A Dash of Death is a solid debut mystery by Michelle Hillen Klum. Samantha Warren, a reporter turned mixologist, is reeling from being dumped by her fiancé and losing her job in short order. She has bills to pay for the wedding-that-never-happened but didn’t count on becoming a murder suspect when she took a gig mixing drinks at a reception.

Samantha is a reporter with the skills to research and solve the crime, rather than just a nosy private citizen, which creates a believable dynamic. The supporting characters are well-developed and interesting, especially her friends Beth and Marisa. I wasn’t as sure about the friendship that Samantha developed with the wife of the victim who had named Samantha in a wrongful death lawsuit. This aspect required me to suspend my disbelief. Nonetheless this was an enjoyable read. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

A Houston reporter-turned-mixologist mixes it up with murder in this series debut from Michelle Hillen Klump, superbly catering to fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lee Hollis.


Bad news for Samantha Warren: The plucky Houston, Texas, reporter lost her job and her fiancé in rapid succession. But Sam has a way of making lemonade out of the bitterest of lemons. At a meeting of the local historical-homes council, she serves up the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party. She intends to use that as her “in” to become an in-demand party mixologist. But the party’s over for one of the council members, who keels over dead soon after he sips the bereft bride’s bitter brew.

It turns out that the victim, Mark, was poisoned—his drink spiked with oleander. Since Sam mixed the drink that Mark imbibed right before his demise, she finds herself at the front of the suspect line. Now, she’ll have to use all of her reporter’s wisdom and wiles to clear her name.

Who could have wanted Mark dead? His wife, Gabby? His girlfriend, Darcy? Someone who wanted his seat on the council? Or another citizen of this sweet Texas town that holds some seedy secrets?

Job hunting, building her mixology business, and fending off late-night phone calls from her nearly betrothed don’t leave much time for sleuthing. But if Sam can’t “pour” over the clues to find the killer, it may soon be last call for her. (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Samantha has lost her fiance and her job as a reporter. She is making bitters and hopes that she can make a go of her hobby. She is catering a historical party hoping that the people at it will love her bitters and bring her business. Instead she finds herself a suspect in a murder when someone is killed at the party. She will have to use all of her investigative skills to find the real killer before she is put away for life.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions helped pull me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and it took some sleuthing to figure it out.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump

Mrs. Klump is a reporter and Texas native. This is her first book and the first in the Cocktails and Catering mystery series.


2.5 *

I don’t dislike this book, I just didn’t enjoy it fully. Samantha Warren is a former reporter. She is still haunted by a death in her writing past. She has now been dumped by her fiance and been convinced by her best friend Marisa to accept a last minute contract serving drinks and selling her homemade bitters at an exclusive Houston homes tour. This date coincidentally was to be her wedding date!

Within the first 8 pages the action begins in a very Christie manner. I appreciated and enjoyed both the quick action as well as the manner. I picked this book to review based on the blurb and cover. I’m a bit disappointed that the cover and story didn’t match more closely. I enjoyed how “real” the mistakes Samantha made while trying to investigate the poisoning and later murder. I also thought the ending was solid.

So why isn’t there a higher star count you may be wondering?! At the end of the book I felt closer to Marisa and her girlfriend Beth than I did Samantha. I felt many emotions with this book, it is good but not great. I became more involved with the secondary characters than the main. That for me means there is a disconnect between I and the book.

Yes, there is a lesbian couple in the book and Beth and Marisa will be returning characters. An enjoyable read overall.

What a fantastic cozy series debut! Excellent storytelling, perfect mix of mystery and character portrayal, this book is one of the best cozy debuts I have read this year.

The mystery kept me guessing till the end and I could not identify the killer. Red herrings are plenty and twists and turns make sure the reader must take a break from donning the detective hat. Michelle is a master storyteller. A Dash of Death might be a first in the series but it has already made it to my list of favorites.

Book Review: A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump
Read this if you like:
• Cozy myateries
• Fun and engaging characters
• A mystery that keeps you guessing
I don’t read many cozy mysteries, but I am glad that I gave this one a go. It was very enjoyable. I liked all of the characters especially Sam. The story sucked me in from the beginning and the mystery had me guessing till the very end. This fun and enjoyable story was filled with suspense and even some laugh out loud moments. Would definitely pick up the next books in this series.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc. What a fun cozy mystery! Love visiting these cozy little towns. Author did a great job telling this story! Loved all the characters.
Definitely recommend!

A Dash of Death had a great storyline and well-crafted characters. A great cozy mystery series debut which I highly recommend.

The story is about Samantha Warren, who lost her fiance and her job all in one rapid succession. Not one to give up she provides the homemade bitters she was going to give away at her wedding to the local historical homes council. Of course, things go terribly wrong when one of the council members ends up dead right after he drinks her "gift."

Love the characters.

With Sam trying to build up her own business, the last thing she needs is to be a prime suspect in a murder case! A good read following Sam continuing to try to work and clear her name at the same time. Well written and good story line.

A Dash of Death: A Cocktails and Catering Mystery
By Michelle Hillen Klump
Crooked Lane Books
February 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

Samantha Warren is not in a great headspace at the moment, which is why her friends had to force her to sign up as a last-minute replacement at the Highlands Historic Home Tour. Replacing a previously booked brewery, Samantha uses the opportunity to serve cocktails and sell her own crafted cherry-vanilla bitters. It’s not like she’s going to be using them herself, as until three weeks they were to be wedding favors for her own cancelled ceremony. One that should have been occurring the same very night as the Tour. Houston vendors normally compete for the opportunity to showcase their wares in the featured mansions, but for Samantha cocktails and bitters are more of a hobby than an actual business. She is enough of a specialist to notice that the garnish left in a glass was not hers but instead oleander, a poisonous flower and one she would never risk incorporating in a drink. But when contractor Mark Brantwell falls ill during the event and eventually dies, Samantha is immediately called in by the suspicious police for an interview/interrogation.

It’s too bad that the first attorney Samantha would normally contact also happens to be the one who basically dumped her at the altar. Instead, Samantha reaches out to her former fiancé’s boss David Dwyer, who rightfully warns her to stay quiet and uninvolved. That’s looking to be more and more impossible though, as the widow – and not the girlfriend who accompanied Mark Brantwell to the event - names Samantha and the Highlands Historic Commission in an eight million dollar wrongful death lawsuit. When a skittish university rescinds their offer and Samantha finds herself without an editing job, she feels compelled to prove her innocence and maybe even help the widow. Traumatized by the journalist investigation that freed an incarcerated woman who ultimately killed again, Samantha knows the danger of becoming too involved in a case. Nevertheless, the need to redeem herself and use her investigative reporter skills have her tracking down who wanted the contractor dead.

This is a promising start and a great jumping off point to introduce adventures of a very likable, interesting character. While the actual lore and method of creating bitters takes a backseat to Samantha’s investigations, by the end both she and readers will be prepared for future opportunities to delve into cocktail inventions. Even more fascinating than the details of mixology are Samantha’s struggles to overcome her previous well-intentioned, award-winning investigation. The exploration of that case will be a fascinating avenue to explore in the future, as will her relationships with the two attorneys. Samantha is a very relatable character, one who makes mistakes but also learns from them. An abundance of descriptions of Houston’s eclectic and diverse cuisines makes this a treat for food lovers, with the mystery being intriguing and complex enough to please crime fiction fans. This is a fun start of a series by an author whose credentials as a newspaper reporter are evident and highlighted in a unique way.

Samantha Warren lost her job as a reporter (downsizing) and then lost her fiancé a short time before the wedding. Seems it's time to reevaluate her life. The first thing to do is make use of the hundreds of bottles of the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party.

As a last minute fill-in, Samantha attends an annual open house presented by the local historical-homes council. She prepares cocktails using the bitters and the bottles are for sale. Making bitters is her hobby for now, but Samantha hopes it can be more.

The party ends early when
one of the council members becomes ill and has to be taken to the hospital where he later dies. It turns out that the victim's drink was spiked with a deadly amount of oleander. Despite the fact that he was the only person to become ill, Samantha is served with a wrongful death lawsuit.

Samantha can't sit still and let things take their course. She needs to use her reporter skills to figure out who wanted the victim dead. His wife, Gabby? His girlfriend, Darcy? Or someone else?

I really liked this book. The characters were realistic, as well as the decisions they made. There were enough suspects with valid reasons to make the story interesting.

A Dash of Death
by Michelle Hillen Klump
2 stars
Samantha is a former reporter and just got left three weeks before her wedding, she also loves to make bitters to add to drinks. She made a whole bunch as party favors for her wedding guests, so her friends talk her into being a last-minute replacement to serve cocktails. While serving cocktails they hear a scream one of the council members fell ill and later dies. The almost ex-wife of the council member decides to sue everyone that was associated with the party. Sam starts to investigate to clear her name.
This book I guess just wasn't for me I couldn't get into it. The recipes at the end are awesome and I will be trying them, but it seemed like that protagonist was just an unfortunate person and it was one thing after another. I usually really enjoy cozy murder mysteries but not this one seemed just all over and she wasn't winning till the end.
Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC for an honest review

This was a decent start to a new cozy mystery. And fans who like their cozies involving food and drink will enjoy this one. However I couldn't really stay in the story because the heroine Samantha got on my nerves. And it's hard to enjoy a mystery if you can't stand the heroine who's solving the mysteries.

Bad news for Samantha Warren: The plucky Houston, Texas, reporter lost her job and her fiancé in rapid succession. But Sam has a way of making lemonade out of the bitterest of lemons. At a meeting of the local historical-homes council, she serves up the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party. She intends to use that as her “in” to become an in-demand party mixologist. But the party’s over for one of the council members, who keels over dead soon after he sips the bereft bride’s bitter brew.

This is the first in a brand new series Cocktails and Catering mystery. Samantha Warren is working in Houston as freelance reporter and elects to work at a local historical and home tour as a mixologist with her cherry and vanilla bitters that was going to be her wedding day. She has over 300 bottles of these favors to use and is feeling glad she is getting rid of the reminder of that has happened in the last several weeks when her fiancé Greg announces he is moving to New York and taking a new job and ends everything. Her best friend Marissa her partner Beth help out at the event and when one of the guests becomes ill they are all concerned. When they learn he later died and are questioned by the police they are all very concerned. Several days later Samantha is later served with a lawsuit naming her and the historical society in a wrongful death lawsuit. Her jobs dry up as no one wants a suspected killer doing work for her. She contacts a former boss of Gregs to see if her can assist her with the legal trouble. David who was Greg’s boss when he interned at the law firm is very good and helps her navigate the initial mess of the lawsuit. Her friend Marissa suggests that since Samantha has been an investigative journalist in the past that she do a little investigating to clear her name. This leads her to the soon to be ex-wife Gabby as well as a few other potential suspects. Things get dicey when Mark the victim’s girlfriend is later found dead and Sam and Gabby the ex-wife had just been there the night before. The police are not very happy with her. This mystery kept me engaged the entire time and was glad to see Samantha work thru her issues and move on with her life in a positive way. Looking forward to the next in this series.

First, I received an egalley of this book and the formatting was truly terrible. Many words had letters missing (like ff or th), which made it challenging to read.

However, I was able to separate the formatting problems from the actual story (even though it took more energy to read). I really liked Sam, who made a mixture of good and bad decisions. The vibe of this book felt younger than a lot of other cozies, which was fun. It seems like the romantic complications will be short lived and I’m on board for that. The mystery was complicated enough to keep me interested, but I did manage to guess the killer. Overall, this was a fun start to a series… especially if you got to read a properly formatted version.

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series of cozy mysteries. There was a good amount of characters/suspects and mystery. I can’t wait for the next in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

I loved, loved, loved the occupation (hobby that will hopefully turn into the occupation, anyway) of the main character of this story. It was unique and interesting. The story was interesting and well written, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

Samantha Warren's life has been recently turned upside down, not only did she lose her job but her fiance left her right before the wedding. Sam is trying to make the best of things so when a friend asks her to serve up her bitters during a tour of homes she agrees. She made a ton of bitters for wedding party favors and she can't wait to get rid of them. The tour is going well and the bitters are flying off the table when towards the end of the tours one of the cpuncil members is murdered and it looks as if one of her drinks killed him. Sam is looking like a suspect but she can only take so much before she breaks. She takes jer investigative skills and puts them to the test. Will she be able to find a killer before she ends up in jail. This was a wonderful beginning to what I hope is a long running series.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Readers are introduced to former Houston reporter Samantha Warren and her friends Marisa and Beth. Samantha was supposed to be getting married but her fiancé decided to back out of his commitment leaving her with a ton of heartache. She does have a very interesting hobby of making unique bitters to add to drinks. She had made and bottled a huge batch to use as party favors for her wedding. Stuck with 300 bottles of cherry vanilla bitters Beth and Marisa talk her into being a last-minute replacement to serve cocktails at the Highland Historic Home Tour. She can get rid of her surplus and may find someone interested in buying her products and hiring her to be a party mixologist.

The historic homes party is very well attended and patrons are loving Sam’s drinks until one of the council members becomes ill and later dies. While cleaning up and emptying glasses as the party ends Beth finds a glass containing oleander, a deadly poisonous flower. While Sam would never even consider bringing that flower to any party she still becomes a prime suspect in the man’s death. She quickly realizes she needs to tap into her reporter talents to find out who would want the man dead and how they did it in the middle of a crowded event. She is also dealing with her ex’s phone calls and the feelings she still has for him. Add to that building her mixology business she has her hands full.

Growing up my parents owned a tavern and helping out behind the bar I learned that a dash of bitters was important in drinks like an Old Fashioned. Since then the bitters field has grown to now include several different flavors. In A Dash of Death Samantha is passionate about coming up with as many new and exciting flavors as she can and developing signature drinks to use them in. I was very intrigued by this new cozy mystery theme immediately. Samantha comes up with some crazy concoctions and most of them really work.

Samantha is an interesting protagonist. Losing her reporter job nine months prior to losing her fiancé really turned her life upside down and she really needs time to adjust. That may be why I had such a hard time connecting with her at first. She was starting to grow on me by the end of the story. As her life gets more on track I know she will be more identifiable. Thankfully the author surrounded her with a strong supporting cast. Her friends have her back and I really enjoyed any time the three of them were together. Samantha also meets someone new that could be pivotal in her life going forward.

The mystery was well-plotted. Samantha’s reporter skills come in handy as she tried to find the killer. A surprise lawsuit shakes things up a bit but my focus was continually drawn to one person. For the life of me though I couldn’t figure out their motive without a bunch more clues being revealed. I really did enjoy following along with Sam step by step until everything clicked into place. Ms. Klump did an excellent job of giving Samantha different theories to present to the police in hopes of drawing their attention away from herself. It is clear to see the author’s journalism background in the way her protagonist attacks her investigation. I really enjoyed the descriptive style of writing that brought the story to life in so many ways.

Ms. Klump has set this series off to a wonderful start. I really want to get to know Samantha better and to see her succeed and be happy. She and Beth seem to have a plan and I hope they can make it work because you know with a cozy mystery series they are going to face their share of dead bodies. I think this author and this series have a lot of promise and I am looking forward to wherever she takes her characters next.

To say that Texan Samantha Warren is having a run of bad luck would be an understatement. First she loses her job as a newspaper reporter, then she’s dumped by her fiancé three weeks before their wedding date. To take her mind off her problems, Samantha’s two best friends talk her into selling and serving her homemade bitters at the prestigious Highland Historic Commission charity event. Since Samantha had prepared 300 bottles to present to her wedding guests as swag, she’s more than happy to accept the job.

Unfortunately, Samantha’s run of bad luck continues when a member of the Historic Commission drops dead at the event after taking a drink of Samantha’s bitters. Despite the fact that she doesn’t even know the victim and has no motive to want him dead, she quickly becomes the prime suspect in the police department’s murder investigation, plus she’s served with a civil lawsuit by the victim’s estranged wife, who may or may not have herself been the killer.

There are many things to like about the book. Samantha is a sympathetic and likable character who one might even describe as “plucky.” The storyline is interesting. The plot moves at a steady pace and kept me guessing. A Dash of Death is the first entry in the promising new Cocktails and Cocktails series.