Sherry Oliveri, cook-off chef extraordinaire, is partnering with a neighbor's son for a generational cook-off. The neighbor is having some issues with her nanny, Cara, who is on a work permit from Ireland. Cara likes to tout Ireland folklore but the stories that she is telling are frightening the children she has been hired to care for. Sherry has been trying to help Cara adjust and has even set her up with her brother's sous chef, Felix. This seems to have turned into a disaster when Cara is found dead the morning after the date. Sherry knows that Felix didn't harm Cara and needs to clear him from suspicion.

A fun mystery with some delicious sounding eats! ( )

Sherry Oliveri works in The Ruggery, her family store, and spends her off time with her hobby of entering cook-offs, which she invariably wins quite often. But the store has been highly damaged in an unexpected nor'easter, and the repairs might be more than her father Erno is willing to spend.

She also thought it was a good idea to set her neighbors' young Irish nanny up with her brother's sous chef, since she hopes they might have a lot in common. That idea, however, gives her second thought when her neighbor Joy Wanner tells her that Cara won't stop spouting Irish folklore, which is beginning to give her children nightmares. Now Sherry wonders if she did the right thing. Especially when Cara turns up dead the day after the date...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all. I loved this one as much as the others. Sherry is an interesting character who loves to cook, and is adept at making up recipes that turn out to be winners. In this book, she's paired with one of the Wanner twins, in her first ever two-generational cook-off.

But she's also worried about her brother Pep's sous chef, who is on Detective Ray Bease's radar for the murder of the young girl. Sherry is adamant that he couldn't be a killer, but more and more evidence points to the young man, who's at times lying about his whereabouts and others holding things back. Sherry begins to wonder if her faith is misplaced.

It also doesn't sit well with her when her new neighbor Max decides he wants the Ruggery and is willing to do whatever to achieve it. She can't imagine not coming to this building every day; it's been in her family for nearly forty years. She also knows it would break her father's heart to lose it.

So what will Sherry do? With so much on her plate, will she be able to save the business and find out who killed Cara? With all her suspects, which one had the most motive to kill the young woman, and why?...

I would rather not say any more about this book so as not to ruin it for those who are looking forward to reading it. So no real spoilers here. What I will say is that I found the book delightful, and the Irish folklore interesting. I love the main characters, as none are whiny and all add to the book, which is how it should be. The mystery is done well, the clues aren't plentiful, but you can draw your own conclusions and hope to come to the same as Sherry. Not an easy task in this book, and the murderer is surprising, the reason for the murder even more so. This is a book that is definitely worth reading, with the journey to the end highly worth it. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

Connecticut, recipes, law enforcement, K-9, amateur sleuth, cooking contest, friendship, families, family business, nanny, Irish folklore, cozy mystery, pets, small business, small town, ****

The publisher's blurb is pretty good, but the characters are way more interesting, and the plot has enough surprises to keep my attention to the end. There is a lot of interpersonal drama that takes it to a whole other level.
All in all, I really liked it, but was glad that I'd read some of the others.
I requested and received a free e-book from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley.. Thank you! ( )