As Bernie (short for Bernadette) Simmons left LA in a hurry sans usual trip preparation, she knocked on the door of her sister’s shop, not yet open this early in the morning in NY and asked for $255 for the taxi driver. Libby can put her younger sister right to work at A Taste of Heaven as an experienced culinary extra pair of hands is always welcome in the kitchen before a scheduled event. Neither sister anticipated that a high school reunion would be a crime scene before the night was over.

Libby and Bernie’s father is the retired police chief of Longley, and at times his advice is welcome, and at times the sisters decide it is best to give sleuthing details to their father after the fact. The loving and caring relationship between the sisters and their father is heartwarming. When the 3 of them are in their various steps of investigative mode, the father ever resilient from the confines of his wheelchair, they are creative and invincible, with the sisters and Libby’s staff never missing a beat in meeting the catering event schedule.

I don’t know how I missed knowledge of this cozy series before this, but I can’t wait to read more of the books. I especially loved that Libby never faltered in her entrepreneurial leadership and work ethic, as this is not true in all cozy series.

My best advice is to be sure you’re not hungry when reading this cozy. Just reading about Libby’s mouth-watering creations in the kitchen sound irresistible and delectable. Delightfully, there are an array of recipes at the end of the cozy and even more recipes on the author’s website. ( )

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

I was excited to read the first in this series by Isis Crawford, because I had already read A Catered Halloween around Halloween time last year. I was left feeling a desire to know more, as Crawford decided to leave further introductions and background out of that book, making the assumption that the reader had read her previous installments.

I’m pleased to say that A Catered Murder was definitely worth the read. Two sisters, the ever direct and responsible Libby and the street smart fashionista Bernie, have a family reunion as Bernie runs away from relationship trouble in Los Angeles. Libby owns a catering business and asks for Bernie’s help with the largest event she has ever done- their High School reunion. There we meet Lionel, a man who feels that he is so good at writing about vampires that he actually may be one. His abrasive ways draw discontent from everyone attending, until he drops dead while giving a speech after drinking water supplied by Libby. Suddenly, Libby and Bernie are thrust into the murder investigation because Libby’s childhood friend, Tiffany, is a prime suspect and certainly not helping her own case. After quite a few twists and turns, we end up with one of the sisters in the hands of the killer, unsure if someone will come save her before it is too late.

The Good:

Crawford gives her characters some bite. I like the sarcastic one-liners from Bernie and the very direct responses from Libby. There is the usual list of suspects, and they happen to connect in a way so that the reader had to be paying attention to get the killer before he/she was revealed. The sisters are fun characters to follow and have independent storylines that bring to light their ways of thinking. The mystery itself is so-so, but I like the way the killer as revealed and the method of death was certainly not something I would have guessed.

The Bad:

The writing itself is average. I am not going to say that this will really make anyone sit down and think about the book for too long. There are no deeper meanings, it is straightforward whodunit action.

While I like the characters, many of them are not as well fleshed out as they could be. The father, Sean, has some kind of debilitating injury. I really wish that Crawford would just give me a paragraph outlining what his limitations are and why, then be done with it. Finding out what he can’t do in minute blurbs is frustrating at best. Sure, you end up pitying the guy, but Crawford really needs to decide if she wants the book to be about him as a third protagonist and give him more screen time, or if she wants to use him as a plot device with background.

There is also a lot of reference to the catering company, which is fine, but it really starts to hinder the plot when important discussions are interrupted by talk of specific culinary terms. I would rather read the important discussions sans culinary interruptions.

Finally, and this is entirely opinion, but I don’t like the fact that both women have to have relationship problems. Like, the biggest jerks around happened to find each sister, and cause problems. I am just tired of cozy mysteries in general relying on dissing men to give a female sleuth strength. The good news is that it doesn’t look like the relationships continue into the second book, but you can never tell with those.

Recommendations:

I would definitely recommend this to anyone trying to get their foot in the door for cozy mysteries, or someone who wants to read a murder mystery without graphic violence or explicit material. It isn’t going to be the novel that changes your life, but it will definitely be a fun beach read or something to read after work to clear your mental palate.

(www.FictionForesight.com) ( )

Libby Simmons has been running "A Little Taste Of Heaven" catering shop on her own since her mother's death several years ago but now Libby's flamboyant sister, Bernie, has returned to town after a love affair gone wrong and Libby brings Bernie into the family business. Their first catering job together is a high school reunion party with a special guest - best-selling author Laird Wren who not only writes books about vampires but believes he is one himself. Although Laird was known as just plain Lionel when Libby and Bernie knew him in school he now travels with his own entourage, diva-like demands and his own casket. Apparently his fame is not well recieved by someone at the party as Laird drops dead after drinking a cyanide-laced bottle of water. Libby and Bernie, daughters of the former chief-of-police, set out to find the murderer on their own but many of the clues lead to friends and acquaintances the sisters cannot believe could be the culprits.

This is the first in a series of cozy mysteries by Isis Crawford and it was a fairly enjoyable read but I thought the reveal was a tad far-fetched. I'm not sure I will continue with the series but it is a quick, light read for anyone looking for another series to start.
( )

This is the first of the Catered Mystery series, and of course, I have not read in order. This introduced the main characters, but I felt that the characters are presented better in A Catered Wedding. Bernie's love of expensive clothes presents a mystery-where is she getting the money for these expensive clothes? Also, A Taste of Honey, the store run by the Simmons' sisters is supposedly a simple down home cooking/baking store, yet the recipes for the catering events run the gamut of chic city cooking to haute couture. The Tea Shoppe Mystery series by Laura Childs present recipes and meals the average individual might attempt to follow. Crawford gives the readers an average murder without the grim details, and provides many moments of comic relief in the escapades of Libby and Bernie. Crawford presents a fun mystery complete with cooking hints and recipes. ( )

This book is such a mess, I don't even know where to start.

A fast over view of the "plot" A woman runs a catering service. She's catering a party, and some dude who thinks he's a vampire drops dead. The person that catering the party is the main suspect. Bang! That's it. The funny thing is that the cops must be complete dunderheads b/c the woman who is catering, has a stupid reason to wish him dead.

First off, this book needs to be edited better. There were a ton of grammar errors, and half of the time, I didn't know what was talking. It was very distracting to have to look back to see what character was talking.

Speaking of the characters, they were paper thin. No depth and no personality. Even the guy that was killed was boring as all heck.

The book us full of fluff. In the first 115 pages, about 10 (at most) have to deal with the murder and looking for clues. You may ask what the other 105 pages are about? Glad you asked. It's about cooking and setting up for parties (yes, more than one) and we get to go shopping with one of the characters. There is just so much dang fluff.

Normally, I'd say check this out at the library..... but don't even do that. Unless, you like reading about setting up for parties and hearing about going shopping. ( )