After suffering severe damage from a nor’easter things go from bad to worse for Sherri Oliveri when her neighbors nanny is killed. They find out that the sous chef for her brothers food truck was with her the night she was murdered and the police have him as the main suspect. Sherry puts her time to work to try to clear his name. While learning she has a history of predicting doom and gloom Sheey wonders if she predicted her own demise until she discovers a clue in her own stores attic. Unraveling the case will take Sherry on a trip through Irish mythology that leads right back to her family’s store’s doorstep. This was a very enjoyable story with great characters I recommend to everyone.

Thanks NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. A easy good read, kept my attention throughout and enjoyed.

Murder for Good Measure by Devon Delaney is an excellent culinary mystery with a few twists added in.

Will Sherry help Ray find Cara's killer before the spirits' third act is complete?

Sherry Oliveri
Sherry is our sleuth, but she is so much more. She competes in cooking contests, or I should say she wins cooking contests, assist with the family rug business, writes the town newsletter, and many more things. I like Sherry, she makes a great investigator, but she is also kind with a no-nonsense attitude.

My favorite thing about Sherry is how she cares about the people in her life. Sherry doesn't smother them but allows them to figure things out independently. She has a great head on her shoulders and plenty of common sense.

The Mystery
Sherry has new neighbors that have busy schedules and an Irish nanny. Cara, their Irish nanny, has a thing for the spirit world of Ireland. She is truly a believer and tries to teach the twins about Irish folklore, especially the legend of Finn McCool. Although, the twin's mom isn't pleased about the kids' reaction to the tales and sets out to fire Cara. Sherry sets Cara up with Angel. After their date, Cara is found murdered at the dog park where their date ends.

Sherry tries to stay out of the mystery, but things keep dragging her into the plot. Soon Sherry is investigating alongside the police detective. But this isn't all that is going on. A corporation is trying to snatch the building that her family business resides in. Sherry is competing in a two-generation cooking contest with one of her new neighbor's twins. And all of this is happening at Halloween. Didn't I say she was busy?

Four Stars
I love the small town atmosphere and Sherry's friends and family who show up for her. The mystery is one of greed and selfishness. The perfect tie-in to the Irish folklore that Cara was teaching the family. My rating is four stars. I recommend it to all you culinary cozy readers out there.

The recipes from Sherry's Kitchen include Colcannon Potatoes With a Twist, Irish Pub-Style Roasted Salmon, and Touchdown Turkey-Pesto Party Pops with Hail Mary Horseradish Dipping Sauce.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder for Good Measure by Devon Delaney.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Sherry Oliveri, cook-off chef extraordinaire, is partnering with a neighbor's son for a generational cook-off. The neighbor is having some issues with her nanny, Cara, who is on a work permit from Ireland. Cara likes to tout Ireland folklore but the stories that she is telling are frightening the children she has been hired to care for. Sherry has been trying to help Cara adjust and has even set her up with her brother's sous chef, Felix. This seems to have turned into a disaster when Cara is found dead the morning after the date. Sherry knows that Felix didn't harm Cara and needs to clear him from suspicion.

A fun mystery with some delicious sounding eats!

Well, this was certainly interesting, a two-in-one mystery, or was that three-in-one? The storyline was okay but a bit dull. It has a medium intrigue level and not much excitement. It was okay for a calm afternoon tea relaxing read. By and by, it was an okay read, just not as exciting as I expected.

I really REALLY wanted to give this book more stars. There were more positives in this book than negatives. But the main issue I had was the number of characters. I don't want people to read this review and think....oh this is a bad cozy series. Because it's not. But THIS book is NOT how you should start this lovely series. Start with an earlier book.....please do. I am going to go and read one of the earlier ones myself.

I received this book as an ARC and I love cozies. They are my all time favorite. Mini hallmark movies in book form. And generally you can pick one up anywhere from within the series and off you go.

But there were 19 character names within the first 2 chapters (probably 5-6 which could have been left out, as they were side characters of no note and inserted into the conversation for no reason at this point in the story and it was a bit premature)....Cara, Erno, Pep, Wynne, Tori, Joy, Mark, Ruth, Sherry, Evetti, Eric V, Amber, Max, Franci, Chutney, Eileen, workman....etc. This made is SO SO difficult for me jumping into the series. It took me so long to figure out who was narrating and keep track of their relationships. I re-read these chapters multiple times. Pulling some of these characters out to minimize the confusion would not have detracted in any way to the story ....as the important characters show up with appropriate introductions later.

This issue stayed with me through the book and detracted from it overall. Toward the end when the large group of characters was thrown together- I had difficulty jumping between them and recalling their connections. (And there are about 25 characters altogether). It would have been great to do some obvious and cliched naming tricks. I mean we all know the Clue Game characters (Mrs Peacock, Miss Scarlet, Mr Green etc). And if one or two of the families could have been all "A" names or all "R" names. It would have made it more obvious and easy.

But - onto the fabulous goodness that makes me want to read more of the series. There were some awesome Irish folklore/legends worked in. And I loved the recipes at the end of the book. The mystery was done well. And overall it flowed well outside of the two areas I mentioned above. And I didn't figure out who dun-it until the end. It was wrapped up very nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC; the reviews and opinions are my own. And despite this review I will be seeking out more of this author and series to read!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sherry get involved in a cook off of a different sort when she is teamed with one of the twins of her new neighbours, while the mother is teamed with the other twin. It is part of a family friendly fair and family is at the heart of the story. The children’s nanny is fond of telling Irish folk tales, much to the frustration of the mother. Sherry thinks little of it other than a touch of blarney until the nanny is murdered and one of her friends might be the main suspect. Much of what the girl has said is a riddle that will reveal her murderer, if Sherry can just figure it out.

In the meantime, her father’s shop, The Ruggery, has been severely damaged by a storm. The cost of repairs is going to be enormous and when an offer comes in to purchase the property, her father is sorely tempted to take the money and run. But treachery is afoot and it is not just the little people who are causing havoc. Sherry finds an old book in the attic but cannot figure out whose it might be. She is determined to discover its origin to return it to the family to whom it belongs. Little.people or ghosts, there might be forces at play that will reveal the answers to all the questions and prevent some terrible mistakes being made.

As usual it is an entertaining story with some tasty food recipes. When the killer is revealed, the cause for the crime is a complete surprise. And there is more than one villain that is brought to task. Do not read this book on an empty stomach. You may drool all over it. Four purrs and two paws up.

.This is the seventh installment in the Cook Off mystery series. When a friend's nanny is murdered, Sherry helps to investigate the crime.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series and unfortunately, this made the book a little difficult to get into for me as there was less character development, as it is assumed that people already know the main characters. For lovers of the series, though, I think this will be a great continuation of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book

Thank you NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for accepting my request to read and review Murder for Good Measure.

Author: Devon Delaney
Published: 09/13/22
Genre: Cooking, Food, & Wine -- Mystery & Thrillers

This cozy mystery was everything I like when clearing my brain and healing my heart.

The small town things were okay and expected. There was a cook-off that apparently is a regular event. There was a Food Truck and happy people.

The K9 dog took the book to the next level. The author does share general tips from the dog's handler that I liked. In the event that any reader finds themselves in the company of a K9 dog, we will have good manners. The main family ran a hook rug business. I didn't Google, and had no idea these latch rugs were still done. It brought back fun memories. This cozy had a Irish superstitions sprinkled throughout.

All-in-all this was a nice and fun read. I enjoyed the memories of my own rugs. It was fun (Kindle) looking up the Irish words and folklore. The K9 was a special treat.

As for the murder, I thought it was smart and well-executed. I did not care for the way the solution was executed. Still a solid 4 star read.

Murder for measure is the latest cooking cook off mystery novel , in a series by Devon Delaney . Her father is having troubles at the Ruggery and is debating whether to do repairs to his business or sell it Sherry’s neighbour asks her to partner with her son in an Irish cook off and before the cook off begins, her neighbour ‘s nanny from Ireland is murdered and her brother’s assistant at his food truck is a prime suspect. Sherry and her friends and family help the police solve the murder. The cook off winner wins a cash prize, but you will have to read this novel to find out who won and who killed the nanny and if Sherry’s father’s Ruggery business can also be saved. It is definitely worth the read and look forward to reading the next book in this delightful book series.Bravo Devon 🙋‍♀️🇨🇦📚🙏

This is a story of superstitions, Irish folklore, a family cooking contest, Ruggery challenges, a mystery, and a murder. This starts out with an ominous meeting at the Ruggery, Sherry Oliveri’s (I just love how her name trips off the tongue LOL) family business that has suffered some weather related damage and costly decisions need to be made. The next bit of bad luck comes in the form of a blind date that Sherry arranges for her neighbor’s Irish nanny and her brother Pep’s sous chef, Angel, which does not end well. So many possible suspects but Angel is at the top of the list since he was the last to see Nanny Cara, and Sherry is adding sleuthing to her list of duties in addition to the town newsletter, the family business, and competitive cook. Speaking of cooking competitions, this story has two, one formal one informal which provides the reader with some great dinner ideas. Be sure to check out the Irish enhanced recipes found at the end of the story such as Colcannon Potatoes with a twist and a nice Irish Pub-Style Roasted Salmon with whiskey recipe, not to confused with red herring as there are plenty of those, just enough that I was way off in my armchair deductions.

After her family’s store suffers serious damage in a storm, Sherry Oliveri has plenty of time on her hands while she waits for her father’s decision on the fate of the store. She certainly wasn’t expecting to fill some of that time investigating a murder but when a local nanny is killed and the sous chef for her brother’s food truck is the main suspect, she finds herself involved in another murder investigation. Angel insists he is innocent, but the evidence says otherwise – will she be able to find out the truth as to who the killer is?

“Murder for Good Measure” is the seventh book in Devon Delaney’s Cook-Off Cozy Mystery series. For the most part I enjoyed the book – especially the descriptions of the cook-offs Sherry is involved with (there are recipes in the back of the book). I also liked the way Delaney weaves Irish mythology into the plot of the book – this is done seamlessly, is interesting, and nicely fits into the plot of the book. The one thing I didn’t like is that nobody seems to communicate with each other in the book Sherry’s father is about to make a huge decision that could change the family’s life and she and her brother don’t even discuss it with him. It is especially frustrating that several characters know something but will only speak cryptically about it and Sherry knows that Angel has lied about several things but never once questions him about it. To be fair Delaney did explain the lack of communication as the murder was solved but it was still frustrating. Having said that, the solution to the murder was a good one full of twists and turns and things that I didn’t see coming. I was totally surprised as to who the killer was and really surprised by the motive!

I really enjoyed this fun cozy! I enjoyed the characters and the story was so much fun to read! I didn't want the story to end! Excited to read more by this author!

This was a fun, quick mystery that kept me entertained. Not long after her family’s store suffers serious damage in a punishing nor’easter, things go from bad to worse for Sherry Oliveri when her new neighbors’ nanny is killed. It soon comes to light that the sous chef for her brother’s food truck was with the young woman the night she was murdered, and the police have him squarely in their crosshairs as the main suspect. With the store closed for repairs, Sherry puts her extra free time to work trying to clear his name.
#MurderforGoodMeasure #NetGalley

It was an entertaining read, well plotted. Solid mystery, likeable characters.
I enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Oliveri family’s rug store is closed due to storm damage leaving Sherry time to enter a multi-generational cooking contest with her neighbors. When the neighbor’s Irish nanny is killed the police focus on her brother’s sous chef and Sherry gets involved in the investigation. Can the nanny’s Irish folk tales help solve the murder?

This was a quick read with enough twists to the mystery to keep me guessing. And I enjoyed the mix of cooking information and Irish folklore.

This story kept me reading. I had no idea who the killer was...
Beyond the Page Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There are a lot of characters in this story. When a dead body is found, they go after the man who was on a first date with her. Sherry doesn't believe it.

As she asks questions, she isn't getting all the truth.

The hero of the story is a police dog. He identifies the vehicle that ran her down.

It's fascinating tale and has recipes that sound good. I enjoyed it.

This is the seventh book in the Cook-Off mystery series. Considering I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, it took me awhile to find my footing in the story. There were so many different characters who would all come in at once that I often got confused. But by the middle of the book I had it all sorted and was able to relax back into the story.

I particularly loved the cook-off element, not only the competitions that took place, but also how Sherry prepped for them and how she handles the aftermath. And yes, there are several recipes included at the end of the book so you can try them out.

This is also a truly autumnal read. From scenes taking place at the Fall family festival, during Halloween, and with a strong thread of Irish storytelling folklore weaved throughout, it really matches the cozier moods of the season!

Overall, while I enjoyed this one, it’s definitely not a stand-alone and it would be better to have read the other books in this series, which I will certainly be doing in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for a copy of this eARC!

This is my 4th in the series although it is the 7th instalment, and it's a busy time for Sherry Oliveri after a storm damages The Ruggery, her dad's shop that sells speciality crafted hand-loomed rugs. The basement is flooded caused by a faulty sump pump. Sherry is also spending her time getting ready for Halloween which is only a few days away; added to this, she sells pickles at the local farmer's market and helps with her boyfriend, Don Johnstone's new business venture involving commuter boat transport moving, working in the office. She advises he brother Pep on his food truck company too. Protagonist Sherry is a terrific amateur sleuth and gets involved when an Irish nanny, Cara working for her neighbour is found dead. The last person to see the nanny was a cook working for Pep.

Set in Augustin, Murder for Good Measure was a compelling, fun, cosy read. I was sold from the very beginning, with its solid characters, great writing and a marvellous mystery that provided a good sprinkling of clues to satisfy even the most diligent armchair detective. Busy Sherry's passion is entering culinary competitions and I find her to be spirited, peppy, curious and amusing.

Although the book is part of a series, it would work as a standalone novel. With an entertaining plot, the mystery itself was well done and there were diversions and twists to keep me guessing the culprit's identity. Overall, a marvellous, very busy cosy and very worthwhile read. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for Sherry and her dog Chutney, a Jack Russell terrier in book #8 and like me, you might want to start the series from the beginning. Very highly recommended.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley.

The newest cook off mystery series. Sherry is back to investigate when a friend’s nanny ends up murdered.

I hadn’t read any of the previous ones in this series, which sometimes doesn’t matter, but did here. There was no real intro for new readers into Sherry or her background with cookoffs. I also think the murder took too long to get to. That can be ok if the buildup is necessary but it didn’t feel that way to me here.