It was a well-written story, but it took way too much time for something to happen, Not a real masterpiece, but it's still a nice read! I did love that the protagonist was a reporter turned mixologist. For a protagonist in a cozy mystery, this was a totally different kind of hobby. This is a smart, satisfying read with a splash of cool cocktails! The main character was hard for me to relate to. I enjoyed the book despite the easy identification of the killer.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC. This was an honest review.

DNF. Unfortunately my e-copy was all jumbled and unreadable. There were missing letters and misspelled words that I couldn’t actually read the book. The story sounded interesting and I would absolutely pick it up if I had an appropriate copy.

Unfortunately I was not able to read this edition of the book (although I tried very hard several times). Almost every sentence has letters missing from words and I was spending so much time trying to decipher the words that I couldn't follow along with the story.
It seems like an interesting plot and perhaps will look for a copy the next time I visit a used book store online.

This book is enjoyable. The characters are great and the story is interesting. I liked the drinks that were made throughout the book. I was surprised by who the killer was. #ADashofDeath #NetGalley

Samantha Warren has lost everything. Her job, her dream home, even her fiancé. When a friend offers her the chance to hock what would have been the gifts for her wedding guests on what should have been her wedding night, she jumps at the chance to kill two birds with one stone. Instead of spending the evening recouping some of the costs of the wedding-that-wasn't and keeping herself from wallowing in self-pity, Samantha finds herself knee-deep in a murder investigation.

I really enjoyed this book. Though I've read hundreds of cozy mysteries this one was unique in a lot of ways. I haven't read many cozies set in Texas and most cozies are set in small towns, so getting a virtual tour of Houston and the little communities that make up the large city was really interesting. I've long been interested in historical preservation so that aspect was compelling too. Samantha having been an investigative reporter in her former career was a great angle, it gave her some insight into how to conduct an investigation and made it a no-brainer for her to pursue the truth.

The killer was pretty easy to identify but I don't think that took away from my enjoyment of the book. Despite knowing whodunnit there was still the question of how to prove it and what trouble would Samantha get herself into in the process. I also really liked the ending. Samantha has suffered a lot of loss but she's a fighter and she never loses faith that things will get better... therefore things do get better. Too many people think that hope is something that needs to be provided to them by someone else, but Samantha makes her own and you have to love her for that. I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

A Dash of Death is the first in the 'Cocktails and Catering' mystery series by Michelle Hillen Klump.

This series brings a refreshing spin of the baker type catering characters, instead this one focuses on cocktails.

In this debut novel, Samantha makes the best of a bad situation, using her wedding favours to start a business after losing her job and fiancée. But bad turns to worse after one of the guest dies after drinking one of Sam's drinks and she becomes the main suspect.

Naturally she has to find out who really did it.

A nice first novel in the series and I look forward to seeing how Sam's character develops.

This was a wonderful cozy mystery and didn't disappoint, Samantha Warren was a well developed character and the stakes that she faced were both plausible and well managed. The pacing was also good and the information was spread out so it didn't feel like an info dump all at once. I also enjoyed the friendship and the comradery was also very heartwarming and the development of the characters felt very believable and well managed.

Decent first novel, the potential for the future is definitely there. It was a fun read that the reader will spend a couple of pleasant hours wiling away. The potential for growth of characters will be fun to oversee.

I love mysteries and this book was a good mystery; I couldn’t figure who did it!! After the first couple chapters, I was all in and the book flowed well (medium pace) but as i got into it, the pace slowed. It may be because I’m not into mixing cocktails or recipes which the book focused on a bit. I would have liked to read a little more about Samantha’s complicated love life.

If you’re a fan of drinking and mixing cocktails and love a good mystery then check it out!!

Samantha Warren used to have it all - a job she loved at the Houston Gazette, a fiancé who shared her hobby of mixology and the wedding of her dreams to look forward to. Now all of that is gone, made redundant in a round of job cuts Sam no longer has contact with ex Greg who called off the ceremony and left for New York.

What she does have is 300 bottles of homemade bitters, she'd made to use as wedding favours, and no idea what to do with them. So, when best friend Marisa suggests she has a stall at the local historical homes committee's open house to sell her wares she hesitantly agrees. Everything goes far better than she could have imagined and she’s enjoying herself immensely until a guest is taken ill and dies having just drunk a cocktail Samantha mixed herself.

This is the first in the Cocktails and Catering mystery series and, amazingly, also the author's first book of any kind. It is also entertaining, tightly written and inhabited by likeable and believable characters throughout. Samantha is just about over the first shock of being dumped but still lacking confidence and the resolve needed to move on; all of this is interwoven into the storyline in a completely believable way. I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes next and reading about the art of mixology which I had no idea was even a thing!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a very good start to what promises to be an original and entertaining cosy crime series.

What a wonderful debut from a brand new author! A Dash of Death has everything a cozy mystery fan is looking for; a shocking murder, an amateur sleuth with smarts, and an ending you won't see coming! I love when an author can stump me and Klump did just that. I look forward to reading more in the series as they become published.

I fell in love with this book immediately. Samantha is a great character who you can relate too. The book was written so well. I kept guessing throughout the whole book who the real killer was. It was also refreshing for a character to have a different type of job. I didn’t know anything about bitters and it was interesting to learn about. I’ll be counting down the days until the next book comes out!

Michelle Hillen Klump makes her debut with A Dash of Death, and it really was a good one.

When you read a cozy Mystery, it is rare not to know what you are going to get sick of or what you are going to read, but I still managed to enjoy this reading a lot. The secondary characters and the main one. The environment where the mystery unfolded and the way in which Samantha put each piece together to solve the mystery.

I will look forward to the next installments with great pleasure.

Another thing that I loved was the recipes at the end of the drinks that we read about in the novel.

This is the first in the ’Cocktails and Catering Mystery’ series.
Samantha Warren, a news reporter has some bad news happen to her!
Her fiancé Gregory Price calls off the wedding right before their wedding date.

Her friends are trying to help her out and convince her that she needs to get out. Perhaps attend the Highlands Historic Home Tour and serve cocktails and sell the adorable petite blue bottles of homemade cherry-vanilla bitters she prepared to tuck into the guest bag for her wedding guests. They additionally encouraged her to take part in the Historic Commission’s benefit since the local brewery canceled.
Okay ~ sounds interesting ~ right?
However, when Mark Brantwell, a new member to the council falls ill at the party and is rushed to the hospital ends up dead! It becomes VERY interesting. As Samantha and her bitters are believed to be the cause.
But we know better! Right? Stay tuned as the plot thickens.

I love mysteries as well as psychological thrillers so I know we aren’t always given all the details to solve the case. But Samantha figures it out!

This is a nice cozy not a Big Wow but still a nice read!
I am looking forward to Samantha’s next adventure.

Plus you foodies are going to love that recipes are included!!

I always enjoy reading the ‘Acknowledgements’! I applaud Michelle Heller Klung on her debut novel and wish her success!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lance Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 8, 2022

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

First book in a new series and also a new author for me! What can I say, I really enjoyed this book. Our protagonist in this book is Samantha "Sam" Warren. She used to be a reporter who lost her job and her fiance Greg. Greg thought them being together was a mistake so he left her shortly before the wedding. Sam is a positive person and likes to make lemonade out of lemons. Literally, as she makes homemade bitters.

She serves her drinks during a meeting of the local historical-homes council. But then one of the guests kneels over... dead... after he drank Samantha's drink. It turns out the drink was poisoned with oleander. Since Sam was the one who mixed the drinks at the party, she is suspect number one. She has to resort to her old reporter ways to clear her name and find out what really happened.

I found the characters to be very likeable. The only thing I disliked about Samantha was that she often phoned her ex husband when she felt bad with what was happening. I am all for the strong woman who giver her man the finger when he dumps her. When he suddenly visited Samantha and they end up being together, I really did not like that. That was for my the only big flaw of the book. The murder mystery was awesome! I had no idea who did it and it only is revealed.... in the LAST chapter! That was amazing! For a first book in a new series this one is a solid 4 stars! I hope a second book will come!

This book is really a fun, easy and cozy mystery. This is about a women name Samantha and she is having a hard time getting over her now ex calling off the wedding and moving away. Her friends convince her to do this gig selling her bitters at a prestigious event. During the event someone was murder by poison from her bitters. After this happens we go on a wild ride full suspense and twist and turns. I Really enjoyed this book, it really kept me on my toes once i thought i knew who poisoned Mark (the guy from the event) I was thrown a twist to keep me guessing who it was. This book gave off such Clue vibes of trying to figure out who did it. Really fun and a great book!

I thought it was interesting that the main character, Samantha, had a hobby of making bitters but overall this wasn't really for me. I felt that Samantha was too wishy/washy. She wasn't very confident but then decided "it wouldn't hurt" to investigate a murder on her own. It didn't make sense. First she was immediately suspicious of Gabby and then eventually tried to prove she was innocent. I don't understand why she was so emotionally invested and determined to help Gabby. I felt like there were parts that were very descriptive and long and then other parts that were rushed. The ending felt tacked on and I didn't feel very connected to the story or the main character.

A fun new series set in Huston with a young mixologist as the main character. Recipes for food and drinks are included.

This was an okay start to a new series. The set-up is good, but Samantha, the main character, is just too wishy-washy for me. I get that there's a character arc and she's a bit more self-assured by the end, but when the main character says things like, "it couldn't hurt" to investigate people who might have a motive for the murder, etc., it doesn't exactly build a gripping feeling of suspense. The weird summary at the end, summing up stuff that feels like it should be spread throughout several chapters, feels tacked on, and the whole idea that she forgets she records an entire conversation with someone who's a key player in the whole thing--nope. There are definitely things I like here, and I would try the next title in the series. But if it wasn't any stronger, I'd probably let the series go at that point...

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Dash of Death is a solid cozy mystery. It starts at a party where reporter Samantha Warren, reeling over a bad breakup, is serving up the homemade bitters she'd made as party favours for her (now-cancelled) wedding. Unfortunately, one of the guests dies after ingesting oleander from one of the cocktails, and his estranged wife, Gabby, sues Samantha for damages.


It's a classic set up for a cozy mystery, and I liked Samantha as a character. Much of her character arc focuses on her learning to become more confident in trusting her instincts, and I love how her love life, her career, and the current mystery, all play into that growth. I also like how she figures out how to turn her personal and professional disasters into viable next steps for her career, and I thought her journey into embracing her interest in mixology felt relatable.

The mystery itself felt a bit of a stretch at times, not so much because of the suspects or the reveal, but because I couldn't quite understand why Samantha was so emotionally involved in the case. While she did start out as a prime suspect, the police switched their suspicions to Gabby fairly early on, and much of Samantha's investigation is because she wants to prove Gabby's innocence. Partly, she feels sorry for Gabby's teenage daughter, and partly, she also gets a good vibe from Gabby and doesn't think she could be a killer. The thing is, they initially met when Gabby tried to sue Samantha, so Gabby's a major reason that Samantha's involved in this mess in the first place. So while I can understand that Samantha believes Gabby is innocent, I don't get why she's so determined to prove it, even when it means risking her own neck.

Apart from that, the author did a good job of providing us with multiple red herrings and viable other suspects. The big reveal felt a bit anti-climactic, mostly because I thought some of the other suspects had more compelling backstories, but I didn't guess the bad guy's identity or motive at all, which was good.

The romantic subplot is cute, and I thought the love interest seemed sweet. That part of the story didn't quite hook me as strongly as it could have, though, mostly because so much of this novel seems to set up a love triangle between Samantha, her ex, and the new guy, and while I appreciate the author delving into Samantha's complex and unresolved feelings about her ex, the love triangle itself never quite felt believable. So I look forward to see how the romance subplot expands in later books.

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Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.