“Shredding the Evidence” by Daryl Wood Gerber the 9th instalment in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series. I had forgotten how much I enjoy this series. This is only the 3rd book I have read in the series and it will not be my last. I hope to read the earlier instalments one day soon, I have slowly been buying them. One thing I do like is the list of characters listed in the beginning as a quick reference.

I like Jenna as the protagonist she is realistic, relatable and I love Tigger the marmalade cat. The authors descriptions of the Food Bowl and Crystal Cove had me picturing myself walking down the streets enjoying all the aromas and appetizers. I have an uncle who was editor for a small town newspaper so understood Eugenes struggle with keeping the Crystal Cove newspaper going in today’s digital world.

As for the mystery it was full of twists, and a few turns which kept me guessing. Overall this was a very enjoyable read, especially if you’re a foodie.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read tho other entries in this series. There really wasn't anything that set this book apart from the previous books or even the other series that this author writes. This one felt a bit lazy to me. I felt like I had a whole bunch of people thrown at me at the beginning of the book but not in a way that I would remember who they were or how they fit in. There really wasn't a lot of action but a there was a lot of filler. People actions were often questionable. Jenna's fiance just opens a restaurant and already he wants more chefs and managers so he can work less? There were also several mistakes that were just plain lazy. Th idiom is not "tow the line"; that makes no sense. It is "toe the line". It is lazy not to check sources if you are going to include things like this. I had a hard time keeping my interest in the story.

This is the ninth Cookbook Nook Mystery in the series. I have not read all of them and found this to be a standalone story.

I liked the list of characters listed in the beginning for quick reference. I enjoyed the food bowl theme and the smalltown newspaper’s predicament relevant to today’s times.

Jenna is engaged, her best friend’s husband is under suspicion for murder and a reporter is dead. Who did it and why. These are revealed as Jenna and Bailey try to clear Tito.

I am looking forward to trying a few of the recipes listed in the back of the book.


I received an advanced readers copy of this story from Netgalley. I am not required to leave a positive review.

The more I read it, the more I enjoy this series. Jenna is an enjoyable protagonist and the mystery kept me entertained and guessing until the very end. The author does a great job of describing the Food Bowl and Crystal Cove. I could picture myself walking down the tranquil streets enjoying all the mouthwatering snacks. It is always fun when I think I know who the killer is and it turns out I am completely wrong. An enjoyable book!

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

It’s Food Bowl Week in Crystal Cove and the resident food critic is killed at the local gym. When her best friends husband is the suspect, Jenna puts on her detective cap and sets out to figure out who the real culprit is.
With a host of people who hated the food critic, the list of suspects is long. Everyone from the owner of the gym, to the owner of the newspaper, Jenna has her work cut out. All the while, she needs to run the Cookbook Nook and get her new house in order.
This is the 9th story in the series, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not reading the first 8. I did however have issues with some of the descriptions, and at times felt that the author was just adding information to fill out the story. There were many times I got bored with the story and felt that certain parts were unnecessarily long. It took me far longer than a story of this size usually does.

*I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Apr 21, 2020

Shredding the Evidence is the ninth book in the Cookbook Nook mystery series, I believe this is the first book in the series I have read. The town is getting ready to have a Food Bowl Week, so of course something must happen to spice up things. Seems like many different people may have a reason to wish Kylie to be dead, what follows is a who done it as Jenna attempts to solve the mystery. Overall this was a well written and enjoyable read, I would recommend it to others.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of the book from NetGalley and the Publisher, and this is my fair and honest review.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

It Food Bowl Week and Jenna looks forward to sample the various goodies. But once again the mood will take a turn as a dead body is found and the main suspect is her best friend’s husband.

Who would want the local food reporter dead? It seems like the list is endless especially among the food world.
Another enjoyable read with yummy recipes included.

There's something comforting in reading a well written cozy mystery and you certainly get that with this book. Once again the author pens a good mystery filled with believable characters. I was really excited to get to read a new book in this series.

Food Bowl Week comes to Crystal Cove and along with it the demise of an unpopular food critic. But was she killed for a bad review or because she was unpopular? Jenna Hart has been sampling as many food specialties as she can stab with a fork but she loses her appetite when she discovers the food reporter dead surrounded by her reviews shredded to pieces. If her best friend's husband was the prime suspect Jenna would have just let it go, but feeling she needs to help her friend, she bites into the investigation to find the real killer.

The mystery was absorbing and the characters very engaging. Love the series! Keep them coming!

The irritating Kylie O. is killed in the gym Your Wellness. Tito, Bailey’s husband, is a prime suspect at least at first. Jenna and Bailey investigate while food week goes on in Crystal Cove.
There are good suspects and many have secrets - Susannah, Midge, Eugene, Audrey and Alexa.
Shredding the Evidence is the ninth book in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series. There is lots of shredding of vegetables and of paper. It plays a role in the mystery.
I enjoy how the author tells the story. This could be read as a stand-alone, but the relationships I’m the book have developed over the course of the series so a fuller understanding of all the issues happens if you’ve read all the books.

I love this series and I think this was an excellent addition.
It was great to meet again the likeable cast of characters, they are well written and interesting.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
I can't wait for the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Jenna Hart and the gang from Crystal Cove are back for another adventure in Shredding the Evidence.
Food Bowl Week sounds like so much fun, until a dead body interrupts the festivities. When a feisty reporter falls victim to murder, Jenna has to get involved, much to the chagrin of her beau and the police chief.
When one of the suspects is her friend's husband, Jenna sets out to find the answers, and Jenna find things are not as they seem to be.

Fans of this series will be excited to read this new installment.
#ShreddingTheEvidence #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Jenna the bookstore owner who is the amateur sleuth is not afraid to ask anyone anything. She so seems to enjoy what she is doing. Bailey is involved in this murder. This is one of those mysteries that keeps you guessing until almost the very end. It is a GOOD READ.

This series gives me so much joy to read, and this latest installment was the perfect compliment to it! Just when you think everything is going to calm down for all the characters, a murder happens to throw a wrench into what is a supposed to be a fun time filled with friends and food. What was most enjoyable about this book was not being able to guess who the murderer was out of all the suspects. The clues unfolding kept me guessing until the very end.

Jenna Hart owns a cookbook book store and a cafe in Crystal Cove, and has a reputation of being somewhat of a sleuth. After the local newspaper food reviewer is killed, Jenna works to find evidence her friend’s husband is not the murderer, and to find out who is. She soon learns there were many people who are not sorry the reporter is dead. This is a fun cozy mystery series, and the main characters are delightful. I would suggest start reading the books from the beginning of the series, but the author provides enough background in this book that you would have no trouble following the storyline. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the 9th in the cookbook series. This is such a good series. In Crystal Cove everyone is looking forward to Food Bowl Week. Local chefs put together their favorite and creative dishes in bite size portions. Jenna Hart runs a bookstore/café and is as excited as everyone to sample as much as she can. Unfortunately, she finds a local food reporter dead and there is a number of suspects including her best friends’ husband. Jenna once again goes into sleuth mode and although the local police is not thrilled, they are not as hard on her as other times. The secondary characters are what make the family of this story, grandmothers and aunts. Just love it. This mystery is fast paced and kept me engaged. Looking forward to the next installment.

4.5 Stars

This is the ninth book in the Cookbook Nook mystery series by Daryl Wood Gerber.

Basic premise: During Food Bowl Week in Crystal Cove, Jenna Hart, owner of a local cookbook store, finds the body of a dead food reporter and her best friend’s husband is the main suspect.

I was surprised how open police chief Cinnamon was in this book. She was pretty hard-nosed in the last book. I think that now she is pregnant, she is finding more common ground with the citizens of Crystal Cove.

This series is really growing on me and I look forward to starting from the beginning and getting to know all the characters better. Even with a plethora of cast members, this book is easy to follow. The whodunit aspect was fun to follow. Every clue led to a revelation and I really liked how it all wrapped up. This felt like a transition book to me. I think the author is looking for new things to season the storyline and is cutting some characters and adding new flavor to the overall mix. Definitely liking this new direction.

This is only the second book I have read in the series and it will not be my last. I think a marathon is in order. This series is one to watch!

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out . You won’t be disappointed.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the ARC of this book in the Cookbook Nook mystery series.

The citizens of Crystal Cove are anticipating the upcoming Food Bowl Week, when local chefs offer some of their best and most imaginative creations in bite-size portions all over town. Bookstore proprietor Jenna Hart can't wait to sample as many as she can, but when she stumbles onto the dead body of a local food reporter and learns that her best friend’s husband is the primary suspect, she’ll have to prove his innocence. Jenna knows the reporter, who was strangled at a fitness center with her shredded restaurant reviews scattered around her, left behind a long list of potential suspects. As she begins piecing together the clues, she uncovers illicit ties between the victim and a local newspaper owner, a spurned would-be lover, and a host of disgruntled restaurant owners not a bit torn up by the critical reporter’s demise.

Jenna Hart owns a bookstore/café in Crystal Cove and solves mysteries – an interesting combination. Just as the town is getting ready to celebrate Food Bowl Week, the local newspaper’s food reviewer is found dead surrounded by shredded newspaper articles and other documents. There are a lot of people in town that had a grudge against the reviewer, including Jenna’s best friend’s husband. But he is not alone and the list of suspects keeps growing.

This is a book for and about foodies, as well as mystery lovers. If you weren’t hungry when you started it, you will be when you finish. The author kindly includes eight recipes for some of the wonderful foods mentioned in the book, more than most books with recipes.

The secondary characters are delightful – I particularly appreciated her Aunt Vera and Gran, both senior citizens with flair and personality and a bit of eccentricity. Not all seniors wear sensible shoes, pastel house dresses or elastic-waist polyester slacks and matching flowered blouses. These two are age appropriate fashion plates. Loved them.

This is the ninth book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery but it can be read a standalone, although the author’s references to previous mysteries that Jenna was involved with made me want to add them to my TBR list since I hadn’t read any of the previous books.

I received a copy of the book from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. The opinion is my own.