Toast Mortem by Claudia Bishop

A Hemlock Falls Mystery
Paperback and Kindle Release June 1, 2010

The nice quiet village of Hemlock Falls has been intruded on by "The Grouchiest Chef in the World" Bernard LeVasque and his multimillion dollar cooking school just across the gorge from the Inn at Hemlock Falls.  While the Inn in fully booked, the restaurant in almost empty and that has Chef Meg Quillian ready to throw frying pans, 8" saute pans to be exact.  To make things worse he plays some awful tricks on the sisters. While both sisters wish he would just go away, they never dreamed he would end up dead.

Just who would want to kill the chef, one of his students, his wife, one of his devoted foodies?  Maybe the scrap of paper found in his hand will lead to the killer.  It would be a Hemlock Falls Mystery if the sisters weren't investigating and Quill will stop at nothing until she finds out WHO STABBED THE CHEF??

I am so glad I am able to visit The Inn at Hemlock Falls again, it has been too long.  This was the first set of cozy mysteries I collected for my keeper shelf after my accident.  I searched E-bay, Amazon and many other online bookstores to complete the set, even buying two online from a bookstore in Canada.  As each new book is released I would add it to my wonderful collection.  The last one was A Carol for a Corpse was released back in 2007.  I was so thrilled to learn about Toast Mortem and am excited to finally have it in my hands.

This book took me back to my old friends Meg and Quill with her 2 year old Jack, Dina is still at the reception desk, and Doreen is more a grandmother to Jack than the Inn's housekeeper.  This new plot was original and once I started I couldn't stop reading.  The added adventures of Jack's lion made my laugh out loud.  If you haven't started this series, it's never too late. The author is a true master when it comes to writing a cozy.  Add this one to your Summer Reading Lists, you will not be disappointed.

Be sure to check out Claudia's web page http://claudiabishop.com/ to learn more about the books and the other series she writes the Dr. McKenzie Mysteries  and follow her over to her other site to learn about the paranormal series she writes as Mary Stanton http://www.marystanton.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Berkley Publishing Group a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”