A fairly typical (if slightly sexier) entry into the cozy mystery sub-genre for much of the book, I mostly enjoyed this read. There aren’t many books that have lead characters with Tourette's, especially not women, so that was a nice change of pace, even if it times it felt like Arya’s behavior was just marking off a checklist of symptoms. Ayra is frustrating at times and too over-the-top “not like other people”, but I still found myself liking her. The mystery was compelling enough, and I loved the descriptions we got of Ayra’s horror baked good creations. There’s the typical village full of (often overly) quirky characters who don’t have much depth, but are still fun. My main problem was the end. I come to cozy mysteries for the cozy aspect, and the end was a real downer., like a romance novel without a HEA, it should come with some sort of warning. I like books that play around with and even stretch genre conventions, but in this case it felt rather mean. I assume that this is the first in the series, but you don’t need to have an unhappy ending to set up further adventures of Arya.

Another quirky, easy to read cosy mystery which I read in pretty much one sitting. A whodunit with a twist of food and flavour but also a bit of savoury language and sex which we don't usually see in this style of writing. . This is a bit different form other cosy mysteries I have read and although I got through it rather quickly I must say it isn't my favourite style of this genre.

I can't say I liked Arya as she annoyed me a bit but that is what made her who she is in this story. It was a bit too abrasive for me and the sex to me just wasn't required.
All in all it was alright but not a favourite.

Well, this is indeed a cozy read.

Things I loved:
- Baking. I’m enchanted by how Arya is baking cakes, tiramisu, cupcakes, and granola with her spooky style—Dagger Chocolate Fudge, Goblin Cupcakes, Monster Muesli, Vampire Granola, and many more!
- Herbs things. Auntie Meera is a herbalist, but some people called her witch. But all her journals and some mentions of herbs are attractive for me.
- The neighborhood. They’re lovable, even though Arya is rude to them all the time, but every people seem having their charms and actually care for Arya too.
- The romance. Well, more to the Branwell side. He’s cute, lovable, and I like his way to approach Arya with all the brilliant remarks and the understanding.

Things that didn’t work for me:
- Arya herself. I really can’t connect with her personality. Yes, I know she’s being rude for a reason, and she built walls around her. But, sometimes I think she’s not being fair. She’s okay to be rude to people, but when her friend canceled an appointment with her, she’s going mad and even wants to hurt her friend.
- The romance. Haha funny that I liked and I hated the romance. But the truth is so. It didn’t end that well, when actually I had hopes for it, not that I hope that it will be happily ever after or bla bla bla but at least a good closure.

Thank you NetGalley and Polis Books for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are on my own.

Arya is finding life very tough when both her Aunt Meera and neighbour, Tobias Yards are murdered.

She is also having difficulties socially and generally coping in Trucklewood, near Croydon.. Arya is up to the

challenge though and is persistent in trying to solve the murders even with her tics, general anxieties,

and anti-social behaviourisms.

This is a lively read as our baker/sleuth sorts through suspects clues and countless red herrings.

A bittersweet, interesting read.

This was definitely a cozy that has laugh out loud moments. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

Arya is hard to like but I appreciate honesty and finally this cozy protagnist is a honest speaker and does not suffer fools. She is a baker in a small English village who becomes involved in a murder investigation. Hijinks ensue and soon suspects abound. It was a realistic look at someone with Tourette's syndrome and I appreciate the author creating a book about a disabled charcter. The supporting charcters are colorful and the small village a delight to imagine while reading . I enjoyed this and give it 4 stars.

I really didn't like the main character of this book and I ended up not finishing. I understand the author was trying to creating an anti-heroine, but I couldn't find anything to like about her.

Arya is all of us during Covid- leave me alone and let me do my thing-but that thing is now making her money and thanks to her aunt's will, providing her a place to do it in. Only her aunt's death just isn't being dedected to her happiness. Reluctantly she realizes she need the help of Bramwell to not only clear her ex's name from murdering HIS relative, but to stop the string of murders that seem to be occurring in town. Add in a detective to seems to spend more time coming up lines to hit on Arya with, and her bumbling fashion Q co-hort, and it's no wonder Arya gets pulled in. As she meets her fellow villagers while seeking out the truth, Arya learns that no one is an island, and we all need people, and to be needed. It's a fun cozy, with food descriptions perfect for Halloween baking, so if you're looking for some out of the box ideas for this year's (fingers crossed) Halloween party, there are plenty here! Don't miss this start to a new series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
I'll be honest I was only able to read 5% and that 5% made me want to read more..
However I had an issue with the digital copy, every time I left the book (to sleep, to feed the family and the likes) I'd bookmark and/or close the app, but when I came back I'd be right back at the very start, even when visiting the bookmark page it just didn't work.
If I was able to read the whole book in one sitting that would be awesome, the characters are very compelling, and I want to know what happens!
I am lowering my rating only because I was unable to read the whole book.
Happy reading.

Not my type of book. Not your typical heroine, and definitely not a typical cozy. Contains some decidedly unsavory bits—in every sense of the word.
All that being said, Arya’s internal musings (are well-written and) provide a surprisingly insightful and touching glimpse into the psychology and mental musings of the lonely and don’t-quite-fit-in-here members of current society.

A quirky, witty, and macabre mystery. Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death had me laughing out loud as I kept turning pages. Arya isn't your typical cozy mystery heroine, and while the tone is lighthearted I'm not sure I'd call it a cozy -- but I would call it a terrific book.

Tourette's, situational-humor, verbal-humor, baker, shyness, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, England, small-business, small-town*****
Despite comprehending the emotional devastation that comes with the ravages of Tourette's, I still laughed my sox off at the way Arya managed to put ordinary people down and yet got along well with a choice few who did not judge her by her tics. And she turned out to be a great sleuth! I think it's great to have a main character who's so far from ordinary, or rich, or beautiful, etc (yuck). I really loved this book and hope to read more about Anya and her quirky bakery projects!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Polis Books/Agora Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I really enjoyed reading Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death.

In this book, we find Arya living in a small village in England and spending her days baking. Of course, there has to be a murder and sure enough her neighbor Tobias is murdered. Arya puts on her sleuthing cap and goes to work trying to figure out if there is a connection to her aunt's recent death and who could have killed Tobias.

Great character development and an easy and fun storyline.

I think the highlight of this story is not so much the mystery as it is what's inside Arya's brain. I mean, talk about truth bombs! Seriously, most of us could benefit from her thoughts. I do feel like it would have served her better if her medical conditions were made clear in the story.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Polis Books/Agora Books, in return for an honest review. This is a well-written, engrossing, and unique take on a murder mystery. I, like other ARC reviewers, would not put it in the ‘cozy’ mystery sub-genre. Arya Winters is not your typical protagonist but, if you can make it past the first chapter, the author’s writing will pull you in. There is sex, some profanity and other characteristics that may put off some readers.
Arya makes unique, macabre cakes, pastries, and granola for a living. She’s moved to her murdered aunt’s home, in a small English village. Her aunt raised her and was the one person with whom Arya was close. Arya's background and certain physical characteristics make her unwilling or unable to engage with others. When her ex-boyfriend’s uncle is found murdered in the same village, Arya realizes there are layers of secrets and she must, however unwillingly, engage with others to solve the crimes. I confess, I’d hoped for a different ending to the book but it is very true, in how it is written. We’ll see how the author can take Arya forward in the next book.

I had a really hard time connecting with Arya Winters. I wasn’t happy with her personality and rudeness. The whole investigation was okay.
#AryaWintersandtheTiramisuofDeath #NetGalley

Touted as a cozy mystery, Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Anita Murray is anything but. Cozies are novels that contain everything that is in a good mystery such as suspense, misdirection, intrigue, criminality, and even murder without any graphic sex, violence, or profanity. Cozies are generally good reads for all ages. Murray’s new series, and this novel, starring Arya Winters doesn’t have any graphic violence, but has plenty of profanity and sex. Not only is this novel not suitable for younger readers, it shouldn’t be considered a cozy, since it doesn’t follow cozy guidelines.

The protagonist, Arya Winters, is a total nutcase, with deep psychological problems. She is not likeable, and says terrible things to her neighbors. She is not your traditional cozy protagonist. One thing she does, however, is run a successful baking business (macabre baked goods) and luckily bakes out of her home rather than interact with others. When one of Arya’s neighbors, Tobias Yards, is found murdered, Arya wants to find the murderer, and the more she learns, the more she sees that her neighbor’s murder has many things in common with the murder of her Auntie. Arya’s Auntie Meera left her the cottage she lives in presently and is the reason she lives in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, this so-called-cozy (that isn’t) doesn’t even have recipes, which is expected of cozies that deal with cooks, bakers, caterers, etc., who are protagonists. Arya has the pushiness that it takes to solve a mystery, and makes readers feel a bit uncomfortable when she pushes her way into people’s lives and gets her information.

It might be a good idea for Murray to review the definition of a cozy and re-label the novels in this series.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

"Arya Winters is your typical cozy heroine. She lives in a cottage in a small English village, and bakes for a living - well, she specializes in macabre desserts. She has the standard nosy neighbors, who she avoids ruthlessly due to her social anxiety.

When her neighbor Tobias Yards turns up dead, no one seems to connect it to Arya's Auntie Meera's recent death, so she takes matters into her own hands. All she has to do to uncover the truth is to get over her aversion to Other People. Besides that, it's just a matter of getting beyond some yellow tape, dodging her former BFF Tallulah from secondary school, and getting into her new neighbor, writer Branwell Beam's, pants - he seems strangely reluctant. What Arya doesn't realize is that the murderer is dangerous, preying on lonely people who've experienced trauma, and that she might have to do all she can not to become the next victim."

I'm all for the cozy murder mystery of this, but I am REALLY here for that gorgeous cover!

Arya Winters is your typical cozy heroine. She lives in a cottage in a small English village, and bakes for a living--well, she specializes in macabre desserts.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a lover of the homey goodness of cozy mysteries, this may not be the book for you. There are some F-bombs, some sex and some discussion of very non-cozy things. I loved it. :)

I liked the characters. Arya is clearly suffering from some form of ASD or Tourettes (or god forbid both). She is blunt, unflinching and abrasive, which is very much against the norm for cozies. However, it works. I enjoyed reading it in her eyes, reading about her interactions with the townfolk - all of whom - as usual - have horrible secrets and things to hide.

There are enough red herrings and extra (perhaps unnecessary) details thrown in to divert from the real killer (I mostly had it figured out, but not the WHY).

I had hoped that she would include some of her recipes or hints to make the macabre desserts that Arya marks for a living. I really think I need a sugar dagger in my life at some point.

I loved Arya's smart mouth, brutal honesty and forthright nature. So many cozy leading ladies are too polite and sweet to the point of boring. I don't see things getting boring with Arya anytime soon.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray in exchange for an honest review. Arya had decided, at the age of 8, to be honest, not nice and fake, after she had been left again with Auntie Meera. She lives in Trucklewood, outside of London. She is a cake baker, or any kind of dessert, with a Tim Burton twist. Cakes with a dagger and blood and such. A neighbor is murdered and Arya has a hard time in telling the DI why she was lurking in the yard, the neighbor had eaten a poisoned tiramisu. This is a quirky book. I have never met anyone like Arya. What an imagination Amita Murray has, I would love to see some of the desserts.

A cozy read, with every page you know what to expect, and still you want to read and finish it.

The story starts with a girl who loves baking and she is great at it, but she also doesn't want any meaningful relationship, because her parents left her as a kid. As time progress she was dumped by her boyfriend even before she had the chance to do that to him so she starts stalking him. Everything goes in another way when she is connected to the murder of a person whom she really liked and who is, interestingly enough, an uncle of her ex. Of course, at the same time with the murder mystery, she meets a cute writer of middle-grade mysteries and the two of them try to solve the puzzle.

Some characters are likeable, some aren't, it was all packed in a nice way.