Ex-journalist Samantha finds herself tied to another mystery when her mother's best friend is accused of murder. In order to prevent her long-time friend from going to prison for a crime she didn't commit, Samantha had to put both her new catering company and her life on the line.

I hadn't read the first one in this series, but like all good cozy mysteries that didn't make much of a difference. If you're a foodie then this book is definitely for you. In amongst the suspects and clues were many recipes and food-related sensations to enjoy. Overall, a good read.

This was a NetGalley review.

Release Date: February 21, 2023

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Sam was let go from being a reporter when her paper downsized. She lucked into being the cocktails portion of cocktails and catering! While serving cocktails at the town 4th of July festival, a body is found. When Sam’s mother’s best friend is accused of the murder, Sam and her mom set out to clear her name! Along the way the stumble in family secrets, get trapped in a suspects closet and cater the funeral. Can they find out who wanted to kill in order to get revenge or will it be too late for Patty?

This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I liked it. There is only one book prior to this but I couldn’t find it at the library so I haven’t read it. This book was good and I loved the relationship between Sam and her mom. There were long stretches that focused on the love triangle which was not very interesting. Sam was very likable at the beginning but became annoying and downright unlikable as the book progressed. I’m willing to give this series a second chance but you aren’t missing much if you don’t read this one.

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MURDER SERVED NEAT is the second book in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery series. Author Michelle Hillen Klump spins an entertaining Independence Day tale filled with sparkler cocktails, fireworks, and conflicts. What should have been a boon to her fledgling business serving cocktails to the crowd celebrating Highlands’ Independence Day festival, instead finds protagonist Samantha Warren caught in the middle of a feud. Her mother’s best friend, Patty, is dead set against the country-club tennis center while Angela, the woman who hired Samantha, is steamrolling any opposition to the plan. Ms. Klump does an admirable job setting the stage for the festival from music, food, cocktails, Texas heat, and participating characters. Her descriptive voice brings it all to life, so the reader feels like they’re right there experiencing it all. I really enjoyed that Samantha and her mother, Lillian, are close, so when Patty is accused of murder, it makes sense that Samantha would get involved to clear her mother’s best friend. Adding a twist to the equation is Patty’s son, a long-time frenemy of Samantha’s. Can they put aside their differences and help prove Patty’s innocence?

At first, reluctant to get involved in the investigation because of her close call with a murderer not that long ago, Samantha finally agrees to put her former reporter skills to work. I appreciated the protagonist has some actual skills to back up her quest to find the truth, instead of bumbling around with no thought or reason. As Samantha delves into the life of the victim, it becomes apparent that she’d been hiding secrets and had made several enemies. Invited to cater the funeral luncheon gives Samantha even more opportunities to gather clues. With an edge-of-your-seat reveal and a unique and clever save by the protagonist, the conclusion wrapped up the loose threads into a highly satisfactory story.

The yummy food and cocktails served up on the pages will have the reader drooling. Several recipes, sweet, savory, and libations are included at the back of the book to try out at home.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Michelle Hillen Klump follows her fabulous first novel in the Cocktails and Catering mystery series with a page-turner of a book that keeps you guessing right to the end.
Murder Served Neat finds main character Samantha pressed into service to clear the name of her mother's best friend who is accused of killing a prickly event organizer. Suspects abound in Sam's investigation, but apparently not-so-much for the police, who are laser focused on the woman Sam knows didn't do it.
Adding to her tension are the tensions surrounding getting the new business on firm footing, and a new possible love interest from the past.
This book is well-written, with plenty of interesting details regarding drinks and food, and recipes at the end.
I'm glad to have received an ARC of #MurderServedNeat from #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks.

Fun sophomore effort in this series! The mystery was fun with plenty of red herrings and suspects, the story and characters were engaging, and the cocktails sounded delicious.

A cozy mystery and cocktails? Can you say the perfect combo? This one surprised me and I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am looking forward to another.

So, I skipped ahead after I got to chapter six. Just like the first book of this series the mystery feels rushed into and to much filler is put into the chapters in the middle. The characters are barely tolerable with way to many flaws and not enough likability. I still say Samantha and her friends are functioning alcoholics as I know no mixologist that actually drink as much as they do, especially right before driving.

If you have issues with excessive drinking being idealized don't read this book. If you're okay with that and looking for some interesting drink ideas, there is plenty of that in this book. It's less of a cozy mystery and more of a gossip mystery. Not my jam but if that's what you like you like this book.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

A mixologist and a murder - how can you not be intrigued?

Murder Served Neat is a great cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns and very well-developed characters.

A must-read!

I'm not going to lie I didn't like the first book in the series. But I couldn't figure out why. I didn't know if it was the mystery aspect. Or the if it was the heroine. So I was willing to give the series a second chance. Turns out the mysteries are just fine it's the heroine that I can't stand.

Murder Served Neat is a cozy mystery novel by Michelle Hillen Klump. It’s book two in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery series, but it works well as a standalone.

Samantha is a catering entrepreneur specializing in cocktails. She’s smart, tenacious, and gracious. Her mother, Lillian, is a big part of the story because it’s Lillian’s bestie who is accused of murder. Lillian is motherly, intelligent, and a little quirky in that she gets lost sometimes.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this novel. I thought I had it figured out. I was wrong, so I picked another suspect. I was wrong again! The final reveal was a “duh!” moment, very entertaining. I also liked that it’s easy to care about and cheer for the good guys, like Samantha.

There are hints of romance, the perfect amount, not enough to distract from the mystery itself. There are also recipes included, a bonus for foodies, but I actually enjoyed the day-to-day dealings of Samantha’s catering business more. It plays off the big-time finances of the country club and tennis courts at the center of the victim’s life. Samantha’s beau is an artist, and I thought that was interesting, too.

As for any negatives, I did not like the pacing of the book. The pep that is present from the introductory scenes up to the discovery of the body fades. After that, it’s an even-keel ride to the end. Also, the book is set in Texas. I’m a Texan and didn’t get a strong sense of place. Even some Texas cliches would have been fun.

Still, it’s a darn good mystery, and readers will have to put on their thinking caps to solve it!

I received an advanced copy of Murder Served Neat from NetGalley, but my review reflects my honest opinion.

This was a fun, fast paced, cozy mystery.
I loved the characters, especially Lillian and Patty. During the town's Independence Festival, an event meant to raise money for the new tennis facility, one of the chairpersons is found murdered. As the facts start rolling in, things about the deceased come to light, and not all of it is good. When Patty is accused of the crime, Samantha and her mom, as well as their friends, will stop at nothing to prove her innocence. But, as the suspect list grows, so does the motive list. Soon there are more questions than answers. But Sam's sleuthing has a way of getting her into trouble. Will she be able to help Patty, or cause more problems?
Lots of fun interactions, real life dilemmas, and enough finger pointing to keep me guessing. Truly enjoyed the book and look forward to another.

Sam Warren is roped into bartending at a celebration by her mother. While she’s busy trying to get her business off the ground with Beth, she takes on the gig…only to find her Mother’s friend is a murder suspect and she needs to add sleuthing to her list of things to do. The question is whether Sam can survive it all and finds a killer in the process.

With a a who lots of red herrings, romance and family dynamics, this makes for a great read that had me turning the pages. This series on my must read list and you should give it a try too!

I really enjoyed this story. Murder Served Neat was a fantastic, fun cozy mystery that kept me reading until the end. I loved the characters and.enjoyed the plot!

I enjoyed this fun mystery even though I guessed the killer quickly. The characters are well flushed and that makes it easy to follow their lives. Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos. Samantha is a fun character and I look forward to more adventures with her.
#MurderServedNeat #NetGalley

Cocktails and murder! Interesting fun read. Great characters with a good story plot. Not hard to figure out but a fun read. Enjoyed this book! Thanks#netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Samantha Warren's mom is in town having encouraged her participation in the local German Texan Lodge's Fourth of July celebrations. Samantha is a mixologist and her speciality cocktails have customers queuing around the block. Not everyone is enjoying themselves however, especially as the Lodge has recently agreed unpopular plans for a tennis club to be built on its land. When two of the opposing factions come to blows in the middle of the festival it is shocking but worse is to come when one of the combatants is found dead just before the groundbreaking ceremony.

Sam wants nothing to do with any murder investigation, she and friend Beth have a fledgling catering and cocktails company to get off the ground and it got very dangerous last time she tried to help someone out! Her mom is close friends with the main suspect however and before she realises it Samantha is caught up in her plans and in peril once again.

This is just the second Cocktails and Catering mystery and so the main protagonists are only one book old but they are already becoming familiar and relatable. There is plenty about the cocktails and catering aspects included which adds an originality to this cosy storyline and I enjoyed the family relationships and little romantic interludes as much as the twists and turns of the investigation.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I can happily recommend it to cosy fans as a fun, easy read to snuggle up with.

Samantha Warren left her journalism career to start a thriving cocktail business. Samantha had been hired by the Highlands Lodge to cater to their inaugural Independence Day Festival. Samantha’s mother Lilian had suggested Samantha work the event, which Samantha had initially resisted.

At the event, Samantha witnesses a fight between two ladies: Angela Dawson and Patty, Samantha’s mother’s friend.

Apparently, there’s been an ongoing feud between Angela and Patty over the Highlands’ German Lodge.

Some Highland residents have decided to build a new country club-style tennis complex on the grounds of the German Lodge. The project is spearheaded by Angela, head of the Tennis Club Committee.

Patty, however, is opposed to the idea citing that German heritage in Texas would be lost in the process. This has caused a lot of controversy among the Highland residents.

Then on the festival day, Angela is found dead at the construction site where the proposed project would be built.🏗 Fingers point towards Patty as the prime suspect.

Overall a good read. Would recommend.

Recipes include Blackberry-Glazed Salmon, Samantha’s Grandmother’s Fig Cake 🍰, Samantha’s Sparkler Cocktail 🍹 and so on

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

Detective Jason Sanders

Sadly this one was just OK for me. I'm usually a huge fan of cozy mysteries but this one didn't make the mark. It was slow and I noticed that I put it down and had to a make myself finish it. The characters were fine, but the storyline was just boring.

Thank you Net Galley for providing this ARC

Murder Served Neat is the second book in this lighthearted series. This book was a fun quick paced cozy mystery with likeable characters, a good plot, a little romance, and kept me guessing whodunit until the end. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and to Netgalley for the advance copy. I can't wait til the next book in this series!!