Murder with Ganache (Key West Food Critic)

Weddings are unpredictable.. as are murders. Lucy has her hands full trying to tango to both and find the happy ending. Her boss doesn’t help because he can’t seem to stand up, but that’s another story. Read for yourself and see how Lucy finds out who, what, and when it all came to be.

I just finished "Murder with Ganache," and I loved it. You drew me in ... words I'm sure an author loves to read. I looked forward to picking it up again at the end of each day.First, you picked a spectacular setting and created an insecure, feisty, determined, at times overwhelmed heroine. Definitely could relate. And you provided a well crafted plot, and I got to be part of it. I rode on the back of Hayley's scooter as she buzzed from Wally and work to the high-maintenance family at the Casa Marina and back to Miss Gloria and the houseboat. I advised her to say "no" once in a while to all the demands. (She didn't listen.) I inhaled not only the warm aromas coming from her oven, but also the mustiness and cat presence of Hemingway's home and the urine-soaked hallway of the abandoned building. I wanted to smack the back of Ray's head for not explaining to Connie why he booted her father out. And many, many times I wanted to smack the surly Rory too. In other words, I was thoroughly into it.But here's another element I identified, at least for me. I love high-brow TV shows like "Masterpiece Theater" and intense police and courtroom dramas, but I also loved tuning into "Murder She Wrote" and J. B. Fletcher on Sunday evenings. People got murdered, yes, but the details of her life in Cabot Cove, the gorgeous Maine scenery, her quirky friends, her beautiful home, the pie in the oven as she sat at her typewriter with her tea, my knowing that she would solve whatever mystery lay ahead, provided an overriding feeling of calm and order. Just what I wanted before the start of the next work week. Sometimes her stories were a tad corny, but the comforting aura compensated. Your stories are like that (but never corny). Plenty of adventure but coziness in equal measure. And in the absence of the visual aid, your prose depicted the fabulous Key West scenery just as well. The show ran for 12 seasons, so the formula was right!So thanks for another good one ... and the recipes ... and the quotes before each chapter. I'm a fan.

Hayley Snow, a food critic for a Key West newspaperhas a very full plate. She needs to write reviews on twoKey West restaurants. Plus write a piece on TheHemington House cats. Then she needs to taste testand review breakfast pastries such as Key West chocolatepastries topped with Ganache and sticky buns.Hayley is helping plan her best friend, Connie Arp withher wedding plans. Complicating matters Hayley’s motherand her man friend are arriving plus Hayley’s father andher stepmother bringing a teenage stepbrother who is verytroublesome. Also, the groom‘s, Ray Hanson parents areexpected to be entertain by Hayley.The night of the bridal shower, first, her stepbrother whois “bored” leaves to explore Duval Street by himself whilethe shower continues. Then to add more excitementConnie’s long lost father unexpectedly presents himselfat the shower.Then Hayley’s stepbrother disappears and is found thenext day unconscious on a dock. Sometime later a younggirl is found floating in the water in the mangroves.Exciting read with murders, thefts, suspicious happenings,an art showing, great food and an array of animals toadd humor….Schnootie, the schnauzer, Sparky andEvinrude. the cats on Gloria’s houseboat, the HemingwayHouse cats: Captain Tony, Rudy Valentino, DukeEllington, Audrey Hepburn, Harry Truman, Fat Waller,Tennessee Williams, Captain Tony and Hemington toname a few of the 70+ cats living there.There are recipes at the end of the book. My favorite recipes are Chocolate bars with Ganache andSpanakopita.

It's spring time in Key West, Florida. So what sounds like the most fun? Vacation for the young crowd on break, or maybe a lovely wedding on the point with a beautiful sunset reception, or perhaps a family gathering of all the different new couples with divorced parents and food tasting. Well in this book, Lucy Burdette has brought all these things together in her fourth Key West Food Critic Mystery book, and the results is a world-win of adventure.Amongst everything else, food critic and writer, Hayley Snow, is dealing with her surely 15 year old half brother who has gone off on a Jet Ski that is not his, and he's gotten into a real mess. At the same time, Hayley is a bride's maid for her best friend's wedding and has planned to make hundreds of cupcakes for the big day. But never forget that her day job is eating and critiquing foods from all of the local restaurants for her handsome boss at Key Zest Magazine.I adore this series. Burdette's characters grow exponentially in every book and I must get my updates on everyone's lives in each new book. The fun vacation atmosphere and food recipes give me that vacation feeling every time I get engrossed in these mysteries. The lime cupcakes, strawberry pie recipe, and other recipes are worth the read by themselves. I hope these mysteries go on and on like a wonderful family reunion with a mysterious twist!

Whilst moving house I have read in turn all of these cosy key west mysteries , they fulfil my need for the sunshine state if I cant get any superior Garcia Aquilera or Hiassen . Don't think this is as good as the previous 3 , at times the story of missing treasure is Scooby doo and the constant family bake offs to make them all feel better , seem sickly . Haley is in danger of becoming her mother overnight , we need more flirting and less cupcakes . This isn't a story to change your life but its like a slice of cake to sweeten a hard afternoon . I have still preordered the next book .