Another terrific read from author Lucy Burdette. This is one of my favorite series, I've given up on most cozy mysteries because they all seem to recycle the same old plots, and the main characters are often idiots. That's not the case here. I don't know how she does it, but each book is different from all the ones that went before--and even better than all the ones that went before, which is a tough trick. Hayley Snow id a great character, and all the supporting players are distinct and well fleshed out.

"A Poisonous Palate" by Lucy Burdette is a culinary mystery masterpiece that tantalizes the taste buds while keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Burdette's impeccable storytelling weaves together delectable descriptions of food with a gripping plot that will leave you guessing until the very end. With rich characters and a vivid Key West backdrop, this novel is a delightful feast for the senses. (I received an advance reader copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.) Burdette's expert blend of suspense and culinary flair makes "A Poisonous Palate" a must-read for mystery lovers and foodies alike.

Return to Key West island and Hayley Snow. This is the 14th book in the awesome "Food Critic" mystery series. Hayley and her police detective husband, Nathan are back solving a crime. This is a most awesome read! Filled with suspects who all have motives. The reader will be guessing until the end. Solid mystery. Thanks #Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

This is the "14th" release in the charming "Food Critic Mystery Series" set in the Florida Keys. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own. The charachters are likable and the food critic aspect of Key West dining is a fun aspect of this series for readers.

In this next in series our protagnist Haley is intriqued by a email from a old friend asking for help solving her friend's mysterious disappearance. Haley is never one to turn down a friend and she investigates with the help of Miss Gloria her neighbor and friend.. This investigation takes Haley to a new direction away from the Keys to a new location in Florida . The sleuth kept me guessing to conclusion and the clues and red herrings abound. A enjoyable next in series.

Key West, island-life, pet-dog, local-law-enforcement, recipes, food-columnist, foodie, murder-investigation, murder, secrets, lies, series, houseboat, octogenarians, family-dynamics, friendship, friends, relationships, relatives, amateur-sleuth, friction, missing-persons, confrontation*****

Hayley Snow is a food critic and her husband Nathan Bransford is a local police detective. Whenever the occasion arises, she winds up sharing the sleuthing with her fantastic octogenarian neighbor, Miss Gloria (who's a real hoot and will not be left out). This time a rather manipulative author contacts Harley for help in resurrecting a forty year old cold case of a woman she knew who simply went missing. The author is on Key West for info on toxic relationships centering on the es-wives of Hemingway. And then they find the body of someone from those years ago and it all goes pear shaped.
Excellent read filled with relatable characters, suspense, and a whole lot more.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I just ADORE this series. I started it earlier this year when I found it on a list of recommended cozy mysteries for foodies. And that promise definitely delivered! This is another fantastic cozy mystery from Lucy Burdette and her wonderful characters. A little more gritty than your common cozy, but not enough to take away the relaxing vibe we all know and love from this genre. I really had no clue who the murderer was and I was taking notes in my journal the whole way through! A top 5 installment.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC!

A Poisonous Palate is a gripping, yet delightfully charming, cozy mystery novel. Haley receives a random email requesting her help in a decades-old missing person case. With her friend's wedding soon approaching and several article deadlines due, Haley doesn't exactly have time for a cold case; however, she's never been one to say 'no' to a mystery. Haley agrees to help Catherine and they soon start investigating the area where Catherine and her missing friend used to live. As it so happens, it was a commune, and the group was very suspect. Soon after visiting the camp, they discover one of the previous residents murdered and then Catherine goes missing. Just what has Haley gotten herself into!?

A Poisonous Palate is a bit edgier than most of the cozies that I read; however, I thoroughly enjoyed the dark(ish) themes of the commune and Catherine's past. I also really appreciated the way that the author wove in Hemingway and his past. Hemingway is such a huge part of Key West's history and the author was able to creatively and smoothly weave his history (which is fascinating) in with the main plot. AND then there were the restaurants and the meals. I wanted to devour every one of the dishes that was described. For me, a great cozy is not complete without the food descriptions. I will absolutely be continuing with this series!

I love visiting with Hayley Snow in Key West. I love the descriptions of the food and the sights. I especially liked, this time, the Hemingway connection to the events in the story. The storyline was interesting and kept me reading the book in one day. I did not guess who the villain was, which is a plus in my mind. I'm already looking forward to the next book.

A tropical mystery with family, food and friends. Follow Haley as she explores Hemingway's motivations and life in Key West. She meets new people that provide intrigue and twists and turns. Who to believe, who to trust and who is the killer or killers?

I love visiting with Hayley Snow in Key West, I love the descriptions of the food and the sights. I especially liked, this time, the Hemingway connection to the events in the story. The storyline was interesting and kept me reading the book in one day. I did not guess who the villain was., which is a plus in my mind., I'm already looking forward to the next book.

Review of eBook

When Hayley Snow receives a perplexing email from Catherine Davitt, she’s drawn into a forty-year-old mystery concerning a missing young woman. In 1978, Catherine and her friend, Veronica, had been living in an encampment that was essentially a commune. And Veronica had simply vanished.

A yellowed newspaper clipping revealed that the police had been notified and investigated, but Veronica remained missing. It was assumed that she simply left Big Pine Key.

But Catherine isn’t certain . . . and she wants to solve the mystery of her friend’s disappearance.

Hayley wonders why Catherine wants to find the answer to Veronica’s disappearance after so many years have passed. But she agrees to meet with Catherine.

What did happen to Veronica? And will Hayley be able to find the answers Catherine seeks?

=========

Fourteenth in the author’s Key West Food Critic Mystery series, all the expected characters are in place and readers of the series are sure to welcome them as old and dear friends, especially the delightful Miss Gloria. However, for readers new to the series, there is sufficient backstory for the narrative to work as a standalone.

The strong sense of place anchors the telling of the tale; the subplot of Catherine writing a book about Ernest Hemingway and his four wives provides illuminating insight into Hemingway’s connection with Key West. Long-held secrets play an integral part in the solving of Veronica’s disappearance; a murder and another disappearance push Hayley to find the answers.

As might be expected, food plays an integral part in the telling of this unputdownable tale; thankfully, recipes are included in the book. Readers are sure to find this resolution to the mystery to be quite satisfying.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#APoisonousPalate #NetGalley

Food critic Hayley Snow is contacted by writer Catherine Davitt who is coming to the Keys to not
only reasearch a book on Hemingway but also the unsolved case of the diappearance of her
friend in the 1970s. While Haley is not an investigator, she has helped solve other murders.
Haley and Catherine discover the body of one of the people they were interested in questioning. As
they continue to talk to those who were present, Catherine goes missing. Did she kill the mudered man
or is someone else invovled? As Hayley looks into the lives of those present at the time, complicated
relationships come to light.
Fourteenth in the series - always a delight to catch up with Hayley and friends.
#APoisonousPalate #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

Another great installment in this series set in Key West. The islands - particularly Key West - are truly a main character and you feel as though you are there. I love that each of these could be a stand alone but that if read as a series you see continual plot and character development. Loved the tie-in with Hemingway which added to the mystique of Key West and the plot.

This book is part of the Key West Food Critic mystery series. The food critic Haley Snow intuits the way to a cozy culinary adventure. Readers of this series will not be disappointed! It is a charming read that draws the reader into the island environment and its eclectic cast of characters.

This review of A Poisonous Palate by Lucy Burdette is courtesy of NetGalley. #APoisonousPalate #NetGalley #CulinaryMystery #CozyMystery #LucyBurdette

Rating: 4/5
Upcoming publication date: Aug 6 2024

I've picked up a few of Lucy Burdette's Key West Food Critic Mysteries now.

A new to the series character, Catherine Davitt, visits Hayley Snow to get help finding out about the disappearance of her friend years ago. Catherine's background allows us to learn a bit more about Hemingway and his relationship with Key West. Along the way we get the usual food descriptions at various restaurants with Miss Gloria being the main sidekick. Familiar characters such as Hayley's mom and step father appear along with the requisite catering job and food, as well as Nathan, Lorenzo etc. More restaurants and places around Key West also made their appearances. I did feel that I'm reading a travel brochure for Key West when reading A Poisonous Palate.

I didn't figure out "whodunnit" but would say it's a solid read for those who enjoy casual mysteries along with food.

Side note: Given the current atmosphere of book bans, I loved the dedication at the beginning of the book to librarians. "For the heroic librarians of the world who place books in the hands of readers and stand up for everyone's right to read whatever they choose."

This was another winner from the Key West Food Critic mystery series, it had everything that I enjoyed from the other books that I read. It uses the mystery element in a way that was unique, the characters had that feel that I wanted and was glad I got to read this and left me wanting to read more in this world and from Lucy Burdette.

Hayley receives an email from a writer named Catherine who is looking into the disappearance of her friend Veronica when they were in Key West in the 1970's. A group of people hung out then, and some of them still live in the area, so Hayley, consummate busybody that she is, decides to interrogate them. Surprisingly, they actually answer her questions. Then when one of the old group is found dead, Hayley reflects on the plethora of suspects, especially when Catherine stands her up at their arranged meeting. The police, including her police-officer husband, ask her to back off, but she is determined to solve the case. Recipes are included. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Hayley and her friends and family all become involved when a stranger asks Hayley to help her find out what happened to her friend in 1978. Always curious, Hayley agrees and finds that nothing makes sense. A great addition to this series.

Hayley Snow, Floridian professional food critic and amateur investigator is looking forward to her friend's wedding but in the run up has been contacted by a fellow writer with an interesting tale to tell. Catherine Davitt joined a camp in the Big Pine Key mangroves in the late 1970s and has returned to research her latest book about Hemingway’s four wives. She also wants Hayley to help her discover what happened to her friend Veronica, who vanished from the camp in 1978.

With her octogenarian sidekick Miss Gloria, Hayley throws herself into interviewing Catherine's ex camp mates and searching newspaper records for information much to her husband and local detective Nathan's concern. Old mysteries however, are sometimes best left alone, and when one of Veronica’s old acquaintances is killed and another disappears Hayley realises her investigation isn't the only thing in jeopardy!

Book 14 in Lucy Burdette's Key West Food Critic Mystery Series is the first I've read but I was never once confused or felt this wasn't the place to start. Instead I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, didn't work out whodunnit, and will totally be adding this series to my cosy library. Hayley is a great main protagonist but Miss Gloria steals every scene she's in with a wonderful disregard for sensibilities only an octogenarian can get away with! As expected with a food critic sleuth there are a few restaurant visits included as are some recipes at the end.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this and happily recommend it.

A Poisonous Palate is the 14th book in the Key West Food Critic mystery series by Lucy Burdette. I love this series and always look forward to my next trip to Key West.

When Haley Snow receives an email from a woman named Catherine asking her to help her figure out a mystery from 40 years ago, Haley can't help but say yes. Soon after, Catherine and Haley find a man connected to the past, murdered and days later, Catherine disappears. .Can Haley solve the mystery before more people end up dead or missing? With the help from her friend, Miss Gloria and support from her detective husband, anything is possible.