Blog Tour & Giveaway: Death With All The Trimmings by Lucy Burdette

 Writing Cozy Mystery Characters
by Lucy Burdette

I’ve always been a huge reader. I tore through the Nancy Drew mysteries, then moved on to my brother’s Hardy boys adventures, gobbling lots of teenage romances in between. I also enjoyed a less well known series featuring a nurse named Cherry Ames. This sticks in my memory: Cherry was working on a hospital ward and one of her patients reported a fever and chills. She did just what she was supposed to: got a blanket for the sick person and reported the symptoms to the supervisor. Now here’s where the facts get fuzzy: I think the supervisor on duty had it in for her and didn’t write down what Cherry told her. And later, she got in big, big trouble for failing to report those important symptoms. And now Cherry had a dilemma: Did she rat out the other woman, or take the rap? Isn’t it funny how clearly I remember the character’s emotional dilemma even though most of the other details about the book have faded?

What stays with me even years after reading a book are the characters and their conflicts. So I shoot for that when writing my own series. DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS, the fifth book in my Key West food critic series, was published December 2. These books are mysteries so I understand I need a body. And suspects. And clues. And theories about the murder.

But more important than solving the puzzle, I’m hoping readers will fall in love with my character Hayley Snow. I hope they’ll feel the shock she does when she sees her ex-boyfriend out to dinner with a new woman. And feel her heart sink when she thinks the job of a lifetime has slipped away. And I hope I’ve made the magic of Key West at Christmas come alive. And I hope readers will fall for Hayley’s family and friends too, and then want to read the next book in the series and recommend the books to friends. And maybe even remember Hayley in fifty years–now that’s what I’d call a dream!

About the Author:

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) is the author of 13 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West series featuring food critic Hayley Snow. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a past president of Sisters in Crime.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

It may be Christmastime, but thoughts of peace on earth, good will toward men, don’t seem to extend to the restaurant business. Food critic Hayley Snow has been assigned to interview Edel Waugh, chef/owner of Key West’s hottest new restaurant. But off the record, Edel reveals that there’s been sabotage in the kitchen and asks Hayley to investigate.

Things heat up fast when the restaurant is set on fire—and a body is discovered in the charred wreckage. Is someone out to destroy the chef’s business—or actually kill her? Amid holiday festivities like the lighted boat parade, and visiting relatives who stir up mixed emotions, Hayley needs to smoke out an arsonist and a killer before they turn up the heat again…on her!

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Death With All The Trimmings

Review (4.25 Stars):Hayley is back with a new assignment for Key Zest magazine to interview up an coming chef, Edel Waugh and finds that someone is out to sabotage Edel’s new restaurant.  When a body is found in the kitchen after a fire, Hayley must find the killer before everything she worked for goes up in smoke.

Hayley is an adorable character and I think that she has the best job ever.  She gets to live in the beautiful and warm Key West and has the great job of being a food critic in an area that has wonderful cuisine. Her relationship with Wally is starting to heat up and things seem to be going her way when she gets the interview with Edel Waugh.  Death with all the Trimmings was a very entertaining holiday mystery that will please mystery and food lovers alike.  I love the recipes in the back of the book and all the descriptions of food that Hayley tried during this story made me so hungry.  Can’t wait to read the next book in the series which is due out next summer.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Death with all the Trimmings. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by December 18th, answer me this question in the comments:

What is your favorite restaurant or cuisine?