- Title: Killer in the Kitchen
- Author: Judy L. Murray
- Series: A Chesapeake Mystery
- Genre: Cozy Mystery
- Takes Place: Port Anne, MD
- Main Character: Helen Morisey
- Other Characters: Lizzie, Detective Joe McAlister, Tammi, Adrian, Mariah, Dana, dolttie, Tara, Shawn and of course Helen’s cast of amateur sleuth’s who she calls her ‘Detective Club’
- Pets: 2 cats named Trixie & Watson & a Golden Retriever named Rocky
- Stars: 5
This is the second book in the Chesapeake Mystery series and I am really enjoying this series. I am a sucker for a great mystery, and this one checks all the boxes. It has suspense, drama, mystery, and 3-dimensional characters you will love.
Helen Morisey, our favorite real estate agent, finds herself in a predicament once again because of her sleuthing and her detective club cast of characters. This time her daughter is involved, which makes it personal.
In this installment we get to see more of Helen’s daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie is a popular home shopping network host. She has invited her mother to meet a world famous celebrity chef who will be appearing on her show. When Helen finds out this chef will be selling his multi-million dollar mansion, she sees an opportunity to obtain him as a client. Before Helen even has time to list his home, he drops dead minutes before ending the on-air presentation of his food segment, apparently from tasting his own cooking. Lizzie, who also tasted the food, falls ill. It becomes personal for Helen because her daughter was also involved and could have been killed. Much to the dismay of Detective Joe McAllister, Helen does her own sleuthing to find a killer.
The author has a way of developing 3 dimensional characters who you grow to love. Helen is a loving mom to 2 adult children and a savvy real estate agent, who has a love of Twizzlers and mystery novels. I especially love Her ‘detective club’ that involves a cast of her favorite literary sleuths, Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Nora Charles, Agatha Raisin, and Nancy Drew. As she rushes to solve a mystery, she takes on the personalities of each of her literary characters which adds some humor. Detective Joe is always teasing her about her ‘detective club’ and you can visualize the budding romance between him and Helen. As much as the detective wants Helen to stay out of the investigation, he also knows that she has some valuable insight that he can use.
This book takes us on some twists and turns with several suspects as they try to determine the motive and who wanted the celebrity chef dead. There will be some surprises along the way and our Chef seems to be involved in more than just cooking.
“Motive plus opportunity plus chaos equals the perfect crime.”
Happy Reading!
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