Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read the 4th-book in the Nosey Parker Mystery series, A Cornish Christmas Murder, back in November of 2021.
I was looking for something cozy, comfortable and holiday-themed. As luck would have it, ACCM checked all of those boxes and many more.
I knew as soon as I finished it that I wanted to go back and read the previous three books.
The main reason, I loved the characters. They’re basically my new squad.
In this first book of the series, we follow our main, Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker, after she has recently left her position at the Metropolitan Police in London, returning to the small Cornish village in which she grew up.
Jodie needs to make a new life for herself and her tween daughter, Daisey. Brainstorming ideas as to what she would like to do in lieu of policing, the only thing she can think of that she really loves is cooking. With that in mind, she decides to start her own catering company.
Soon after returning, Jodie runs into one of her closest friends from childhood, Tony Penhaligon. As they are catching up, Tony’s issue with the caterer for his upcoming wedding comes to light.
And by issue, I mean he no longer has one. Jodie, although hesitant with the date so close, agrees to take on the job. It sounds like just the kind of posh event she needs to get her new business off the ground.
On the night before the blessed event, Jodie and her sous-chefs, also known as her mother and child, are setting up in the kitchen of the hotel where the event will take place, when a disruption is heard coming from the lobby.
Jodie finds the bride-to-be, Cheryl, in an all out tussle with Tony’s ex-wife, Mel. Being the only person brave enough to jump in and separate the two, Jodie eventually breaks it up.
Speaking with Mel after the fight, all Jodie can determine is that Mel seems to think that Cheryl is after Tony for his money. Whether or not that is true, the show must go on.
The rest of the Friday night cocktail party seems to go okay, but upon returning to the venue the following morning, Jodie finds all heck hath broken loose.
A body has been found on the grounds of the hotel, foul play a definite, and the future-Mrs. Penhaligon is missing. When local authorities seem to have eyes only for Tony, Jodie decides to launch an investigation of her own.
Murder on the Menu was just as delightful, cozy and murdery as A Cornish Christmas Murder. I am beyond happy that I made the time to start at the beginning of this series.
I loved learning more of Jodie’s back story, watching as she transitions from her life in London, meets DCI Withers, and adopts her adorable dog, Germaine.
As with any Cozy, there’s a certain formula at play here that is just so comforting and nostalgic. I feel like you always know what you are going to get with a Cozy Mystery, but the humor and heart of these stories rarely ever disappoint.
Leitch has created such a great cast of characters here. I love that while Jodie is an independent sleuth, she still has the background of a police officer.
Additionally, having her mother and daughter along for the ride makes it all that much more fun. I mean as fun as investigating random murders can be!
Thank you so much to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me a copy of this to read and review.
I am in love with this series and have already bought the next book, A Brush With Death. I can’t wait to start!