A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump is a great cozy mystery that is the first in an awesome new series: a Cocktails and Catering Mystery.

This is a great way to start off a new series. I enjoyed the murder/mystery plot. It was complex, but yet not too convoluted. There were plenty of potential suspects that helped shroud the culprit.

I really liked Samantha (Sam) and her experience as a reporter as well as her current gig as a mixologist, is an interesting combo that opens up a lot of opportunities for situations and different groups of people that can be included into a vast array of narratives.

I liked the Texan feel and the southwestern charm infused throughout the book. I think this really has potential, and am looking forward to seeing where this goes.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Crooked Lane Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Didn't quite come off I feel. Partly because a lot of the words had either missing letters or part of the word missing which made it very hard to read. This really detracted from the flow of reading. That coupled with oft repeated phrases. The characters were all a bit too shallow and the plot rather flimsy. It might work better as an American TV programme.
The recipes at the end are a great idea however if you are not in the USA you will need to Google amounts as they are all in cups. You will also need to Google what is meant by certain terms like "Italian shredded cheese"?? There are many Italian cheeses that could potentially be shredded (grated???) and also what you could use as substitutes for "Italian seasoning" "Lasagne noodles". (I'm guessing lasagne sheets ) The book instructs you to follow the recipes to the letter but this is quite hard when you have no idea what some things are.
Good idea that fell a bit flat

I am in the minority with this review. I did not find this book to be a “cozy murder mystery” as some have described it. I thought the main character, Samantha, albeit brave (often imprudently) to be obtuse. She gets herself into situations, like an irresponsible wayward child. If her attorney, David, said one more time “this is bad”, I was going to discontinue reading. By the end of the book, I quite frankly did not care “who done it”, I just wanted the book to end. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This seems to be an interesting plot but I had to stop reading it a few pages in - many words were missing letters for some reason. I was struggling to find out what was going on. However, what I did read was entertaining and I will grab a copy of the real book to finish when it’s ready.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy for my review. All opinions are my own.

Highly recommend this new series! Characters are very intriguing. Well written plot. Can't wait for the next one! Kudos to the author Michelle Helen Klump. Thanks #netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Samantha Warren is having a rough day. It’s her wedding day and rather than walking down the aisle, she’s serving drinks to guests at a house tour fund raiser. Rather than letting her sit at home and stew, her BFF Marisa offers her a spot at the tour to show off the bitters she makes. With 300 bottles meant as wedding favors, Sam is hoping to make a few bucks and get rid of the reminders. When she sells almost all of the more than 300 bottles, she considers the night a success. Until a guest takes ill after one her drinks and dies. Now Sam finds herself a suspect in the man’s murder.

When Sam is sued by the man’s wife for his untimely death, she decides to use her investigative reporting skills to figure out who killed the man and recover her reputation. Will Sam figure it out and avoid losing the last little bit of herself she has left? She just hopes she doesn’t stir up any more trouble with the killer and meet her own bitter end.

First in a new cozy series, the author has done a great job of capturing the reader’s attention right out of the gate! Be sure to check out the tasty recipes that are included as well. I’m looking forward to the next entry in the series!

I loved this cozy mystery. First the title is great and second the plot and characters are wonderful. Highly recommend and can't wait to read more in this series!

A fast-paced mystery filled with interesting characters and an engaging plot.

Unfortunately I struggled to read the ARC because most words were missing a letter or two. I would, however, definitely read another book by the author.

Thank you to Michelle Hillen Klump, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book.

Mixology And Murder…?
The very first in the Cocktails and Catering Mysteries and what promises to be an engaging and entertaining series. With life events turning against her Samantha Warren, former journalist, turns mixologist and finds her skills very much in demand but when a guest expires, seemingly poisoned, she soon finds herself having to clear her name amidst a plethora of other suspects. Enjoyable initial outing.

I read this one in a few hours. Please let this be a new series [pretty sure it is] and issue more books immediately. A Dash of Death lends a new twist to this genre. I don’t want to give a lot away but this one promises to be a winner.

As an avid cozy mystery fan, I'm always nervous when reviewing the first in a new series, especially if I'm not familiar with the author.
Sometimes a book surprises you, and A Dash of Death certainly surprised this reader!
Samantha Warren, our protagonist, is devastated. Her fiance dumped her right before the wedding, and her world is turned upside down. Hoping to take her mind off current events, Sam fills a sudden vacancy at a historic homes tour. Mixing cocktails with her own homemade bitters does help keep her focused until a guest suddenly gets sick.
In a matter of hours, Sam becomes a murder suspect, and there's no way she's going to take this sitting down. Her knowledge as a news reporter helps Sam find the clues she's looking for, and she won't stop until the right person is behind bars.

I highly recommend this book, to any reader who truly likes a fast paced, engaging mystery.
The ending was absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to read more in this series by Michelle Hillen Klump.

#NetGalley #ADashofDeath