mouthwatering dishes mentioned throughout the story, I was practically drooling on the page and couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book to check out the delicious recipes the author includes.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.