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littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
First in a cozy mystery series set in Montana that features Erin Murphy and her family. The book opens with them preparing for a new food festival. Disaster strikes when a former employee is found murdered during the event and suspicion falls on Erin's mother. Solid mystery with interesting characters.
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm picky when it comes to cozy mysteries and, unfortunately, DEATH AL DENTE didn't do a lot for me. As much as I love the idea of a quaint Food Lovers' Village in Montana, Jewel Bay just didn't come alive for me the way I wanted it to. A lot of characters are introduced in this series opener and they all kind of ran together for me, with none of them being unique enough to really stand out. This goes for Erin especially. Other than being a bit of a snob, she doesn't have much personality at all. I also didn't feel a lot of warmth between her and her circle of family and friends, which made it tough for me to connect with any of them or care overly much about what was happening to them. As far as plot goes, not a ton happens throughout the novel, making for a dull read. The mystery is cliché, without any interesting twists or turns. A couple of people asked me about DEATH AL DENTE while I was reading it. My response? "Boring." I think this series does have potential, but I'm not going to continue with it because for me DEATH AL DENTE was just a dull, average read. Nothing special.
kristirose's review against another edition
3.0
When Erin Murphy moved back to Montana to run her family's business, she expected to transform the mercantile into a gourmet food destination. However, she did not expect to find the store's previous manager murdered. After her mother becomes the prime suspect, Erin sets out to find the culprit herself. Can she find the killer before they strike again?
I liked this book, but I found it difficult to keep the characters straight. As a result, I found it challenging to connect with the story. I love the premise of a food lovers' village. I enjoyed the Montana setting. The mystery was okay. I do plan to read the next book in the series to give it another chance.
I liked this book, but I found it difficult to keep the characters straight. As a result, I found it challenging to connect with the story. I love the premise of a food lovers' village. I enjoyed the Montana setting. The mystery was okay. I do plan to read the next book in the series to give it another chance.
skupdawg426's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Nothing of note! I'd be willing to read more of these, but I don't think I'm not going out of my way to get more of them.
librarianlinda82's review against another edition
3.0
It didn’t wow me like the Spice shop series but I’m going to read the next one and give the series a chance.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I am already a big fan of the Spice Shop Mystery series by Leslie Budewitz and had been looking forward to reading this series as well. I love having a Nook as B&N offers up introductions to series at a reasonable price and this one popped up not too long ago. I snapped it up. And pretty much immediately began reading it.
It takes place in a new-to-me cozy setting, Montana. Most of the cozies I read tend to lean towards the east coast. I think it's cool that this town is called Food Lovers' Village and it's not in the nominal setting of Connecticut or Maine or Vermont. It's in a town that could easily be a town full of bars and barbecue or steak joints. But it's a neat town that's not too kitschy. I would love to visit this place. Heck, I could live here and get to know the residents and become friends with Erin. I like her a lot and that's key to my cozy enjoyment and definitely key in me coming back for more in the series.
Definitely recommend.
It takes place in a new-to-me cozy setting, Montana. Most of the cozies I read tend to lean towards the east coast. I think it's cool that this town is called Food Lovers' Village and it's not in the nominal setting of Connecticut or Maine or Vermont. It's in a town that could easily be a town full of bars and barbecue or steak joints. But it's a neat town that's not too kitschy. I would love to visit this place. Heck, I could live here and get to know the residents and become friends with Erin. I like her a lot and that's key to my cozy enjoyment and definitely key in me coming back for more in the series.
Definitely recommend.
asanford's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this series much more than the “spice” series. May be closer to a four than I recorded.
The character development was good and the person that died had a chance to spark some interest before she was killed. And the people of interests we enticing and made you care about what happened. I want to head to Montana now and check out the cute town.
The character development was good and the person that died had a chance to spark some interest before she was killed. And the people of interests we enticing and made you care about what happened. I want to head to Montana now and check out the cute town.
windsinger's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5