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MURDER ON THE MENU
by Miranda Bliss
Berkley, June 2007
236 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0425216071


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Bellywashers is about to re-open after its new makeup. Annie and restaurant owner Jim have worked hard to create an upscale dinning experience in Alexandra, Virginia. With the tensions of this job, as well as her full-time job, Annie is unable to find much time for herself. Then when she finally takes a night off, she and her friend, Eve, discover a dead body.

Eve and Annie were supposed to have dinner with the sister of a high school friend. Instead they discover Sarah dead in the bathroom and her expensive Japanese terrier abandoned.

After their experiences in the first book of the series, Eve is ready to solve this death. Sarah had a very ritzy apartment, a very expensive and rare dog and an expensive wardrobe. In addition to this, she had a job she liked with one of the senators in DC. Eve cannot believe Sarah would kill herself with all of these advantages.

The police do not draw the same conclusions. Against her will, Annie finds herself assisting Eve with her questionings. They discover several secrets about Sarah and her life. Annie and Eve must dig into the political scene of Washington DC as well as the world of food and pet care in order to discover the reason for Sarah's death. The only problem is that the killer is on to them. If they do not act quickly, the killer will remove them from the scene before they reveal his or her identity.

The beginning of MURDER ON THE MENU is very slow. The book opens with all of Annie's neurosis regarding life, relationships in general and her relationships with both men and women as well as her business concerns. This obsession made me worry that this book was going to be a chick lit-type mystery. Luckily the book picks up after the first 20 pages or so. While Annie is still a neurotic character, she takes initiative in her life and the neuroses no longer seem so consuming.

MURDER ON THE MENU is a standard cozy mystery. The protagonist is unable to accept the police decision regarding a criminal investigation or activity. Said protagonist decides to do his or her own investigation. Said protagonist uses the resources her friends can provide. Said protagonist ends up in more trouble than expected. And finally said protagonist is somehow involved in a domestic art involving food or crafts.

While I do enjoy reading cozies on occasion, I wish they would step above the stereotype they have become. MURDER ON THE MENU, while entertaining, does not have anything about it that makes the book stand out from the rest of the pack. This doesn't mean that MURDER ON THE MENU should not be read – just that the reader should not expect this book to be memorable or highly original.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2007

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