Cozy Cull [4] - Finger Lickin' DEAD by Riley Adams #giveaway

According to Merriam-Webster:

Definition of CULL

1 : to select from a group : choose  

2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

This is the fourth of a weekly giveaway.  Please spread the word, even if you've already read this week's book. 

The plan is:

1. Each week I read one of the MANY cozy mysteries I have among my personal books.  
2. I write a post about it. 
3. Then I offer it in a giveaway in order to cull my "herd" of cozies... as "a means of population control."

This week I have a copy of the second in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series, Finger Lickin' Dead, by Riley Adams (published June 2011).

I've posted my thoughts for the first Memphis BBQ mystery, Delicious and Suspicious, back in December of 2010, and I just posted my thoughts on Finger Lickin' Dead.

From Goodreads:

When an anonymous food critic blasts several local restaurants- including Aunt Pat's-Lulu Taylor and her customers are biting mad, especially when they learn that Eppie Currian is the pen name of their friend Evelyn's cheating boyfriend. When "Eppie" gets his own fatal review, the list of suspects is longer than the list of specials at the best BBQ place in Memphis.

Just comment that you'd like to enter and provide an email address to contact you should you win. Open to everyone.

Giveaway ends Thursday, November 29th (11:59 pm CT). I'll give the winner 48 hours from the time of notification to respond before I move on to someone else. The winner will be announced here once I've received a reply to my email.

The winner of this Cozy Cull giveaway is Charity!

Finger Lickin' Dead

Title: Finger Lickin' Dead

Author: Riley Adams aka Elizabeth Spann Craig

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Memphis BBQ Mystery, Bk 2

ISBN: 9780425241912

Pages: 250 + Recipes

Obtained: Personal copy through paperbackswap.com

Comments:

I dragged my feet about reading this.  Maybe I just don't connect with the atmosphere.  I'm definitely not as charmed by all the characters when I know I should be.  For example, Flo (a wedding planner) rushes in anxious that the crazy bride and family have changed the wedding plans at the last minute.  What is she to do?!  She's just SO grateful when her friends jump in and offer to help.  But I couldn't help feeling that she definitely expected that as the result.  Why act like she couldn't think of a way out of her bind?  What I'm sure should have come across as friends coming through for each other felt like deceit to me.

I ended up taking a 1 1/2 week break from reading the book (due to life), and when I came back to it it did move much faster for me.I think I was finally able to get past some of the misgivings I had coming in and let myself enjoy the story.  The red herrings were frequent enough (I mean every other page at times), that I managed to have no idea about who was a murderer.  Oh the suspects were there, but it was harder to judge when everyone is supposed to be friends.  Several people had motive and were witnessed near the victim in some form of conflict.  But they all had "reasons" and Lulu liked them all, so the information was skewed.

What this means is pretty much the same thing that bothered me so in the beginning (the atmosphere and characters) is what made the mystery for me in the end.  By the time I finished, I enjoyed the book.  As for continuing the series, that depends on if the next book, Hickory Smoked Homicide, puts itself in front of me.  I'm getting to the point of having so many cozy mystery series started, and so many new ones starting all the time, I just can't guarantee continuing of them.

Delicious and Suspicious

Title: Delicious and Suspicious

Author: Riley Adams (Elizabeth Spann Craig)

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: July 2010

ISBN: 9780425235539

Pages: 269 + Recipes

Series: 1st in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series

Book Description (from back cover):

Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbecue restaurant — family run and located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, the restaurant is known for its ribs and spicy corn bread, but now the Taylor family will be known for murder — unless Lulu can clear their name...

Rebecca Adrian came to Memphis to suss out the best local BBQ for a prominent Cooking Channel show. Trouble is, Rebecca doesn't live long enough to mention a bad review. A mystery ingredient has killed her — and now all fingers are pointing to Aunt Pat's restaurant. Horrified that her family is being accused of murder, Lulu fires up her investigative skills to solve the crime before someone else gets skewered...

Comments:

So in general this was an enjoyable read. I know it was a bestseller. It has an interesting, and from everything I've seen or heard, fun setting. The type than can have a lot of character. It's a culinary cozy mystery, which I usually find fun. But...

The story was an okay read for me. I think I may have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been in 3rd person. In my experience cozies tend to do best in 1st person. With this one in particular, I lost some of the connection that it might have had otherwise. Perhaps that contributed to the fact that while the characters weren't bad, I didn't fall in love with them. A book with charming characters that I can't help but love, is a book I can't help but love.

That having been said... I definitely intend to read more of this series and hopefully try her Myrtle Clover (under Elizabeth Spann Craig) series as well.