I didn't read the first installment of this series, and the hints back at it do intrigue me. As a standalone title, this mystery is okay for me. I like the set-up. Restaurants and bookshops are two of my very favorite places, so Tessa and her cousin dealing with small business concerns as well as a murder is right up my alley. I found the dialog of the various family conversations a little too over-the-top and histrionic for my taste. And the way Tess and Gabby keep going to Preston's home and various things...their sleuthing just feels too bumbling and obvious. I know cozies aren't known for their realism, but this felt a little distant for me, like I was watching a play acted out on community television. Okay, that makes it sound worse than it was. It was a fairly enjoyable read, just a little heavy-handed.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book by Catherine Bruns in the Italian Chef Mystey series, Penne Dreadful, and It Cannoli be Murder was another winner… which is not always the case with the second book in a cozy mystery series, so I was very happy!

As with the first book Bruns does a fantastic job with the scene descriptions, character development, and the mouth watering scenes with food. We got to know the characters very well in the first book, so in It Cannoli be Murder not only do we get some new insights into the main characters, but the new characters receive just as much detail. Tessa and her cousin, Gabby, have a fantastic relationship. Although they are cousins, it’s more like they are sisters and both of them are people I would love to have as friends. There’s a new detective in town that is a jerk so I’m interested to see if there will be a heartwarming story in future books that sheds a light on why he’s so mean, or to find out if that’s just the way he acts all the time.

Tessa’s landlord, Vince, is looking awful good to me and I hope something starts to happen with them in the romance department. I would jump on… ummm… I meant, at, a chance to be with him. Tall, dark, handsome, romantic, and owns a winery, Yes, Please. Then there’s her long time friend, Justin… while he’s attractive too and has been very sweet to Tessa, I’m still rooting for Vince.

There were lots of suspects as to who the killer could be and plenty of red herrings to keep one guessing. I thought I had figured out whodunnit, but I was wrong, which I always enjoy in a cozy mystery. Some of the suspects were vile people so it goes to show that Bruns can write a variety of characters very well.

Another great addition to the Italian Chef Mysteries and I am excited to see where book three leads. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you should definitely give this series a try!

This book and I were not off to a good start. There was too much exposition in the first chapter for my taste. Even though I haven’t read the first book in the series, I don’t have to be brought up to speed immediately.

It’s very hard for a book to pull me back in after an initial dislike. But I’m always willing to give books a chance. This book completely lost the opportunity for any nice comments from me when Gabby - while putting cannoli on a serving dish - suddenly wonders where her keys are. That’s kind of lamp posting that a missing key is going to be a big deal. Later that night Gabby manages to lock up her shop (no mention of the keys is made) and the next morning notices the key to her shop is missing. How did she lock up and why is this not a pivotal part of the investigation when a dead body is found in Gabby’s shop?

Gabby and her cousin Tessa find themselves looked at as suspects in a murder. The reason for this is flimsy at best: Daphne died at Gabby’s shop and Tessa made cannoli for an event at the bookshop and Daphne died eating someone else’s cannoli. Tessa and Gabby decide to nonetheless do their own investigation to find the murderer and clear their names. They do this by getting access to someone’s house under false pretences, tampering with possible evidence and stealing someone’s mail.

All the while Tessa is wondering why no one has made any reservations for the opening night of her restaurant. Quite possibly because she’s never around to pick up the phone when someone calls.

The book was written well enough but it had too many characters behaving stupidly for my taste.

I received this ebook in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book was so good! It kept me guessing to the very end. Tessa and Gabby’s friendship was so convincing that it makes me want to see what they are up to now.

The character development was superb and the world building was very well done. I will go back and read her other books and look forward to the next one in this series!

I found it difficult to get into the book. I am not sure why, something about the characters was just "off" for me. I admit I did not finish the book.

Another exciting Italian chef cozy! Of course, Tessa and Gaby are in over their heads, when a book signing at Gaby's book shop ends in murder being discovered by Tessa after hours (when no one else is there.) Tessa and Gaby are suspects, and worried that their businesses will fail after this (Tessa is opening up her restaurant in the old Slice spot).

All the twists and turns, lots of surprises, food ( don't read when hungry!), and a hint of romance. Great for a summer beach read.

Loved the second book in the series! Fun mystery, hard to put down. Read it in one day. Love Tessa and her crazy Italian family!

Love this series. Tess us opening a restaurant and her cousin a bookstore. When a murder happens tess and gabby set out to find the killer before they kill again. To hear more read the book.

This was a delicious mystery. I loved Tessa and her restaurant "Anything's Pastable." The plot was satisfying . With surprising plot twists. I guessed who the murderer was but still an exciting mystery. I enjoyed the family element and Tessas cousin's Gabby bookshop and how she played a role in finding the killer.

I have this book an honest review for Netgalley

First it was pizza. Now it's cannoli. What's next? Why do I keep torturing myself with food related stories while on a diet? This book made me so hungry my mouth was watering and my stomach was rumbling all throughout!

After solving her husband's murder, Tessa is about to fulfill one of her dreams, to open a restaurant. When her cousin's high school nemesis is found dead in Gabby's bookstore after a book signing by a famous author both of them turn into suspects, Gabby because her long time enmity with the victim and Tessa cause police think she made the murder weapon, a cannoli (if that's the weapon murder me a thousand times, please!). So if they don't want both their businesses to go under they must unveil the real killer.

"It cannoli be murder" is your typical food themed cozy mystery filled with a lovable amateur sleuth (although I might have yelled some other "really, girl?" to my kindle with some of her actions), some nice secondary characters and a handful of hateful suspects, all seasoned with some delicious italian recipes.

The mystery resolution came a bit out of nowhere but it was satisfactory. Also, am I the only one thinking that there was a plot hole in the first chapters relating the missing bookstore keys?

Light and quick read with the perfect mix of intrigue and humour.

3,5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#It Cannoli Be Murder#Netgalley. Newly widowed Tessa Esposito is ready to open her Italian restaurant . Weeks before the opening while she is helping her cousin Gabby with a signing by a local author a bully comes back into their lives. After closing she is murdered in the back room of the bookshop. The use of cannolis to kill her has Tessa worried about her opening being snubbed by people fearing her food was the cause of her death. Add in the equation that her cousin is worried she will be fingered for the murder.
With both business in danger of going under the two hook up to find the murder. The girls being related to and/or dating local law enforcement officers complicates their investigation. The use of the neighbors the ladies grew up around enhanced the story greatly.

This is a fabulous second book in the series. It is almost opening day for Tess’ Italian restaurant and things are looking up for her cousin Gabby’s bookstore when someone is murdered. Tess, Gabby and several other people are considered suspects. I certainly got hungry while reading about the food Tess was cooking up. The author described it so well. The characters are perfect, if not all lovable. The descriptions are perfect. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley.

cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, friendship, law-enforcement

Did everyone but me know that this was a book 2? I had no idea until after I finished it, guess that shows that it is good as a stand alone. The whole family gets involved when a murder occurs in the bookshop of one cousin and her BFF cousin is implicated. But with family on the force there's a lot of other problems as well. Good sleuthing and a plot filled with sneaky tricks, red herrings, and other surprises. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

As the book blurb says, this is the second in a series and just as enjoyable as the first one. Tessa’s cousin Gabby hosts a book signing and the publisher is murdered which starts off a whodunit where both Tessa and Gabby are suspects. There’s enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout the book.

I like the focus on the characters - to me, a good cozy has both a good mystery and likable characters who become more developed as a series goes on and this book/series has both.

Also a bonus - the wonderful food that made me hungry just reading about it!

This book is ok. I felt like it focused a lot more on Tessa and the other characters more than it did the murder. I had a hard time getting into it. The reveal of the murderer was exciting as I had no clue that it was Marta. Her reasons sound crazy. #It Cannoli Be Murder #NetGalley

It Cannoli Be Murder is the second book in Catherine Bruns’ Italian Chef Mysteries series. The storyline flows smoothly in this steadily paced cozy whodunit. The mystery is solid, and the affable characters are well developed. There are plenty of twists and turns, red herrings, and suspects to keep the reader engaged. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Tessa Esposito’s husband recently passed away, and while she’s still grieving, the talented Italian chef is about to realize her dream of owning a restaurant. While she’s preparing for the grand opening of Anything’s Pastable, she agrees to prepare treats for a New York Times bestselling author, Preston Rigotta’s book signing at Once Upon a Book, the bookstore owned by her cousin and best friend, Gabby Mancusi. Gabby had been coordinating the signing with Preston’s daughter, Willow, and is taken aback when her high school nemeses, Daphne Daniels, shows up and announces that she’s Preston’s publicist. Gabby does her best to keep her temper in check and suffer the daunting abuse Daphne dishes out, but in the end, they get into a public argument. When Tessa goes to the bookstore to retrieve her phone the next morning, she discovers Daphne’s body, and once poisoning is determined as the cause of death, Gabby and Tessa become suspects in Detective Padraic “Paddy” McDermott’s mind. Sergeant Warner won’t allow Gabby’s brother, Detective Gino Mancusi, and her boyfriend and police officer, Lou Sawyer, to work on the case. Tessa and Gabby both fear this will affect the future of their businesses and are determined to track down the guilty party.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press, in return for an honest review. While the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Tessa Esposito is within two weeks of opening her Italian restaurant and sweating out all of the last-minute details to ensure the opening is a success. As a favor to her cousin and best friend, Gabby, Tessa agrees to provide the cannoli and biscotti for Gabby’s bookstore signing event of a famous author, Preston. On the night of the event, Preston arrives with an entourage of three, including his daughter, his snooty local celebrity TV chef wife, and his new publicist, who happens to be Gabby and Tessa’s high school nemesis. Tensions run high during the evening as spats flare between the various characters, ending in Preston leaving and vowing never to set foot in Gabby’s bookstore again. Early the next morning, Tessa realizes she’s left her phone at Gabby’s store and goes by to get it, borrowing a key from Gabby. While there, she discovers a body that appears to have died from eating cannoli but not the cannoli that Tessa provided for the book signing. With a new detective on the local police force who doesn’t accept that Gabby and Tessa are innocent, they realize that it’s up to them to solve the murder and save both Gabby and Tessa’s businesses.
This is a solid cozy mystery and one I recommend. It builds upon the first book in the series which included Tessa’s husband’s unexpected death and her efforts to move forward with their dream of opening a restaurant. It emphasizes the importance of family and working together to solve all of the problems that crop up in life. This book introduces new and returning characters to ensure lots of future story lines of interest. I’m looking forward to the next in this series.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my honest review.*

Tessa Esposito is days away from opening her restaurant and trying to work through the last few hurdles to get to opening night. Gabby, her cousin, has landed a signing at her book store by a big time author and is hoping this will be just what she needs to put the bookstore on the map so that she can stay open. Tessa is catering the event and helping Gabby out by setting up. Author Preston Rigotta shows up with his entourage - wife, daughter and his publicist Daphne who also happens to be the high school bully who picked on Gabby. The morning after the book signing, Daphne is found dead in the bookstore and Gabby and Tessa are the prime suspects.

For me, this series is very refreshing! It is a cozy, for sure, but the writing is not the stream of thought that seems to be growing in popularity. There are quite a few viable suspects for the murder and I was guessing until the end! The writing is done well and the story is very well paced with Gabby and Tessa investigating and getting tips from Gabby's twin Gino and Gabby's boyfriend Lou who both work on the police force. There are some intense moments and it was hard to put the book down at times.

I really enjoyed this book and will make sure to continue reading the series as more are published. And I am recommending it to all of my friends who enjoy cozy mysteries!

It Cannoli Be Murder is the second book in this series and like all of Catherine Bruns writing it feels like I get to hang out with my best friends and solve crime. Tessa Esposito is planning the opening of her new restaurant and is still grieving for her husband but has a network of friends and family for everlasting support. Her cousin, Gabby has a struggling bookshop so when a big author agrees to sign books, Tessa volunteers to help. Disaster strikes when Gabby's bully from high school, Daphne, winds up being the publicist for the author. Daphne makes a scene at the signing and then turns up dead in the bookstore and Tessa and Gabby seem to be at the top of the suspect list. Running face first into danger and circumventing a cranky detective, the duo sends the reader down an entertaining, page turning journey. The characters leave an impression and the mystery throws you an interesting twists for a good cozy mystery of a read while the recipes are just an extra treat. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Tessa is a young widow who is close to fulfilling her dream of opening a restaurant. Her cousin Gabby has persuaded a local author to do a book signing at her store and Tessa provides the food. The authors publicist is an old high school nemesis of Gabbys and unfortunately she ends up dead in Gabby's shop.

Both cousins are suspects and Tessa decides to do some sleuthing to clear both their names. The characters are likeable and there are enough red herrings to keep you interested. A fun book.