Rest in Pizza

I recently ate an 8 part pizza all by myself and I discovered that this food, however well prepared, is not my favorite meal. The pizza lovers mysteries though agrees with me extremely well. This is the fourth book of Chris Cavender about Eleanor Swift of Timber Ridge, and like its three predecessors it gets its five stars. A very juicy cozy mystery, that's what this book is.

I read an Amazon review some while back saying that the main character isn't detailed enough. That was never a problem with me. From the first three books, I had a strong imagining of who the heroine was and how she looked like. The same went for her sister and acolyte, Maddy Spencer, who I sometimes imagine as the red clad courtesan from Sin City. From meager show more descriptions I easily fell at ease with the mystery, the slow build up, the murder, the amateur sleuthing and the rest. But now in the fourth book, Rest In Pizza, there is significant change and character development, so much that the investigation takes a backseat throughout most of the story.

Eleanor Swift finally starts to find closure from her premature widowhood. In the third book, the David Quinton guy courting her without fulfillment leaves Timber Ridge, and this plus a change in his attitude not to mention approach, makes him finally desirable, if only faintly, in the eyes of our pizza parlor owner. What I didn't expect was that David's change of personality arrived just in time for Eleanor's own change. It's strongly suggestive that one change precipitated the other. By the way I always imagined David Quinton as John Stewart. He would have been perfect for the role. David and Eleanor share quite a few kisses in the book. Most of them instigated by Eleanor. Heh.

Other books that receive less stars from me lack the heart that this book has in spades. There's a very vague blueprint of some random town from North Carolina that was brought to life in this book. And I don't ask for more. I'm usually not in the mood for detailed description. For me it adds nothing to the narrative and I feel the author is cheating or stalling or nursing a severe case of writer's block. Following that, I'll also keep my review short. I have read one other book by Chris Cavender, but as Tim Myers, in a candle making mystery. I have to say that Tim Myers doesn't - cannot - duplicate the magic that Rest In Pizza possesses. I have to, indeed trot out the time worn verdict that the Pizza Lovers series is greater than the sum of its parts.

One thing I could not figure out. Art Young's exit from the book very early on. I felt confident that this checkov gun was to appear later in the book. Not so, not here. That character is not my favorite, and it neither adds nor subtracts from the book's appeal. But I do feel that not repeating Art's helping out Eleanor brings variety to the table. I think that he'll have a bigger role in what hopefully would be the next pizza book. There are less characters this time around. The focus is on the three shops; the pizza place, the bakery, and the library. I always rue that imagining locations in detail is not my forte. I don't live in America so though the description of the town brings atmosphere to the mystery, I don't get the full picture. But the reading experience in this book is exceptional.

Now, let me tell you how I guessed the murderer's identity. From my experience with the previous books in the series I got to expect the expected. Firstly all criminals have been women. Then, all of these women are suspected somewhat, but no rigorous investigation is conducted against them. So, no men, plus no focus. Then another distinction, if not requirement, is that the woman is nasty and mean, and not shy about it. That happened in all previous books. Finally the gal has to be from out of town. Always. Not the locals. Always the stranger. Piece of cake. show less

So, when I requested this book from the Member Giveaway (where I received it), I didn't know that it was part of a series. I did like it though. Like a lot of this type of novel, the culinary mysteries, you don't really need to read them in order.

Whether you're new to the series or a fan, this is a good book to read. It's not anything really different or exciting, but it is quite good.

I'd recommend it for a fan of this type of culinary-based novel.

I received this book through the Member Giveaway section. Seeing that I had just finished reading a couple of dark, heavy books, this book looked light, fluffy, and refreshing.

This book delivered (pun intended!) just what I was hoping for. It was fun, fast moving and entertaining. This book falls under the genre of a murder mystery, but nothing too grisly, and it was one of the cleaner mysteries I've read in a long while, which I appreciated. I'm not sure there were enough clues to really be able to solve the mystery before the author revealed it, but that really didn't bother me. This appears to be one of a series of books, but it worked fine as a stand-alone book as well. I think I'll read more of this author in the future!

This is my least favorite book of the series, but it is still a good read. There were no little hints as to who the killer could be to entice the reader and the murderer wasn't revealed until the very end. I prefer a few hints while I am reading so I can try and figure out the murderer.

In this book, a famous chef comes to town to assist in the opening of a new bookstore. He is murdered at The Slice (or course) and Eleanor and Maddy search for the killer.

Eleanor and Maddy offer to help their friend Cindy do the grand opening of her new bookstore. The featured guest is a very temperamental Chef. He is so temperamental that he storms out of the bookstore before the doors even open. Eleanor tracks him down and asks him to calm down, inviting him to rest alone in her pizzeria, Slice of Delight. When he doesn't come back at the assigned time of the opening Eleanor heads over to her building with Maddy where they find him dead, pinned to a chair with one of Eleanor's own knives.

What follows is a collection of varied red herrings and false leads to get to the point of who killed the Chef, and why.

There are also a few sub-stories that are getting more interesting as the series goes on, Maddy's show more relationship with boyfriend Bob and Eleanor's with David. Not to mention the ongoing conflict between lawman Kevin, his son Josh who works for Eleanor, and Eleanor as she sleuths her way through Kevin's cases.

I'm still enjoying this series so will continue to follow along during the adventures of Eleanor and Maddy. show less

I won this book as part of a give-away from LibraryThing. Rest in Pizza is #4 in the author's "Pizza Lovers Series". It features Eleanor Swift, who runs a pizza shop in Timber Ridge, NC. Timber Ridge is a little like Mayberry -- a small town where everyone knows everybody, and they all get along and help each other out. Eleanor and her sister are trying to make a living with the pizza shop, and are friendly with the other business owners in the town. When the new owner of a small book store asks for help with her grand opening, Eleanor and her sister are pleased to offer assistance. After celebrity TV star slated to be the guest speaker is murdered, and Eleanor and her sister help the local sheriff solve the crime.

There are a lot of show more laughs in the book, and some of the plot is a little unreal (the crime scene is the pizza shop that opens back up almost immediately!). However, the story is more about the close knit community than about solving the murder. This story harkens back to another era, and is perfect entertainment for a lazy summer afternoon. show less

Amateur sleuths Eleanor Swift and her sister Maddy Spencer are back in another Pizza Lovers Mystery. This installment finds the town of Timber Ridge in a frenzy over the upcoming visit of celebrity chef Antonio Benet. Chef Benet's scheduled appearance at the grand opening of Cindy Rankin's new bookstore seems too good to be true, and it's bound to be memorable. Unfortunately, when the famous chef is found dead inside A Slice of Delight just minutes before his appearance, there is no shortage of suspects including Eleanor. Eleanor suddenly finds that she and her sister must juggle pizza making and sleuthing in order to solve the mystery before the publicity hurts business or someone else winds up dead.

The Bottom Line: This installment of show more the Pizza Lovers Mystery serves up just the right combination of fun, mystery, and pizza. "Rest in Pizza" was the first book in the series that I read, and I found it to be very enjoyable. You can pick up the series and start reading at any point or you can read the books in order if you wish. This is a real treat for summer beach reading. Fans of cozy mysteries and culinary mysteries will want to give this one a try. Also, readers who enjoy mysteries by Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs will want to check it out. show less