I enjoyed this book. I like the main character and how she relates to the other people. I thought the ending was a little abrupt but the killer gets caught. #FishingforTrouble #NetGalley

I was so glad to get back to Elkview, Alaska and see what the next chapter held for Charlie and everyone else at the Bear Claw. It didn't disappoint. Characters from the first book are settling into their lives and Chris and Charlie are still dancing around in a will we/won't we situation but in a grownup non-angsty way. And of course it is always good to see what hijinks Charlie's indulged cat Benny is up to.

This was an entertaining read with a focus on the fish processing industry and a bit of Charlie's past showing up to confront her. I enjoyed the Alaskan setting and following along with Chris and Charlie as they investigate just what is going on at J and M Processing.

What kept this from being a home run for me is a pacing issue with the unraveling of the mystery. The book is never a slow read but it does feel we go large stretches of time with no new information and then in the last 20 pages or so everything is revealed which can get a bit confusing. I'd love to see the information laid out a bit slower so that I would feel more invested in the outcome of the mystery.

While I didn't find this book flawless it was a fun read with a great setting and likable characters. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Elkview, Alaska.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

A cute little cozy mystery. It's the second of a series and I haven't read the first, but it stood on its own just fine. You have to love the setting--a small town in Alaska and a friendly diner. I also appreciated the cat (do not read if you don't love cats). It was a little choppy and it felt like the characters were always going from place to place, but it does move the story forward. I would have liked more details on the fishing industry and the characters of the summer workers there weren't fleshed out as much as I would have liked. But all in all, it is a fun read in a fun location.

Charlie's first thought when Ethan, a teen, keels over in her diner, is what this will do to her business. Can't blame her really- this is Elkview, Alaska and she's dependent on tourist traffic. Turns out, though, that Ethan didn't die as a result of her cooking but he was poisoned. What does his girl friend (or girlfriend) Zoe know about it? Well, the two of them worked at the J&M fishing business. Charlie takes Zoe in and starts investigating, against the wishes of Trooper, an old family friend. She hooks up with newspaper reporter Chris find to what happened- especially once another teen who was working there for the summer disappears. Then Charlie's rotten ex Ryan, an attorney, shows up. Whew. This is classic cozy territory, with an intrepid heroine and a dinner setting (there are a few recipes at the end). And there's Benny the cat. Some of the Benny could have been edited down a bit but I did appreciate the inclusion of a beloved pet. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. Cozy fans will like this one.

A very enjoyable second in the Alaskan Diner mystery series. When a man falls ill in Charlie's diner and soon dies (BEFORE the food arrived!), she and journalist Chris are once again "deputized" by Trooper to dig into his death, especially when the autopsy shows death by mercury poisoning. Emphasis on poisoning, as in murder, not accident. The young man worked at the local fish processing plant, one of many summertime workers, with lots of non-resident suspects, not to mention a certain slimy ex- who suddenly pops up as the plant's legal rep. Luckily Charlie has a great staff at the diner, good friends in the town, and Bennie, her cat (and a fine character in his own right) at home to help her out with the case and getting past her ex. A nice follow-up to the first book. I like how the State Trooper with a lot of ground to cover knows how to delegate yet keep tabs on the civilians, and Bennie is a real treat.

This is a cute cozy mystery set in a diner In Alaska. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. The story starts out with the death of a diner patron and proceeds straightforward from there. I really wish more secondary plots and character development were involved to help me connect to the characters and story. I think reading the 1st book prior to this one would help.

A good cozy mystery of Charlie, a local diner owner in Alaska, goes on a search for a murderer with her friend and possible more than a friend Chris. Interesting and fun to read. First I've read by this author, but will not be my last. Highly recommend this book and author.

First time reading Elizabeth Logan and I loved it! I had to read the first book to get a feel for the characters, however this can be read as a stand alone book. Charlie is great, she just has to get involved even though she should be running her business, a diner in Alaska her mother handed down to her. I loved reading about all the sights in Alaska, I'd love to get up there one day to see the lights. Entertaining read, and for some reason I didn't see the "who" until it was revealed. Can't wait for the next one!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

How far does a girl have to go to get away from her former cheater of a fiance'? You would think that returning to one's hometown and running the family diner in Alaska would be far enough, apparently, it is not. Charlotte "Charlie" Cooke, law student turned classically trained professional chef is a character whom you instantly like. Plus this story throws you right into the middle of the action with an ambulance showing up at the diner, which is never a good sign. Turns out that the kid who fell ill (before he had even ordered) was working a summer gig for the J and M fish processing plant. The plant pays big bucks and works college age kids round the clock as well as giving them room and board in a dormitory fashion. So when did Ethan have time to be poisoned by mercury if he was always working? Ryan Jamison, the cheater, is sent by his firm to act as legal counsel for the fish company. Elkview is a small town and the state troopers double as local police meaning that they are spread pretty thin. Trooper Cody Graham aka Trooper, who's like an uncle to Charlie, "deputizes" both Charlie and local reporter Chris Doucette to gather intel and report back while he attends to a training session out of town. I do prefer a cozy where local law enforcement values the efforts of the hard working ametuer sleuth. So in addition to the poisoning, there is a missing person, an unwanted ex-finace', several tour groups, uncooperative company types, and the posibility of her parents retirement relocation. That is a lot for one girl to handle but she does have Benny her cat whom she spoils rotten, and I thought I was bad, well apparently they have an app for that LOL. Great story and awesome recipes to try at the conclusion. I am looking forward to making the salmon cakes and jerky, although I don't have access to elk and will be making do with the local grass fed beef.

This is the 2nd installment in the Alaskan Diner mystery series. Charlie Cooke is back home in her hometown of Elkview Alaska and has taken over the Bear Claw diner from her mother over a year ago. It is now June in Alaska and more tourists are arriving and the diner is full but at one table a young man Ethan who works at the local fishery has collapsed at his table and later dies. Charlie is worried about the diner’s reputation as well as helping out with the investigation. The state trooper who they call Trooper is stretched thin and once again let’s Charlie and Chris (newspaper reporter) assist in the investigation. Charlie is also dealing with her ex Ryan being in town representing the fishery whose main headquarters are in San Francisco where they both lived and were engaged. She is not happy to see him and with him running interference at the fishery. Ethan and his friends worked at the fishery and they also live on site in the dorms they have there. Also Annie her best friend has a guest at her inn that is looking for her missing son who also happened to work with Ethan at the fishery. Charlie is a likeable character and I love the location setting in Alaska. This is a good mystery and I look forward to see what happens in the next mystery.

I read Mousse and Murder, book one in An Alaskan Diner Mystery and gave it a three star rating because Logan just listed facts about Alaska instead of weaving them into the story, and none of the characters were engaging.
But since it was the first in the series and the first that I had read by Elizabeth Logan, I wanted to give book two a read, just in case it had improved. Obviously by my two star rating it hasn’t.
I really would expect better from an author that has five other series out under the names of Camille Minichino, Margaret Grace, and Jean Flowers.

So why am I being so harsh to Fishing for Trouble, besides the fact that I expect more from an author that has so many books out? Logan talks about Charlie’s cat, Benny, a lot. Now I love cats and hope to one day be a crazy cat lady, but at least a fourth of the book was talking about feeding, playing, snuggling, talking to, or missing Benny.
That time could have been spent working on character development, which is once again, lacking. The only character that gets interesting towards the end of the book is Chris, who suddenly turns into someone with spy or special training knowledge. Cool. Completely out of left field though. And not enough to make me want to read book three.

In the first book I thought it was a fun change to have the local sheriff actually include Charlie and the gang in his investigation, instead of constantly telling her not to get involved. I realize it’s a work of fiction, but at one point Charlie and Chris have one of the witnesses write down their information, get it notarized, and send them back home. Um. Without putting it past the sheriff, and saying something like, “Well, if they have to come back and testify at least our part is done.”

If you read this series, or other books by the author, I honestly hope you enjoy them more than I did. That’s the nice thing about reading, there are so many books out there, everyone can find something they enjoy… although this is not the case here for me.

This was cute! I hadn’t read book one, but it was easy enough to pick up everything. The mystery was clever and I liked the ending; can’t say more as I don’t want to spoil anything. The characters were solid and likeable, with no one likely to take undue risks. And Benny is adorable! Definitely going to read book one now and look forward to book three. Almost forgot, the recipes are definitely not standard!

Charlie has returned to her hometown of Elkview, Alaska and taken over the family diner. She has made some serious changes to the menu and has connected with a local tour guide to be the meal stop on their way to Fairbanks and Denali National Park. As the story opens, there is a mixed group of diners present - a tour group and some seasonal employees from the local fishery. Before their order arrives, one of the student employees collapses at his table. He is taken by ambulance to the nearest medical facility but later pronounced dead. Of course, the first thought in everyone's mind is, what did he eat? And so the rumors start and Charlie has to protect her diner by investigating the young man's death. It's refreshing that she has no need to be a nosy nuisance to the local law. She has a great relationship with Trooper Cody Graham, but known to all as just Trooper. He has known her all of her life and he knows, too, that she can be a great help to him. He was happy to deputize Charlie and her friend, Chris in the first book and, as Charlie says "Who says there is an expiration date to the last time he did?" There is a lot to uncover when the cause of death is mercury poisoning - from long term exposure.
If death at her diner wasn't enough to juggle along with keeping it running, along comes her creepy ex-fiance, Ryan. Coming all the way from San Francisco didn't bode well for Charlie's juggling skills. Turns out he has been hired by the fishery. Things really do get complicated for Charlie but with the help of her friends, the mystery will be solved.
I like everything about this series - the setting is one of my favorite states, the characters are well developed, their relationships with each other are strong and there is a sweet cat, as well. Benny (short for Eggs Benedict), is a great character in his own right. Add to that a well crafted puzzle to solve and it's a winner of a series. I have already added the third in the series, Murphy's Slaw, which will be published May 25, 2021.
My thanks to the publisher, Berkley Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book would have been better served by removing the unnecessary fluff and replacing it with an engaging secondary plot. The straight line from beginning to end was tedious, and with a large cast of characters, you would think Elizabeth Logan could have come up with something else, other than her parents, that was going on in the periphery.

Still trying to get her feet underneath her as the new owner of the Bear Claw Dinner in Elkview, Alaska, Charlie Cooke wasn’t expecting a customer to fall unconscious. Now with rumors circulating that it was her food that did the poor guy in, all Charlie can think of is her mom, the woman who had started the diner but is now enjoying some time away somewhere in San Diego. Without her there, it is up to Charlie to save the reputation of her restaurant by jumping in to answer the questions surrounding the young man’s death. With Trooper Cody Graham away most of the time at a seminar, of course, the local diner owner and newspaper columnist, Christ Doucette, must save the day but first, there is a cat to entertain and a diner that seems to run on its own with a handful of trusted employees.

The one redeeming quality of this book is the hidden talents of Chris. Out of nowhere, he suddenly has the skillset of both a spy and an assassin. Hopefully, Elizabeth Logan will shift her attention in this direction and leave Charlie to her online shopping, snack packs, and jerky making.

cats, alaska, murder-investigation, family-dynamics, friendship, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town

When Charlie Cooke left law school, a career as a chef, and a supercilious ex-boyfriend to go back home to Elkview, Alaska, she knew that she'd assume the running of the family diner but not the rest of it. The trooper in town is an old family friend, her parents are on errands out of state, and something really weird happens with a young customer who works at the fish plant. He suddenly dies of mercury poisoning and another summer help from the plant goes missing. Lots of misdirection and red herrings in this great story that is perfectly designed for cat lovers.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!

It's summer in Elkview, Alaska, which means almost perpetual sunlight – and a busy tourist season. Charlie is grateful for the business, but when a young man dies soon after entering her diner, she is drawn into the investigation in order to protect her name and the reputation of her business.

This is the second book in this series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first book. The descriptions of the town make me feel like I'm there, and they reinforce my wish to visit Alaska soon – but definitely in the summer season :) Most of the characters feel like people I would like to spend time with, and the mystery was good. I had a few suspicions, but I wasn't sure about the identity of the villain until just before it was revealed in the story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released next year.