Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon is the 3.5th book in the Farm to Fork Mystery series, and another great book. Angie Turner and her restaurant, The County Seat, staff are catering a dinner then spending the rest of the week having a retreat. The catering client is a famous rock star, who knows one of the staff. Unfortunately someone is murdered, and the house is snowed in. There are twists and turns around every corner. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I can not wait for the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Co-workers versus celebrities. Interesting look at the relationships within a business, including the business of music. Forgot this was a novella and was surprised at how quickly the culprit was exposed. Good story.

I have to limit myself on picking books with adorable dogs on the cover as my TBR list is getting out of control. LOL. For the third time this week I have added another series to read for 2020.

The novella does include a recipe for NYE Sweet and Sour Chestnuts. Sounds very yummy.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington (Lyrical Press), through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon is the fourth A Farm-to-Fork Mystery. Angie Turners, chef and co-owner of County Seat, along with Felicia Williams and the rest of their staff are at Cliff Henry’s house in Sun Valley. Cliff is the lead singer of the newly reunited band, Postal Mutiny. County Seat has been hired to cater a party that evening, and they get the opportunity stay at the cabin until New Year’s Day. During this retreat, Angie wants them to work on new recipes for the upcoming season. Angie’s plans fly out the window when band member, Dane is found dead at the dining room table the next morning with a drumstick protruding from his chest. Sheriff Pearson suspects it is an accidental death from Dane overindulging in alcohol until the test results come in. Unfortunately, Angie and the gang are stuck at the house with a blizzard raging outside and a killer on the loose inside. The group from the County Seat attempt to identify the guilty party in between whipping up delectable meals. The mystery was simple with little investigation (seemed like Angie was avoiding it). The focus of the book was on food and not murder. Avid cozy mystery readers should have no problem pinpointing the guilty party before the first course is served. I suggest reading Who Moved My Goat Cheese? Before reading Have a Deadly New Year. As it is a novella, you do not get the opportunity to know the characters or their background. I found the story to be disappointing and not like Lynn Cahoon’s A Tourist Trap Mystery series. The characters felt flat and so did the story. I felt Have a Deadly New Year was a miss and not in tune with the other books in A Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. This will not keep me from reading the next A Farm-to-Fork Mystery this spring titled Deep Fried Revenge.

Fun novella that is a quick read. The story makes me want to go back to the previous books in order to find out more about the characters. Looking forward to reading more of this series!

During the holiday rush sometimes finding time to sit down and read is tough to accomplish. So this novella, fitting in between #3 One Potato, Two Potato, Dead and #4 Deep Fried Revenge (coming out on April 7, 2020) is the perfect size. At 88 pages it's a fast but very satisfying mystery.
Angie has seen her restaurant do well for the year and now she and her partner, Felicia are going to end the year with a catering gig for one of Felicia's college friends. The location is a cabin hideaway and music is provided by their rock band. Too bad the menu soon includes a murder. One of the band members is found skewered by a drum stick. What a nasty way to usher out the old year and welcome in the new one. When the snow falls and prevents them from leaving it's very clear that there is a killer at the party and the suspect list is rather limited. Time for Angie, Felicia and the rest of the catering crew to figure out who dunnit before the year ends.
The mystery was just right with some humor and the series usual great cast of characters. It's fine as a stand alone. I already have #4 on my must read list for next year.

This was a great little whodunnit. It had great characters, a full plot, and the suspense needed to satisfy the mystery lover in me. I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy of HAVE A DEADLY NEW YEAR (A Farm-to-Fork Mystery Novella) by Lynn Cahoon in exchange for an honest review. Chef Angie Turner and her business partner Felicia have taken the entire kitchen staff of the County Seat restaurant on an out-of-town catering job. Felicia’s old school buddy Cliff hired them to cater to his friends and fellow bandmates for an evening and a morning in exchange for letting the County Seat use his mansion for a week-long retreat immediately afterward. As it turns out, the bandmates aren’t as friendly towards each other as they appear on television. When one of most disagreeable bandmates is murdered via wooden drumstick to the heart, the County Seat kitchen crew end up snowed-in with a murderer. Worried that the killer may be on a drumroll, Angie decides to identify the perpetrator so the remaining residents’ heartbeats can go on.

I enjoy the writing of Lynn Cahoon; she’s one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. This is the first novella in the Farm-to-Fork Mysteries. I recommend this story to people who are already familiar with the characters in the series.

#HaveADeadlyNewYear #NetGalley

Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon is a novella, part of the Farm-to-Fork series featuring Angie and Felicia and the gang from The County Seat, Idaho's finest farm-to-table restaurant. This time they are catering and then spending a week developing new menu items for the restaurant. Felicia had set up this gig with an old friend, Cliff Henry, the lead singer for Postal Mutiny, a band about to make its reappearance after a breakup several years earlier. One dinner for 30 and they were done, the guests would leave, and the gorgeous cabin would be theirs for a week. Retreat, her they come! That is until one of the members of the band ends up dead with a drumstick through his chest. They all need to stay put as there is a major blizzard and a child is lost so the authorities are prioritizing and looking for the child before investigating the murder. Makes sense.

There are lots of variables here and lots of personalities. The band didn't always get along and the dead buy was writing and expose...something no one was very excited about. All The County Seat folks wanted was to solve Dane's murder and get on with it, but that didn't look like it was going to happen. Then, Bailey, Cliff's girl, goes missing in the middle of the night. Can thins get worse? Rock and Roll bands can be difficult, and that's the truth. This was a pretty good locked door mystery that involved mostly the band, but really everyone in the cabin. I enjoyed it. You will, too. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Have a Deadly New Year from Netgalley. #netgalley #haveadeadlynewyear

What an interesting story line. Musicians and cooks. It might be fun to stay in a huge fancy house and cater to musician’s short term. Would you want to put up with those personalities? Angie, Felicia, and crew have their hands full. Let’s throw in a blizzard and a missing child and that can add to the excitement or the stress, depending on your viewpoint. A great story to sit back and enjoy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Can’t wait to see what Angie and crew get involved in next. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

A great novella. Usually short stories lack in depth but not this one.
A good read if you're looking for something fast but satisfying.

Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon is a fun murder mystery novella. All your favorite characters are trapped in a snowed in house over the New Years holiday with the members of a crazy, old rock band. Ms. Cahoon sets the scene, murders the fading rockstar, and solves the mystery in just a few pages. And manages to add a touch of humor and romance along the way. The story grips your right at the beginning and luckily it won’t take you long to learn what happened. A great short read for in between holiday cooking and preparation for New Year’s Day.

Chef Angie and her staff are catering a party for a band and then staying on in the mansion for a retreat over the New Year's holiday. Things seem to be going well, until a storm hits and the dinner ends with people angry and heading to their rooms. Some of the gathered leave, but a few remain in the morning, only one of them is dead. The police arrive, but are called away because of the storm. With no where to go, Angie and her staff begin to realize someone in their midst is the murderer. A good plot, a quick read and well thought out characters highlight this novella.

Have a Deadly New Year
(Farm-to-Fork Mystery #3.5)
by Lynn Cahoon 

Kindle Edition, 88 pages
Expected publication: December 3rd 2019 by Lyrical Underground



Goodreads synopsis:
Chef Angie Turner of The County Seat—Idaho’s finest farm-to-table restaurant—is preparing a private dinner in the mountains during ski season, but the trip’s about to go downhill . . .

It’s a rockin’ New Year for Angie and her crew as they cater a bash for a famous band—and as a bonus, they’ll get to stay at the singer’s Sun Valley house for a whole week once the party’s over. But there are hints of discord, and the event hits a sour note when one of the musicians is found with a drumstick in his chest.

Is this a case of creative differences turned lethal or is there another motive at play? Angie’s jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire as she and her fellow foodies try to solve the case before the killer comes out for an encore . . 


***

4.5 Stars

This is a novella (#3.5) in the Farm to Fork Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon.

I have to admit that even though Cahoon is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors, I have yet to dig into this series. So I guess reading a novella isn’t going to spoil me for any of the previous books. This felt really contained and more like a standalone.

Angie and her crew have been asked to cater a party for a popular band and once one argument between band-mates occurs, the party just seems to become a series of mishaps. Then the next morning one of the most vocal is found dead with a drumstick in his chest.

I kind of enjoyed getting a taste of the series like this. It was quite an interesting tale, and told pretty quickly so I don’t want to spoil too much. I am curious to see how many of these characters show up in the normal series. I would really like to see an expanded look at who they all are. This book just gives us a great taste of what Farm-To-Fork might be like.

I will definitely be checking this series out in 2020 and get myself up to date. Why don’t you join me.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check out this bakery cozy. It is super fun!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Short Farm-to-Fork mystery set just prior to New Year's Eve. Angie and her crew are doing onsite catering for a musician who is a friend of Felicia's. Another member of the group is killed.
Time to resolution was quick since the book is only 88 pages long. It's an enjoyable story.

Angie and her crew are looking forward to a week-long winter retreat. The only thing they have to do first is provide a gourmet dinner for 30 people, which includes one of Felicia's (Angie's business partner) long time friends and rock musician, Cliff, who also owns the house they are all staying in. Things seem to be going ok until the next morning when they discover one of the band members with a drum stick in his chest.

Angie's investigative skills will be put to the test trying to solve this mystery before anyone else is attacked.

I love Angie, Felicia, and all the County Seat restaurant crew. The series is fun with interesting characters and storylines.

Chef Angie Turner closes her restaurant, The County Seat, for a week to work a catering job for the New Year's holiday week where they are to cater a few meals for a band getting back together for a new tour. After the catering job, they have worked out a plan with one of the band members who is hosting the get together to stay in his home for a retreat. Felicia, who runs the front of the restaurant while Angie runs the kitchen, is friends with band member Cliff and worked out a deal with him. Sounds like a great plan until Dane, one of the band members, is found dying on the dining table the morning after the big dinner. Cliff and Dane had a big fight the night before so he is the main suspect but Angie, Felicia, and the restaurant staff work together to find out the truth after the Sheriff arrives and has to leave when a child goes missing. The weather doesn't cooperate as a snow storm hits the mountainous region of Idaho. The restaurant crew has to deal with some wacky self centered wealthy band members, girl friends, and managers. Short and twisty, Have a Deadly New Year has a great mystery to solve by the usual characters of the series.
I received a complimentary ARC from Lyrical Underground and Kensington Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

A Farm-to-Fork Novella

Chef Angie and her helpers from The County Seat are catering a private dinner in a huge house in the mountains for a celebrity with the deal being the crew get to stay in the house for a week, to think up new menu items and try them out.

This should be a good New Year for them all. Should be. Until the drummer is found with a drumstick in his chest. With a snowstorm on the way in and the entire crew and band stuck in the same house, tensions escalate quickly! These were some seriously nasty people. 

Angie and her crew put on their sleuthing caps and try to figure out which one of the people they are living with is a killer. Who would want our drummer dead? Turns out quite a few people!

I love the idea of the holiday-themed novellas that Ms. Cahoon does. We get a little update on our favorite characters and series while waiting for the new full-size books.

Out of all the series, she writes this is the one I was on the fence about. And now it's one of my favorites. The characters and settings are so real I fully expect to drive into Idaho and have lunch!

Great Job!

NetGalley/December 3rd, 2019 by Lyrical Underground

I love this series so much and I am so sad that this book was really a novella - I wanted SO much more of Angie and her crew, but am happy we got this while we wait for the next book!!

This was an interesting story that shows what entitlement can do to you [though not everyone who is entitled ends up murdered] and how difficult, even when you are in the food business, to deal with them. I felt bad for Felicia as she is brought back to a world she had left behind and has to see what life might have been for her if she had done what her parent's dictated.

A quick read, I am looking forward to the next full-length book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book in this series, and I was a little confused with the characters in this fairly short novella. The story is clever, but I like the Tourist Trap books better.

Angie is with her catering company hosting a dinner in a huge house in ski country for a band. Cliff, the singer and owner of the house is a friend of her partner, Felicity. During the dinner, the cooking crew hear arguments in the dining room. However, everyone goes off to bed after dinner. The next morning, they find a band member, Dane, dead with a drumstick sticking out of his chest. The police come, but have to leave because someone is lost in a huge snow storm. The catering crew have to make meals for the band rather than having the opportunity to stay in the house and test recipes as planned.

It turns out that Dane was writing a book which talked about all the affairs of the other band members. When Cliff appears in the kitchen the next morning with his girlfriend missing, they all have to search the house to find her. Angie does find Baily, locked in a closet near the pool. As they begin to question everyone, lots of information comes out about the band members, and soon the killer gives away too much information. When the police come back, Angie has solved the case.