Another Weekend, Another Festival – and Another Body
by Leslie Budewitz
“Gourmet food market owner Erin Murphy is determined to get Jewel Bay, Montana’s scrumptious local fare some national attention. But her scheme for culinary celebrity goes up in flames when the town’s big break is interrupted by murder…”
Thanks to the Books-n-Kisses crew for welcoming me here today, to share a bit about Crime Rib, the second book in my Food Lover’s Village Mysteries.
Out here in western Montana, summers are short and intense–and in every corner of the state, we celebrate. The Festival of Nations. Mule Days, Homesteader Days, Buzzard Days–honoring ‘nature’s cleaners’. The Strawberry Festival. Rendezvous Days. Pow Wows. Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts. Dog and Grog, celebrating hot dogs and cold beer. Lewis & Clark Reenactments. Music festivals: jazz, bluegrass, Celtic, guitar, Mozart, and more. And on and on–not to mention Huckleberry Days in half a dozen towns, celebrating the tart, purple jewels Montanans fight the bears for every August.
As if there weren’t enough festivals, in Death al Dente, the first book in the series, Erin Murphy invents another, the Festa di Pasta. After a decade in Seattle, she returns to her hometown, Jewel Bay, Montana, to take over the Merc, her family’s century-old general store, and turn it into a market filled with local foods and treats. A weekend celebrating Italian food, with music in the streets and fun and games for all ages, seems like the perfect summer kickoff. But when the former manager is found dead in the alley on opening night and her mother is accused of murder, Erin dives in to save both her family and the store. She succeeds, but not before confronting a chef bent on keeping his past a secret, challenging her old friend, now the local sheriff’s detective, and rescuing her new boyfriend and her shop assistant from permanent cold storage.
So in Crime Rib, she’s not going to take charge of anything. She’ll help–the tiny, unincorporated town would be nothing without its volunteers, and the Murphys have always been among the first to raise their hands. But she’s just going to enjoy the 35th Annual Summer Art and Food Festival. Sure, she’ll be scouting for new vendors for the Merc. She’ll drool over the paintings and pottery–maybe even pick up a piece or two. She’ll be glad to assist the crew of the TV show Food Preneurs, in town to film the event and give the local fare some national attention. And she’ll eat her fill at the Grill-off, the friendly competition to see which village chef serves up the best steak.
But when the show’s producer is killed in a hit-and-run, Erin is drafted to step in. Then one of the contestants is attacked and dies. To keep the town’s reputation from crashing and burning on national TV, Erin must grill a few suspects to smoke out the killer.
I’ve always loved the annual Festival of the Arts in my community. It’s a feast for the eyes, a chance to soak up art and music in the warm sunshine by the lake, to see old friends and meet new ones. To find a shiny bracelet, sparkling earrings, a hand-carved gourd, or a cattail basket with an antler handle, decorated with tiny seed pods and bits of pale green moss plucked from old growth spruce. To pick up braided sweetgrass, used as ceremonial incense by the local tribes, and soaps scented with wild-crafted herbs. To discover new taste treats–there are no calories on Festival days. And like Erin, I think there’s little better than strolling down the main street crammed with art and artists, licking a cone filled with Chocolate Heaven ice cream.
Last summer, I participated in the Festival as an artist for the first time. What a treat to share a glorious summer day with hundreds of art lovers. To tell them the origins of the book, why I set it here and what I had to change. To inscribe their names in my books and wish them a great visit to Jewel Bay, a place that exists only on the page–and in the heart. To see the smiles on their faces as they carried off their souvenirs, and to wave at them when they strolled past at the end of the day, already fast friends. To chat with other artists, see their wares, and hear their stories. It’s hot and exhausting. My hand hurt from signing and my cheeks ached from grinning. And I can hardly wait to go back this August.
Turns out, Erin’s right. The best part of a festival is not the art or the ice cream, but the people. The smiles on their faces and the spark in their eyes. I hope you’ll join me at this year’s festival–on the village streets, and on the pages of Crime Rib.
About the Author:
Leslie Budewitz is the national best-selling author of Death al Dente, first in the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries set in northwest Montana, and winner of the 2013 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Crime Rib, the second in the series, was published by Berkley Prime Crime on July 1, 2014. Also a lawyer, Leslie won the 2011 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction for Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure (Quill Driver Books), making her the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. For more stories of life in the wilds of northwest Montana, and bonus recipes, visit her website and subscribe to her newsletter.
Gourmet food market owner Erin Murphy is determined to get Jewel Bay, Montana’s, scrumptious local fare some national attention. But her scheme for culinary celebrity goes up in flames when the town’s big break is interrupted by murder . . .
Food Preneurs, one of the hottest cooking shows on TV, has decided to feature Jewel Bay in an upcoming episode, and everyone in town is preparing for their close-ups, including the crew at the Glacier Mercantile, aka the Merc. Not only is Erin busy remodeling her courtyard into a relaxing dining area, she’s organizing a steak-cooking competition between three of Jewel Bay’s hottest chefs to be featured on the program.
But Erin’s plans get scorched when one of the contending cooks is found dead. With all the drama going on behind the scenes, it’s hard to figure out who didn’t have a motive to off the saucy contestant. Now, to keep the town’s reputation from crashing and burning on national television, Erin will have to grill some suspects to smoke out the killer . . .
Jennifer’s Review of Crime Rib
Review (4.5 Stars): The little town of Jewel Bay, Montana is preparing for the 35th Annual Summer Art and Food Festival and enjoying the national attention by the TV show, Food Preneurs, who is filming a cooking competition for a future episode. During the planning stages of the competition, the producer of the show becomes a victim of a hit and run and it is up to Erin to take over as her replacement. Determined to keep everything running smoothly while balancing the duties of the Merc, Erin does her best to organize the cooking competition but a killer has other ideas for this event. Erin must now try to find the killer before Jewel Bay becomes known for something other than its great gourmet food.
This is the second book in the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series and I have come to love the town and inhabitants of Jewel Bay, Montana. Erin is a sweet character that always seems to find a dead body after moving back home to help run her family’s market. I like her personality and she is someone that you can instantly connect with. I also love that she has a great relationship with her family and the rest of this lovely community. The mystery is well-written and will keeping you guessing until the final reveal. I love culinary mysteries and Crime Rib talked so much about wonderful food that it made me hungry all the time that I was reading it. 🙂 Crime Rib is a savory addition to a great series that will have you craving more from this talented author. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what Erin is up to next.
So glad you enjoyed the trip to Jewel Bay, Jennifer!