Very much a fun read and plays with the usual tropes one finds in cozies. ( )

"Bill's dead and, uh, I'm afraid the police think I killed him."

I was hooked from the first line. Imagine getting that phone call from your twin sister Emily. As if learning that Emily is the lead suspect isn't tricky enough, Bill is Sarah's ex-husband.

The twins live and work in Wheaton, Alabama. Sarah never left, and Emily returned to their hometown due to a culinary offer she couldn't refuse as she was working her way up the chef ladder. Thankfully, Sarah's currently a receptionist at a law firm, so a phone call to her boss Harlan has ensured he'll meet Sarah at the police station. Adding to Sarah's stress is that she may be forced to give up RahRah, the Chocolate Siamese cat Bill gave to Sarah after his mother died, as he was allergic to cats.

I loved this cozy as it is appealing in setting and pace with the crime at a weekend Food Expo, the twin sisters for the dynamics in their relationship to the deceased, the natural ease of a lawyer's pro bono availability due to Sarah's employment, the different possibilities for the motive of the crime increasing suspects, the impact that could lead to dual losses of a sister's arrest and a dearly loved feline heightening anxiety and doubling sleuthing avenues.

I'm very excited to continue reading this series!

Includes recipes for Sarah's Spinach Pie and the infamous Jell-O in a Can from the 1950s when Jell-O and Dole Pineapple joined forces to create the Jell-O in the Pineapple Can recipe. Guidance on cracking an egg with one hand and ingredients for Rhubarb Crisp are within the story. ( )

One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein first book I've read by her. She sent it to me as a birthday gift. Review: A mystery with many twists and turns. Surprise when finally know who is killing people - wouldn't suspect. Food, danger, Rah rah the Siamese cat, ex-wife, twins and more. RahRah the cat is left to Bill by his Mom. His ex-wife has been keeping him. In spite of it all Expo Food exhibit goes on. Ex-lax brownies used to stop expo didn't work. So many suspects through it all but trying to frame Emily, twin sister, who cooks at restaurant and Expo. Need an adventure! Grab this one - first in a new series. ( )

I enjoy cozy mysteries. Sometimes I just need something cute and entertaining with just an edge of dangerous...cozies fit that need perfectly! A cute dog/cat/kitschy theme paired with murder and amateur sleuthing! This series caught my eye because of the lovely Siamese cat on the cover. I have a very soft spot in my heart for Siamese cats....so I had to try this series! Cozy mystery fun....a Siamese cat....and a new-to-me author! Happiness all around!

In this first book in the Sarah Blair series, Sarah is newly divorced. She has moved a bit down the ladder from the lavish lifestyle she enjoyed with her husband Bill to a studio apartment and a job as a receptionist in a lawyer's office. But she still has her beloved cat, RahRah -- the one thing her ex-husband let her take when their marriage died. Just as she is coming to grips with her new life, her ex-husband drops dead...and her sister is a prime suspect. Was Bill's death murder-by-rhubarb-crisp?? Or something more sinister? When it looks like her sister might go to jail and her ex's bimbo might be able to legally take RahRah from her, Sarah jumps into sleuthing. Can she help Emily...and manage to somehow keep RahRah??

I listened to the audio book version of this story. I will admit that it took me awhile to get used to the narrator's voice. Emily Beresford gives a great performance, but I took awhile to warm up to her slightly nasal tone. Once the story got going, I got used to Beresford's voice....and was sucked into the plot. This book was a perfect companion for my commutes to work and while working around the house. :) Very enjoyable story! I like the setting and the characters. The mystery is engaging with plenty of sleuthing and twists. I expected part of the ending -- but not all of it. All in all, a very entertaining and fun listening experience! I already have the audio of book 2, Two Bites Too Many, checked out on Hoopla.....and a review copy of the newest book (due out in August) on my review-TBR pile! I will definitely be reading all of this series!
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When Sarah Blair gets a phone call from her sister telling her that Sarah's ex-husband is dead, she's stunned. But when Emily tells her that she's now suspected of murdering him, Sarah does the only thing she can do. She gets her attorney boss, Harlan, to defend her sister and decides to find out who really killed Bill and why...

Well, I'm probably going to go on a rant here, so you've been forewarned: I really, really, get tired of reading about divorcees who were married to wealthy men but somehow left the marriage penniless and not able to cook, clean, or handle finances in any way. Seriously? She's been married ten years but hasn't managed to figure out how to cook? In whose world is this reality? It's just crazy how many of these protagonists have no idea what a grocery store looks like.

It's also hard to feel sympathy for Emily at all. We never get to meet Bill because he's already dead when the book opens, and we only have Sarah's recollections of how things were. What was Bill's relationship to Emily? Did she have a real reason to want him dead? You can amass evidence, but if there's no motive, what do you have? That's called reasonable doubt.

I also dislike books where we're just slapped in the face with a victim. We never get to meet the person, there's no build up as to who might want them dead or why, etc. We didn't get to see any relationship between Emily and Bill. I never enjoy that in mysteries because there's nothing to draw you into the murder.

Also, how shallow is Sarah? She keeps talking about Harlan’s bald spot. Seriously? She's such a prize that she's thinking about him wearing hats to cover a bald spot, or that she can see it? Does it mean he’s less attractive in any way? Sean Connery. Bruce Willis. Yul Brynner. Dwayne Johnson. Having hair on your head doesn't make men any sexier than those who don't. She doesn’t deserve Harlan with that kind of attitude. It doesn’t make her likable at all. This is probably the biggest reason I don't really care for Sarah in this book.

Anyway, reading the ending was a bit disappointing for me, since the clues were there but Sarah was so focused on yelling at Harlan and looking for anyone else to pinpoint the murder on that she couldn't see what was right in front of her. Maybe the next book will be better; I'll give it a chance and see. ( )