Mystery on the Menu is a collection of three novellas by Nicole Kimberling featuring chef Drew Allison and Deputy MacKenzie. Set on the small island of Camas, an easy ferry ride to Seattle, where all the law enforcement folks have the same last name (it's a family thing). These are not cozies! They are much grittier than that, and, for this reader, some scenes give a bit too much detail (as in close the door folks, fade to black, end scene)! That being said, I like the characters, the setting, the story ... all in all three excellent reads here. In Entree to Murder Drew finds his bartender dead in basement of his small eatery, which means, of course, Drew is the prime suspect. It's also how he meets Deputy "Mac" MacKenzie. In Recipe for Trouble his former lover shows up, now a well known tv personality (and chef). There is a fire in an old barn where (naturally) a body is found. We meet more of the MacKenzie family, learn of past events and get to know the 'family' Drew has made for himself (love this): it's a three generation family including himself, Evelyn and Julie from the Beehive Senior Living facility (and chefs, too), and a new, young apprentice/worker, Lionel. When the body is identified there is a connection with things from the past, possibly to the disappearance of Mac's father. Is his Uncle (and sheriff) hiding something? And why did Drew's business partner (and friend), Sam, leave town so abruptly? AND sell her half of the partnership to the tv chef? Homicide and Hospitality starts with the discovery of a body ... it's Sam, Drew's former partner ... what is she doing back in town? Yes, it is the Christmas season, but she has no family here and has pretty much cut all ties with what friends she had. Well, there is her brother, who is in jail. It takes a while to put all the pieces together, but he has asked her to access their storage unit to find some papers that have information he's sure will get him out of jail. What secrets might those papers hold that get Sam killed? A page turner for sure.

Reading Hermit With Dog