If you like cozy mysteries (like I do!) then definitely give this series a try -- it's fun and I like reading about all the Italian food! The murder mystery was fun, the town is a great setting and there is definitely room for more to happen. I also liked the end of this book and am excited to see where this series goes next!

The Enemy You Gnocchi comes out next week on October 26, 2021 and you can purchase HERE. You can read my review of the first book in this series HERE.

When I was a young girl, I always associated the smell of Italian food with my grandmother's house. Tomatoes and onions. Garlic and homemade bread fresh out of the oven. Brown sugar and melted butter from her mouthwatering ravioli sauce. By the time I was ten, I'd decided her kitchen must be a little bit like heaven-- warm, sweet-smelling, and full of love.

Arlo, central character in the Main Street Mystery series by Amy Lillard, is busy herding cats. Not literal cats, but the three members of her so-called book club. Trying to get these senior citizen women to actually read books and discuss them like, you know, a normal book club, is just like trying to get a cat to stay off the furniture. They are going to do what they are going to do, and in this case that means try to solve the latest murder in the small town of Sugar Springs, MS.

The murder itself is contained within the book, but the story of its author and the development of the book have threads that go back to the previous books. That may not matter to most readers, as it is enjoyable either way. In fact, if you read this as your first introduction to the people of Sugar Springs, you may be so entertained you decide to go back and read the other two books.

The book opens with the murder of a famous author from Sugar Springs whose last book before his death has been turned into a movie. The Hollywood movers and shakers have decided to have the premier in Sugar Springs and the book club ladies, lead by Helen, are the main volunteers working to get the coliseum spruced up for the event. Unfortunately, Helen has barely started work that day when she finds the body of the man who has come to town claiming someone else had actually written the book. She calls Arlo who rushes down along with the other book club members. Chaos ensues as the women decide to investigate and Mads, chief of police, demands Arlo get them under control, thus the herding begins. Arlo’s attempts to control three 80+ year old women are hilariously believable for anyone who has tried to reason with a strong willed senior citizen.

As the book club, along with Arlo, rush around town in search of clues, they constantly ignore not only Mads’ directives, but any thought of leaving evidence alone. Arlo has her hands full trying to keep them off the balcony where the victim was pushed; out of the victim’s room at the B&B owned by Helen, even though there is crime scene tape sealing the area; not to mention making copies of half a note they find written in what appears to be Russian.

The mystery is well plotted, and there are plenty of clues for the reader to use in solving it if they don’t get too tangled up in the humor of it all. The characters are well-crafted and unique as is the depiction of a small southern town. Passages throughout the book reveal an author who understands the south and what living in a small southern town is like. For example,there is the description of a gathering after the naturally occurring death of one of the characters which measures the townspeople's admiration of her by “the number of casseroles, pies,and mayonnaise-based salads” that have arrived.

As the book club ladies run around town, gathering clues and questioning people. Arlo is left to frantically run behind them, trying to get them back to the bookstore she owns and the area she set aside for the book club when she had what she thought was an inspired idea. In between investigative tasks, the women can be found in the coliseum, painting, dusting, and polishing the floor. That is until a wayward beam falls and Arlo has to take a dive to push one of the women out of the way. The result is a broken ankle for Arlo, so she winds up doing much of her herding with her right leg in a knee high cast.

Enough about the plot and interactions, trust me, it’s more fun to read them as they happen than to read a description of it. This is a cozy series not to be missed as it has it all: a central character with her own conflicts, a senior citizen group that is nothing if not laser focused, a handsome chief of police who once had a thing with Arlo and the man who, as a teenager, broke them up on prom night. Oh, yes, it also has a well plotted murder mystery and excellent pacing that keeps pulling you through the book until you are surprised that the whole thing is over.

I received an advance copy of this novel through Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE ENEMY YOU GNOCCHI (Book 3 of the Italian Chef Mysteries, by Catherine Bruns, in exchange for an honest review. Chef Tessa Esposito has a new suitor. Mario Russo moved to town, opened a coffee shop, and has, since, eaten lunch at Tessa’s restaurant every day. Tessa finds Mario to be oily and overly assertive, but others in town really dislike him since he seems to be trying to ruin other businesses. Considering how unpopular Mario is, Tessa is surprised to discover he’s serving as Santa at the Festival of Lights. When Santa is slain at the festival, Tessa finds herself investigating his murder to exonerate one of her favorite business owners.

I like the book and the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring food, small towns, local festivities, Christmas, and local businesses.

The 3rd installment of the Italian Chef Mysteries series has Tessa Esposito solving the mystery of who killed Mario Russo- a recent transplant whose new espresso bar has been making things difficult for merchants in the town of Harvest Park.

Mario Russo has been awful to a lot of people, not the least of whom is Tessa's friend Archie whose coffee shop was dong great until Mario came to town and set up across the street. But Archie didn't kill him, or did he? That's what Tessa and her cousins Gina and Gabby set out to prove in this latest in a charming series. Tessa's a widow who owns a restaurant and she's a hoot. The situation is classic cozy but the characters are what make it shine. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan of the series and think this latest will be fine as a standalone.

The Enemy You Gnocchi will entertain you as the characters try to solve a murder or two. The cousins can't help but to ask question about the murder. They still find time to run their businesses and get ready for Christmas.

The 3rd Italian chef mystery is the best installment so far! Of course there is a mystery, along with lots of interesting things like drama and recipes, and romance. Tessa grows a lot more confident in this one, which I am ecstatic to see ( well I meant read of course!)

This one takes place during the holidays and will make a nice comfy wintery read. I am hoping for more books to find out more about this town and various things going around in it!

The Enemy You Gnocci by Catherine Bruns was a wonderful mystery. Tessa Esposito is pulled into another murder investigation when her very dear friend is arrested for the crime. This was a very well crafted mystery with tons of suspects and I did not guess the right one! I had it narrowed down to two people and both were wrong. There was a great small town atmosphere, good secondary characters and a little romance thrown in. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

"The Enemy You Gnocchi" is another delightful additional to the cozy series. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the warm, fuzzy ambiance of the small town setting. The plot this time involved more suspects with a good mix of suspense elements. A convincing and plausible motive and execution of the crime. I was, however, a bit confused with the many names being mentioned this time hence took off a star.

A solid good read. I have truly enjoyed the series since book 1! Can't wait for next book to come out. :)

Holiday whodunit that's delightful and delicious. My favorite character is Tessa Esposito. I adore her sincerity and genuineness. Definitely one of my new favorite mystery series, Anything's Pastable chef Tessa Esposito is always busy preparing tasty dishes. But murder is never far behind.
A cozy mystery with a great plot and finding out who would have killed Santa during the holiday festival. The story is woven with so many mouthwatering dishes and desserts, you will certainly enjoy it.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader Copy. This was a honest review.

The Enemy You Gnocchi is the latest installment of the An Italian Chef Mystery series. Its almost Christmas in Harvest Park, Italian Chef Tessa Esposito is getting ready for the holiday season and dealing with her feelings for her late husband's best friend, Justin. New coffee shop owner, Mario Russo has his eye on Tessa and does not catch the hint that she is not interested. When Mario turns up dead, Tessa sticks her nose in the middle of the investigation to keep longtime friend and Mario's biggest rival, Archie out of the clink. Mario was not a nice guy and the suspect lists grows by the minute as Tessa runs headlong into danger to keep an innocent man out of jail. Full of memorable and personable characters, the story weaves the right mix of lightheartedness and mystery that makes for a wonderful cozy mystery. As always this book has the bonus recipes at the end that all readers have come to expect. This is probably my favorite cozy mystery series ever! My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Catherine Bruns is a talented writer who always pens an entertaining cozy mystery. In the Italian Cafe series, she’s created an endearing and memorable cast of main characters that I love following along with their lives.

In book three, Tessa Esposito is immersed in creating delectable dishes at Anything’s Pastable. Down the street, her good friend, Archie Fenton is struggling to make ends meet at his coffee shop, Java Time, because a new competitor, Mario Russo, has opened another coffee place right across the street, The Espresso Lane, and is undercutting Archie’s prices. This Mario is a rude playboy and Tessa can’t stand him. Lots of people dislike him for various reasons, and it appears his dark past has followed him to town.

Author Bruns creates an assembly line of suspects who could easily be cold-blooded murderers. Best friend, Gabby, and her detective brother, Gino, work well together with Tessa by sharing information to solve the crime. I liked all the action, and had my eyes on several could-be killer’s; however, I didn’t have the correct answer so the reveal was a complete surprise! I’d also been wondering who Tessa would choose—Justin, or Vince, as her romantic interest? Read the story on release day, 10.26.2021, for the answer to that question, and many more! Delicious recipes included.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

Love it! The perfect mix of Christmas & Italian food. I loved the writing & the characters practically jump off the page. Based on this I think I’ll go back and read the first two books & any future ones.

This is the first book I have read by this author in the Italian Chef Mysteries. I love cozy mysteries revolved around food and the recipes they share. The main character, Tessa, is a likeable character, along with her cousins Gabby and Gino, who help her solve the mystery. I love the family dynamic that comes along with dealing with said family members.

The mystery storyline was great. A new shop owner is found murdered at the town festival. The shop owner was disliked by many in town, there are many suspects. Many clues and red herrings were thrown at the reader and I for one didn't guess the murderer! I was surprised! .

I look forward to reading more books from this series and this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay cozy mystery. It was not quite as good as the previous one but for an afternoon read where you have nothing else to do, it is fine. I would have liked to see more character development at this point by th main character. At times it felt as if not much was happening and passages didn't really contribute to the story.

First in this series for me, but won’t be my last! I greatly enjoyed the characters, mystery, and recipes! The food sounded delicious, the characters were fun and loving, and the mystery was entertaining; I did not get the murderer right, but I sure had fun guessing. I really thought I knew who it was and the red herrings were slowly leading me down the wrong trail the whole time. Looking forward to the next one already!

I loved this cozy mystery! The story had great characters, some love, family, and of course a mystery to solve!
Tessa is busy running her restaurant and trying to move forward with her life after the untimely death of her husband 14 month before. Everyone is excited about the Christmas festivities, except for the damper Mario, new owner of an espresso bar, is putting on the other businesses. Something feels off about Mario, and when he is found stabbed during the holiday festival, there are many people that had cause to dislike him. Tessa and her cousin, Gabby, can't seem to help investigating, and trying to clear the name of her dear friend, who has been accused of his murder. . But the killer is not thrilled they are asking questions, and things get a little out of control.
Looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a delicious mystery with romance sprinkled in.
I’ve never read cozy little mysteries but have always loved “Murder She Wrote”, so I was excited to try my hand in this genre. The Enemy You Gnocci did not disappoint.

Tessa Esposito, a master chef and owner of Anything’s Pastable in the small town of Harvest Park, just can’t help herself when it comes to solving a murder. Tessa is a widow who earns the unwanted attention of several men in town, especially Mario. Mario, new to town, is the owner of a coffee shop that is in direct competition to Java Time, owned by Tessa’s friend, Archie. He also has been making threats to put him out of business as well as many other businesses in town. Throwing money around, Tessa is sure that Mario is not exactly honest. When Mario turns up dead at the Festival of Lights, murdered with a bagel knife, Tessa’s longtime friend is accused. Tessa, with the help of her cousins Gabby and Gino, set out to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Tessa wrestles with her growing feelings for Justin, her late husband’s best friend. Will Tessa solve another murder as she has before and stay safe? So many possibilities and so many motives for murder.

The Enemy You Gnocci has the recipe for a cozy mystery that you will enjoy. Such an easy read, full of intrigue and plentiful clues in this holiday who-dunit. I’ll be sure to read the first two books in this series from Catherine Bruns. So excited to see some recipes included too.

Many thanks to #netgalley #the enemyyougnocci #catherinebruns #sourcebboks

One of my favorite authors and series. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend doing so. I suggest reading the books in order.

I love to read holiday themed cozy mysteries all year long, and I enjoyed reading this one quite a bit.
I'm not familiar with this series, so I was a little confused about the characters, but that did not distract me from the story.
Tessa Esposito is a solid character, and I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.