This was not my cup of tea; I found the story-line tepid and flat, the characters condescending and the whole thing very stereotypical in how people and situations were portrayed. As someone who has friends of Greek/Armenian descent, I felt the author's descriptions of them borderline offensive and the whole Jersey-vibe was so condescending and stereotypical that I spent much of the time either rolling my eyes or angry. I will not be reading any more of these and would not recommend them to anyone.

Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was enamored with the first book in this series, Hummus and Homicide, and I must say that I am equally happy with this book and looking forward to the next in the series, One Feta in the Grave, which will be released in February 2019! This book was filled with lots of mystery and mayhem. In this book we get a lot more description of the Jersey Shore where they live and I soaked up every bit...living vicariously though each page. I loved all of the Lucy and Katie time...they tend to remind me of Lucy and Ethel! I just love the two of them when they get into investigation mode. As for the elephant in the room...the love triangle is heating up and holding strong. I haven't decided which team I am voting for yet...stay tuned. This is another fantastic add to the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series and honestly I am going to have a hard time waiting until February to see what the gang gets themselves into next!

When I read the first book in this series, HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE, I was instantly taken with author Tina Kashian’s style of writing, the wonderful characters and setting she introduced me to, and the food. STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA served to reminded me about all the reasons I loved that book, and more!

It was wonderful to be back with this cast of characters that feel more like friends and family. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them all so much and can’t wait to learn even more about them in future installments.

With a cleverness worthy of the mystery world’s greatest authors, Tina Kashian filled STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA with suspects, clues, twist and turns, and red herrings enough to keep me guessing until the end!

Truly a fabulous second installment in the Kebob Kitchen Mysteries, STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA with have you begging for more of this delicious series!

STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA by Tina Kashian
The Second Kebab Kitchen Mystery

It's a surprise when socialite Scarlet Westwood pays a visit to Kebab Kitchen, but even more so when she asks Lucy Berberian to cater her wedding. With less than two weeks notice for an event bigger than the kitchen has ever done, and no catering experience herself, Lucy agrees. This is her chance to prove herself and give the restaurant a big boost. With the help of her semi-retired parents, best friend, and Kebab Kitchen staff the event goes off with nary a hitch...until it's time to leave and Lucy finds Azad by their catering van with the murdered body of the best man inside!

The salty scent of the ocean, the fragrant aromas of lemon and garlic, all perfume the Jersey Shore in this, the second Kebab Kitchen Mystery. Romance is in the air as well as Lucy feels her attraction to Azad grow, despite her trying to put a lid on it. Yet sparks also fly when Michael is near. Although uncertain about the men in her life, Lucy is coming into her own. She's taking more responsibility for the restaurant and bringing her own ideas with her, in regards to Kebab Kitchen, her personal life, and her involvement in murder investigations.

This is a book of secrets, family, and loyalty. The mystery is compelling-a variety of suspects, a seemingly impossible puzzle, and an urgency to prove Azad innocent. I love the family dynamic, especially the realistic relationship between Lucy's parents; their bickering, their seeming opposition, but ultimate love for each other, their family and friends. I continue to giggle at Angela's crush on Cooking Kurt, the hot TV chef!

Humor, a smidge of romance, and an intriguing mystery flavor the second Kebab Kitchen Mystery making STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA a delectable mystery with heart.

Tina Kashian's second book in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series is Stabbed in the Baklava. Lucy agrees to take on a catering job for a high society wedding. She thinks it is the perfect opportunity to prove she can run Kebab Kitchen. When the best man winds up dead in the locked catering van, Kebab Kitchen's head chef is the prime suspect. The book had several twists and turns. The only thing missing is some hummus recipes. All of the descriptions of the varieties on the hummus bar have me hungry for my own to enjoy!

Stabbed in the Baklava is the second book in Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. but can be read as a standalone.
Even though I haven't read the first installment I had no trouble at all following the story as referenced to the previous book were well explained.
This time Lucy and her staff including head chef and former boyfriend Azad are catering their first socialite wedding when a horrible thing happens. Best man, who happens to be a man responsible for his bank loan being denied. Azad and the best man have an argument witnessed by the kitchen full of staff.
Not long after the best man is found dead in Lucy's truck murdered with a skewer.
Local detective who is not a fan of Berberian family puts Azad on top of the suspect list. So it's up to Lucy and her best friend to ask some questions and find out the truth,
I liked the story, it was well told and pretty interesting. Solid cast of characters and nicely represented close knit community.
I appreciated mistakes and mishaps Lucy experiences while investigating since she is not a professional and doesn't have an experience in questioning suspects. There were some very funny moments. I feel that she should make a decision regarding the romantic choice between two man interested in her.
I found out the ending somewhat abrupt and not explained well. The story was at times a bit too detailed and I felt it was at the expense of the end of the story.
All in all a very good mystery perfect for cozy lovers.

Lucy left her Jersey shore home town to go to law school and then practice law - patent law not criminal law. When she leave her practice to return home to take over the family restaurant, homicide becomes part of her life. Here she is, trying to cater a wedding dinner for 250 people and one of the wedding party turns up skewered in the catering van. He was a local banker and there is quite a list of possible suspects. All Lucy wants to do is run the family business but it's hard to do without the van, now in the possession of the local police. It is after all, the scene of the crime. Add to that. her ex-boyfriend and current head chef of the restaurant, is the prime suspect - his finger prints are on the murder weapon, a shish kebab skewer. So, will Lucy listen to her father and investigate or will she listen to her mother and stay out of it?
Given that the cop doing the investigating really dislikes her family and is in no hurry to return the van and Lucy is more than a tad bit invested in the situation.......she and her friend, Katie, start to nose around. Soon enough, they are firmly enmeshed in the case.
Too many amateur sleuths are just plain nosy and have very weak reasons for being involved in homicide investigations plus they believe they can do a better job than the local police. Lucy has a vested interest in the case and, eventually, one of the suspects contacts Lucy as her one phone call from jail. Hey, a lawyer is a lawyer, after all, right? Sort of and that pulls Lucy even further the mess. All in all, the mystery unfolds in such a way that the reader has no trouble believing the chain of events, the setting, the relationships - the whole story holds together very well. The characters are people you would like to know or at least the ones in Lucy's family and circle of friends. I will be looking forward to the third book in the series, One Feta in the Grave, due out 2/26/2019.

I fully enjoyed the first book in the series and this one was just as enjoyable. I love the setting - a Mediterranean restaurant because the hummus and other dishes all leave my mouth watering. Thank goodness there are recipes at the end that I can try to satisfy my cravings.

The victim in this book is a despicable banker that has some issues. It isn't too much of a surprise when he ends up dead, however, it takes a few tense scenes at a wedding reception to decipher who the victim might be in this book. The killer may, or may not, be obvious as you read the book. I suspected this character but didn't know for sure until it was all revealed at the end. The author does a great job of throwing red herrings in your path to discovering the truth. And of course, Lucy and Katie are in the middle of things trying to clear Azad's name. Lucy can't lose her head chef after all!

I'm waiting for the book when Detective Clemmons drops his dislike for Lucy and her family. There is a peace offering at the end of this book that just might lead to less hostility on his part, but only time will tell.

I was surprised that Michael (Harley owner next door to the restaurant) didn't make an appearance until halfway through the book and very little after that. I'm not sure if there is supposed to be a love triangle happening between Lucy, Azad, and Michael, but if there is this book didn't bring much tension to the triangle. Perhaps he is just meant to be a friend?

Overall the book does what it should - keep you guessing from start to finish while uncovering clues and trying to keep Lucy out of too much trouble.

Stabbed in the Baklava by Tina Kashian is the second A Kebab Kitchen Mystery. Lucy Berberian is now the manager of her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen in Ocean Crest, New Jersey. Lucy is surprised when Philadelphia socialite, Scarlet Westwood asks Kebab Kitchen to cater her wedding in two weeks. It is a tight timeline for the restaurant, but it would be excellent publicity. Two weeks later they arrive at Castle of the Sea prepared to wow the wedding guests with their cuisine. Preparations are going well until a drunken Henry Simms, local banker, stumbles into the kitchen and ends up in a verbal disagreement with Azad Zakarian, Kebab Kitchen’s head chef. After extricating Henry from the kitchen, the rest of the meal goes off without a hitch. Henry is later found in Kebab Kitchen’s van with a shish kebab skewer thrust through his neck. Detective Calvin Clemmons, unfortunately, is assigned the case and he has narrowed his sights on Azad. Lucy, at the urging of her parents, works to prove Azad’s innocence and unveil the killer. Accompany Lucy on her campaign to decipher the clues and spot the individual who skewered the banker like a shish kebab!

Stabbed in the Baklava contains good writing and a nice steady pace which makes for an easy to read cozy mystery. While Stabbed in the Baklava is the second book in series, it can be read alone. The author provides Lucy’s backstory and summarizes the mystery from Hummus and Homicide. Lucy has settled into managing the restaurant and is learning how to cook as well. There are some luscious food descriptions that will have readers craving Mediterranean food. Her attempts at making improvements at the restaurant have met with limited success. Lucy has two love interests which include her old boyfriend, Azad Kazarian who has her parent’s approval and the handsome motorcycle riding Michael Citteroni. While a cozy mystery needs to have some romance (it is expected), I prefer it to play out softly in the background and I am tired of love triangles. The murder mystery was ingenuous. I identified the victim and killer before the victim was skewered. Lucy needs to work on how she asks suspects questions. She lacks subtlety and her questions come across as accusatory (I am sure she will get better in time). I hope the author introduces a new detective in a future book. Detective Clemmons is the cliché nasty detective with a grudge because of an incident that occurred in high school. I appreciate Lucy’s best friend, Katie Watson. She is a lively character with an upbeat personality. Katie is always up for adventure and has inside intel thanks to her police officer hubby. I did feel that there was too much time devoted to Lucy speculating on the crime and I could have used less repetition of key details (like Lucy’s lack of cooking skills). Stabbed in the Baklava is an undemanding cozy mystery with a quaint small town, charming characters and food descriptions that will have you salivating.

I read the first title in the series, Hummus and Homicide, a few months back and was looking forward to reading the second installment. It did not disappoint! Reading this title was like catching up with old friends. I like that Kashian did not try to incorporate unnecessary subplots into the story that make little to no sense to the main plot. I've seen that happen in other cozy mystery series (romantic relationships out of nowhere, inconsistencies related to location and time period, etc.) and it makes it difficult to follow the story/want to continue the series. The story picks up right where it left off: Lucy adjusting to life back in her Jersey shore town after leaving her law firm in Philadelphia. She's still dealing with her mother encouraging her to settle down with Azad and helping her family run their Mediterranean restaurant.

The mystery associated with this story made things a little interesting since Azad was the main suspect in the murder. The list of suspects kept me guessing the identity of the murderer without bogging the reader down with too many sub-characters, although I will say that I wish some of these characters had more development. There were instances where Lucy and Katie, her best friend, got themselves into impossible situations while sleuthing that seemed unbelievable at times; however, I will say that they did have me laughing out loud when these situations occurred. I like the inclusion of Lucy's love life into the story, but I hope the love triangle that Kashian is hinting at doesn't last for much longer. When love triangles forever and ever in a cozy mystery series they seem to take away from the main plot (the mystery) and can annoying. I will say that it hasn't gotten that point yet so fingers crossed.

I can't wait until the third title in the series is released! I've grown to love this series and can't wait to read about Lucy's exploits in the Jersey shore. :)

4 Stars
Cozy Mystery with Great Recipes
This cozy mystery takes place in an ethnic restaurant along the Jersey shore. This must be part of a series as there are many references to solving a prior murder. Beyond that, this book stands alone quite well. It is a fun cozy but refers to the prior murder way too often for my taste. One of the best parts of the book are the recipes! These include baklava, kebabs, and stuffed grape leave, Yum. I received this book for free and voluntarily chose to post my honest review.

This is a fun cozy mystery set at the New Jersey Shore. The backdrop is a Mediterranean restaurant with lots of yummy foods. As I am half Greek, many of the foods and dances, etc. described in the book, reminded me of my childhood. One of my favorite desserts ever is baklava (yum, honey and nuts!)

This the second book in this series and the first that I have read. I didn’t have problems picking up the story line so it can be read stand-alone. There were numerous references to the first book but not so many that it would make reading it a chore. There is a past to the characters that could be enhanced by reading the first book, so if you have the chance, you might read the series in order.

Our sleuth, Lucy, is managing the family restaurant after having been disillusioned in her law career. She and her best friend have taken on solving a murder mystery in the past and, when a body is found in this story, circumstances prime them to do so again.

Lucy also has to contend with both her ex-boy friend (who is now the restaurant’s cook) and a detective who has a grudge against her family. She steps carefully around both and still has the wherewithal to follow the clues where they lead.

Definitely a fun and quick mystery read. Just for the recipes alone, I would have to pick up these books in the future. That the story is fun and fun to solve gives it a top listing series on my wish list.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

If loved the first Kebob Kitchen mystery then you're definitely going to love this second installment.
Just by the stunning cover you can see that the mystery is set in the midst of a wedding! I really enjoy cozies that include weddings and this one did not disappoint.
The author has created likable characters and the mystery is well planned. Lots of twists and turns keep you guessing until the end. I especially loved the recipes included at the end of book.
I am a real fan of this series and am eagerly awaiting the next book by this author!

Stabbed in the Baklava by Tina Kashian is the 2nd book in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series, and I loved it. Lucy Berberian quits her attorney job in Philadelphia, and returns home to Ocean Crest, NJ to help out in her family's restaurant. Kebab Kitchen takes on a big catering job, a wedding for a high society couple. Unfortunately the best man gets stabbed with a shish kebab spear, and the head chef is the prime suspect. Lucy is determined to find the real killer and clear the restaurant name. This mystery has it all, a great plot that is well developed along with great characters. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, than I strongly recommend this book. 

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed the characters, setting, and plot line. Book was well written and a good distraction from the real world.

Lucy Berberian is getting used to managing the Kebab Kitchen, her family’s Mediterranean restaurant on the Jersey Shore. The restaurant is hired at the last minute to cater a high-society wedding for socialite Scarlet Westwood. Things are going well at the event until best man Henry Simms ends up stabbed dead with a shish kebab skewer. Lucy’s ex and the Kebab Kitchen's head chef Azad is the prime suspect since he threatened to kill the banking president earlier that evening. Lucy does her own sleuthing to prove his innocence.

This was a quick and tasty read.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I loved the first book in this series and I loved this one.
It was nice to meet again the cast of characters and the mouthwatering Middle-eastern recipes.
The plot was engaging even if it wasn't hard to understand who the culprit is.
I look forward to reading further instalments in this series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Stabbed in the Baklava

by Tina Kashian

Author Tina Kashian draws heavily on real life for background and details as she composes her Kitchen Kabab Mystery Series. Like Lucy, her heroine, Tina Kashian grew up working all the various necessary jobs in her parents’ Armenian restaurant on the New Jersey coast. She later worked as a lawyer honing her investigative expertise. Now she puts all of her skills together to create mouth-watering cozy mysteries.

In Stabbed in the Baklava, when Lucy Berberian and her staff cater a celebrity wedding reception, a murder victim is found. To save Lucy’s head chef, Lucy and her friend Katie work hard to find the perpetrator amidst a lot of possibilities. It seems everyone has a secret, and the secrets cause a lot of pain and misunderstandings. Lucy has to get to the bottom of the puzzle to save lives and satisfy justice.

This is a fast-moving cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Several times the author uses Lucy to clearly review the complicated plot as the events appear at that point in the story—not a bad technique of summary and clarification. The ending unravels in a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: This second book in the Kitchen Kabab Mystery Series works well as a standalone. The author fills the reader in on background from the first book in the series thoroughly but not tediously.

Publication: August 28, 2018—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

A chrome and black Harley-Davidson motorcycle was in the driveway, its engine purring like a large contented beast. A tall, good-looking, dark-haired man wearing faded jeans and a leather jacket walked out of the garage and halted by the Harley. Lucy couldn’t see his eyes from this distance, but she knew they were as bright blue as the sky on a sultry, summer day at the beach.

A knot tightened in Lucy’s stomach, and she struggled with an unexpected uncertainty. If she was getting better at misleading people in order to gather information, what did that say about her?

Lucy’s mind had seen what it expected to see rather than seeing the truth.

Stabbed in the Baklava is a fun, refreshing cozy mystery. Lucy is a good character who adds humor to the story.
Returning to her family restaurant, Lucy seems to have a knack for getting tangled in messy situations.
Catering a big wedding is just what the family restaurant needs and Lucy is determined to make it work.
What she doesn't plan on is having a murder take place at the reception, putting her head chef at the top of the suspect list.

The author writes a fantastic story and her recipes sound delicious.

I highly recommend this book.
I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Lucy Berberian is excited and a bit nervous when she gets a catering job for a wealthy socialite. Everything must be perfect, but when one of the wedding guests is found dead in her catering van and stabbed with one of her shish kebab skewers, the event takes an awful turn. To make things even more complicated and bizarre, her head chef - her ex boyfriend - is the prime suspect.

Lucy knows Azad couldn’t have committed this horrible crime and fully intends to prove it to the cops. She’s shocked at the secrets she uncovers, especially when they put her own life on the line.

This is the second book in one of my new favorite cozy mystery series. The Kebab Kitchen series is fun. It is filled with humor, mystery and some romance along the way. It’s a fast-paced read with well-developed characters. The author gave us many suspects to choose from. I was very surprised at the direction she took.

Lucy has a strong group of supporting characters. They are all people the reader can care about and want to meet up again in the next book of this series, I know I’m looking forward to another visit to the Jersey Shore with Lucy and her crew.