Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley is the latest in the Delilah and Sonya mysteries. With a couple of murders to solve, lots of new pizza recipes to serve and personal relationships to handle, this is a good addition to the series and cozy mystery lists.

How lucky am I to receive a copy of ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST by Mindy Quigley which is the second book in one of my new favorite series! It's great to catch up with all the terrific characters, especially Butterball the cat and Delilah's Aunt Biz!

It's the end of summer tourist season in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and that means that Delilah and Sonya are thinking about the lean winter ahead at their deep dish pizza restaurant, Delilah & Son. The 10k prize at the upcoming "Taste of Wisconsin Cook-off" would really help with that so they've been working on a special pizza for the event.

But, nothing is ever easy for Delilah and this adventure is no exception. There's a lot going on in town...Sam's new girlfriend, Jordon Watts, has opened a juice bar. Also, Sonya's past is catching up with her and Auntie Biz has troubles of her own but won't talk about it.

ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST is a wonderful follow-up and I'm so grateful to Sara La Cotti at St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I highly recommend it and hope there will be many more!

3.75 stars

This follow-up cozy to the series debut is nicely done, featuring Delilah and crew running an artisan deep dish pizza restaurant in a summer resort town in Wisconsin. The ensemble includes Deliliah's prickly great aunt Biz, her best friend and business partner Sonya, and various employees and friends.

Delilah and Sonya are preparing for their local food festival/contest, and hoping to bag the big prize to help them stay afloat over the long cold winter when their business will shrink. Delilah's ex-boyfriend Sam is now living with new smoothie queen Jordan, who is holistic and green to the max. Delilah moved out of "their" house when she and Sam split, painful since Deliliah was the principal designer for the place, particularly her dream kitchen. It's not easy to hear that Jordan plans to re-do the whole kitchen.

But a sudden death by smoothie which turns out to be homicide throws everyone into a mess. Add in threatening notes, the presence of a violent ex-con, and some mysterious secret that Aunt Biz is hiding and their small community is unsettled. Then they discover the judge of the food contest is none other than the husband of Sonya's ex-fling who is out for revenge.

Delilah is forced to confront some of her personality quirks in this one, mainly her need for control. A fun read, nicely paced with a good cast of characters. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I love cozy mysteries, especially those that take place in the Midwest (where I grew up). Adding in the pizza parlor element, and I thought I'd enjoy this book. But I didn't. I did read the first in the series, but forgot about the big problem for me - the constant comments about the character's shape and size, even the fat-shaming of the poor cat. IF this book had been written a decade or two ago, I would dismiss it, but a book written today with constant comments about a woman's - or cats' - diet, shape, and weight is a serious no-go for me.

I won't be recommending this book to anyone - nor the author - and will give a hard pass on future books in the series.
1 star = 'did not like it'

Fun cozy, liked the food contest angle. I have a little trouble with the main character, Delilah, being so abrasive all the time but I think she is starting to grow on me. Looking forward to the next installment.

This is the second book in the Deep Dish Mysteries series. It was a delightful read. Delilah & Son is a pizzeria in Genova Bay Wisconsin. The Son is actually Sonya her best friend. Sam is Delilah ex boyfriend that was highly successful with lots of money and they shared a cat named Butterball.

Genova Bay was getting ready for a cook off to see who had the best food. The judge was going to be Graham Ulrich with whom Sonya had a problem with. Next door to the pizzeria was a juice store that Sam’s new girlfriend ran and suddenly there was a death in the juice store. Then Graham Ulrich comes up dead can Delilah and Detective Capone figure all this out? Will Delilah and the sexy Capone end up together?

Why is Delilah’s grandmother Biz so grumpy all the time? I love how there are some really strong women in this series and they don’t all succumb to rich men. Between Butterball and Grandma Biz Delilah has her hands full! Also, some really great recipes at the end of the book!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Delilah O’Leary wants her deep-dish Geneva Bay pizzeria to survive. Can her new Pretzel Crust deep-dish bratwurst pizza win the annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest & its hefty cash prize? But celebrity chef Graham Ulrich is going to be the judge & her hopes of winning are dashed since Graham has a huge grudge against Delilah's sous-chef Sonia. When a customer at Jordan Watts' new juice bar is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, suspects abound. Then a menacing ex-con comes searching for some missing cash hidden in 3 properties owned by a jailed accountant for a dead mobster.

Delilah, Sonia & the rest of her crew have to prepare for the contest & solve the crimes in this enjoyable second book in the Deep Dish mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

This was a strong sequel to Mindy Quigley's Deep Dish Mysteries, we return to Geneva Bay Wisconsin and follow along as Delilah is faced with a new set of problems and mysteries as her restaurant Delilah & Son begins to take off with local residents. It is good to see the different and very human interactions between all of the characters. With the main focus around entering the Taste of Wisconsin Delilah is once again at the heart of solving another mystery. Butterball is also his wonderful and magnificent self and I was glad that he was a frequently reoccurring presence throughout the book.

What an enjoyable cozy mystery! This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. It was so fun following along with Delilah as the owner of a pizzeria. She has a lot going on and things quickly get even more complicated when someone is poisoned at the nearby juice shop. There’s so much excitement and action in the book, so I found it very entertaining. I loved all the food content too even though it made me hungry. My favorite character might have been her moody, adorable cat Butterball!

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the early gifted copy!

This novel continues the story of the deep dish pizza restaurant owned by Delilah O'Leary, and set in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Delilah and her friend Sonya continue to work hard at making the restaurant a success, since Dee and her wealthy boyfriend Sam broke up and withdrew his monetary support. When a rival chef comes to town to judge a foodie contest and is found murdered, Dee and friends end up in the middle of the mess. Scenes of vandalism, poisoning, and the presence of a dangerous criminal add fuel to the mysterious tale.

Readers of the previous novel in this series will enjoy becoming reacquainted with Auntie Biz, Detective Capone, Melody, Daniel, Sonya, and of course the huge cat Butterball. New characters make an appearance to keep the pages turning in this well-written new addition to the Deep Dish Mysteries series. I look forward to reading the next one! Don’t forget to read the recipes at the end, described in the voices of the characters who developed them.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book is well-written with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. If you like pizza, cats or small town living, check it out.

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second novel in Mindy Quigley's Deep Dish series. The focus is on deep dish pizza, romance, and murder, all of which work together quite nicely. Delilah is a murder-solving deep dish pizza maker, whom while she doesn't seek out crime, seems to land right in the middle of murder every time. Romantic interest is provided by a hunky detective Capone, who has a propensity to be in the right place by the right time. The plot is nicely complex, with several different layers of interest.

There are quite a number of characters, who populate this small rural Wisconsin village, not far from Chicago. The characters are a nice mix of personalities, ranging from acerbic Aunt Biz to the love-lost and sad Sonja. The cat, while overweight, has a job to perform and does it well. The mystery is not complicated, and so, while I did identify the murderer quite quickly, getting to the novel's resolution was still an enjoyable journey. When the novel ends, readers are rewarded with recipes, offered up by the characters. Like so many other cozy mysteries, this one ends quite abruptly, and so I guess we will need to wait for a third book to make its appearance to learn if Delilah finds success and happiness.

A thank you to St Martin's Press and to the author for this ARC, which was provided in exchange for my honest review. And I really did enjoy reading this novel. Thanks also to NetGalley for introducing me to so many wonderful novels and writers.

Delilah is determined to keep her pizzeria open despite her financial concerns and is hoping to win a large cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. She could get the money she needs from her former fiancé, Sam, but doesn’t want to do that, especially when it seems that Sam is now involved with the owner of the new juice bar and one of her competitors in the contest, Jordan Watts.

Murder, twists, turns, danger, gangsters, a celebrity judge with a grudge against Delilah, and more!

And in spite of everything, Sam is such a sweetheart!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I truly believe that every book could be made better with a cat. And this book did not disappoint. I knew from the cover there would be an adorable, overweight cat, and I fell in love with Butterball the minute he was introduced.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I tend to read dark, psychological thrillers more than these lighthearted, humorous mysteries, but I need to read these more. I liked all of the characters, and I felt like the mystery played out really well.

This is the second book in the Deep Dish Mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone, but I think I would’ve liked it more (I still really liked it) if I’d read book one first. There were some questions I had and backstory I was missing out on. One thing I especially loved was having recipes at the end of the book!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy is exchange for an honest review!

What fun! Food, recipes, and a bit of murder in a small, cute, Wisconsin town. A nice bit of escape. Appears to be part of a collection, so I will be looking for others!

Great, likable characters, with quirks and some sizzle.

Delilah and her crew are busy preparing a special dish for judging at the Labor Day festival, desperate to win the prize money. But murder and poisoning get in their way. Will one of her crew be arrested, can they win the contest and what is wrong with Aunt Biz? Delicious characters and a tight plot makes this a winning dish.

This is the second installment in this series and it did not disappoint. It moves along quicky, the author did a good job setting the scene at the beginning. Delilah O'Leary continues to operate her deep dish pizza establishment in Geneva Bay, WI. She's facing money problems but hopes to win a big prize in an upcoming town festival. The characters are witty and the relationship between Delilah and her ex-boyfriend is like nothing I have seen. Delilah has a talent for looking at crime scenes and evaluating them very effectively. When a patron dies at a nearby juice bar, Delilah knows something is amiss. She offers her advice to Detective Capone, a new romantic interest, and soon finds herself spending more time on solving murders than running her restaurant. Looking forward to the next one in the series. Love the references to gangland Chicago and present day Wisconsin. (Yeah Badgers!)
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is book two in the Deep Dish Mysteries series by Mindy Quigley.
After receiving and devouring book two I jumped over to Amazon and had to buy book one.
Mindy Quigley’s writing is humorous , engaging and suspenseful.
I found the characters relatable and fun to follow.
This cozy and light mystery has and intriguing and complex plot that was a delight to devour.
I thoroughly enjoyed this new exciting, suspenseful, engaging mystery series!
It has so many things I appreciate in cozy mysteries: interesting, likable characters, cats, a complex mystery, pizza, and in a Midwestern town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Already anticipating the next one.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend. I haven't read the first book in the series (but it's moved up to the top of my TBR) and had no difficulties. I'm from Wisconsin and very familiar with Lake Geneva which serves as the setting for this mystery-even though it's called Geneva Bay here.

Delilah and her partner Sonya have opened a pizza restaurant and have done well but with summer winding down are headed into the lean period when tourism dies down. Geneva Bay is holding a Taste of Wisconsin cook off on Labor Day weekend and the $10,000 prize is just what they need to help tide them over and provide additional publicity.

They are in for a big surprise when they discover the celebrity judge is someone from their past-a vindictive man who ran Sonya out of Chicago when he discovered she was having an affair with his wife.

But before that can happen, a tourist dies at the new Healthy drink store that is owned by Delilah's ex-fiancee's new girlfriend. How and why his smoothie is poisoned is a mystery and does it have anything to do with the new found wealth of one of the smoothie bar's workers. Then, another poisoning happens and the another body is found murdered.

Are the poisoning and murders related? Lots of twists and turns!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley but that did not influence my review and the opinion expressed is my own.

"Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O'Leary is determined to keep her restaurant afloat in the picturesque resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she sets her sights on winning the hefty cash prize in the town's annual "Taste of Wisconsin" culinary contest. In her corner, she's got her strong-willed, "big-boned" cat Butterball, her wisecracking BFF, her cantankerous great-aunt, and a nearly-flawless recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza. But while Delilah and her team have been focused on pumping out perfect pizza pies, her ex-fiancé has cozied up to a new squeeze, juice bar owner Jordan Watts - Delilah's contest rival.

When one of Jordan's juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, Delilah lands deep in the sauce. Accusations fly, suspects abound, and a menacing stranger turns up with a beef over some missing dough. Between kale-juicing hipsters and grudge-bearing celebrity chefs, Delilah must act quickly before another one bites the crust."

Just saying, the way to win a "Taste of Wisconsin" culinary contest is cheese, cheese, and just when you think you've added enough cheese, you add some more.