An Eggnog To Die For
Professional foodie Samantha Barnes has a simple Christmas list: a quiet holiday at home with her dog and a certain handsome harbormaster; no embarrassing viral videos; and no finding dead bodies. Unfortunately, she’s got family visiting, she’s spending a lot of time in front of the camera, and she’s just stumbled over the lifeless body of the town’s Santa Claus.
Plus, Sam’s plans for Christmas Eve are getting complicated. There’s the great eggnog debate among her very opinionated guests. There’s the “all edible” Christmas tree to decorate. And there’s her Feast of the Five Fishes prepare. Nonetheless, Sam finds herself once again in the role of sleuth. She needs to find out who slew this Santa, but can she pull off a perfect feast and nab a killer?
The Details
Series: A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery – Book #2
Author: Amy Pershing
Genre/Category: Cozy – Culinary/Holiday
Publisher: Berkley Books
ISBN: 0593199162
Page Count: 320
Rating: 
The Review
An Eggnog To Die For is a delightful read for the holidays. Especially so if you love food, recipes, family dynamics, and of course, murder. Throw in a mystery, plenty of suspects, controversy, and a wonderful dog, and you have everything you need for an enjoyable few hours in a comfy chair. Sam takes some getting used to. The entire cast adds laughter, intrigue, and action to the story. The introduction of Sam’s parents and other characters round out the main character’s background and allows the reader a deeper insight into who Sam is. No one is left out of the investigation, friends, family, or neighbors. Many readers will not guess the correct identity of the killer. The twist at the end will keep readers wanting more from this series and this author.
Sam has her hands full with holiday plans, coming up with an eggnog recipe, and trying to squeeze in time to enjoy all of the festivities, but when her parents suddenly show up without notice to spend the holidays with her, in her not fit to live in house, her work doubles. After a fun event, Sam finds herself being nosy as usual and stumbles upon a body, not just any body though, it’s Santa, and the man under the costume is not someone anyone will miss.
There are plenty of suspects and the evidence leads Sam from one motive to the next. Before long, she finds herself running around in circles, following red herrings that lead nowhere and putting herself in jeopardy. This is not the holiday celebration she had planned for. It was going to be perfect, the food and the eggnog were going to flow, and everyone was supposed to be happy and content. Instead, she finds herself in danger and the holiday fun in ruins. Sam is impetuous and jumps when she should sit, but no one can argue with her results. There are a number of red herrings that will throw readers in the wrong direction. However, in the end, Sam solves the crime, and justice is done. An Eggnog To Die For is worth taking time out of our hectic schedules this holiday season.
The Author
Amy Pershing is a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith who spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod, was an editor, a restaurant reviewer. In her previous incarnations, Amy was an assistant editor at Viking Penguin, a restaurant reviewer for Playbill magazine’s Restaurant Reporter, and a journalist at the Rome (Italy) Daily American before eventually going on to lead employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago (with the final college tuition bill paid), she waved goodbye to Wall Street in order to write
She and her four siblings (and various dogs and cats) grew up in a big old farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but spent every summer on Cape Cod, where they joined their vast extended family in long days sailing, swimming, clamming and, of course, eating. She has lived in many wonderful, including New York and Rome, but it is the Cape that always calls her back.
Another holiday cozy readers may enjoy include Maddie Day’s delightful Candy Slain Murder from the “A Country Store Mystery” series.
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