This is a quick and fun read that I enjoyed for the most part I am for sure going out and buying a copy of it for myself and I would definitely recommend it to friends

The first entry in a new cozy mysteries based in a food truck and the author is off to a great start. From the name of the food truck, to the mystery and red herring, you’re going to find this one enjoyable from start to finish!

Officer Pretty Boy” and the Kluckin’ Chaos: This Cozy Mystery is Finger-Lickin’ Unhinged

Beth Lloyd gets arrested in a chicken costume before the murder even happens. That’s how this book starts. I read that opening and immediately screamed, “Oh this is my kind of unhinged.” Welcome to “A Murder Most Fowl,” where the puns are poultry-themed, the stakes are cooked medium rare, and the vibes are so cozy-chaotic you’ll want to wrap yourself in a fryer basket and call it a blanket.

So. Beth and her twin brother Seth (yes, their names rhyme and yes, they fight like kids hopped up on Capri Sun) inherit their Aunt Dolly’s beloved fried chicken food truck, Kluckin’ Good. It’s a fully committed aesthetic situation, chicken costumes, pun-based menu, and one very traumatized assistant named Rylie who’s out here doing chicken-based drag on the streets of the Bay Area. Rylie’s a delight, by the way. She can’t cook worth a damn but she’s ride-or-die, and honestly we need more chicken-suit-wearing best friends willing to tamper with crime scenes out of loyalty.

Beth, possibly manic, definitely bold, signs them up for "The Food Truck Showdown," which is like "Top Chef" meets "Survivor" if one of the immunity challenges was “don’t get murdered.” Obviously, someone does. Enter Benji Mayhew, a hot dog vendor with the emotional range of a slap fight and Beth’s mortal enemy. He winds up very, very dead, and unfortunately for our girl Beth, she recently got arrested for going full "Looney Tunes" on him in public. With feathers. Allegedly.

Now, she’s suspect number one in a case that’s messier than an undercooked brisket. But does she back off? Oh no. She becomes Lucy Ricardo with a vengeance, dragging poor Rylie into full-on amateur sleuth mode while Seth mutters insults and tries not to combust from secondhand embarrassment. The murder mystery is juicy, but the real meal here is the characters. These siblings bicker like it’s an Olympic sport, and their banter feels like actual sibling chaos—not cutesy, not forced, just decades of shared trauma wrapped in sarcasm and fried food.

Beth calls the hot cop “Officer Pretty Boy” to his face, and that might be the moment I sold my soul to this series. Detective Kane clearly wants to arrest her for obstruction and also maybe for flirting. Their chemistry is aggressively cozy-mystery coded and I am here for it.

The mystery itself? Solid. Just twisty enough to keep you guessing without getting lost in the sauce. Suspects fly in faster than orders at a lunch rush, and every single food truck team is a walking red flag in an apron. The sabotage, the spicy secrets, the fact that one contestant may or may not be poisoning their competition. It’s camp, it’s clever, it’s chicken-fried chaos and I ate it all up like it came with a side of ranch.

Are there some over-the-top moments? Absolutely. Do I care? Absolutely not. That’s the whole point. This is “cozy with consequences,” where the cast is charmingly unqualified for the danger they’re in, but they still show up, take notes, and wear the chicken suit like it’s armor.

Four stars for a debut that dives headfirst into its weird little world, then deep-fries it in humor, heart, and just a pinch of murder. You better believe I’m coming back for "Hot Wings and Homicide" or whatever the next round of chaos is called. If this is just book one, book two better arrive with a fire extinguisher and emotional support waffles.

Whodunity Award: For Turning a Food Truck Rodeo into a Suspicion Buffet With a Side of Murder Sauce

Big thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC. Y’all really said, “Here’s a murder and a chicken suit, do with that what you will.” And I did. I devoured it like mac and cheese poppers at a crime scene.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Twins Beth and Seth Lloyd have inherited their Aunt Dolly’s Kluckin’ Good food truck. Their aunt taught them from a very young age the secrets of making the perfect chicken wings. Beth runs the food truck with her assistant Rylie. Seth has been a silent partner until now. All three will need to work together as contestants in The Food Truck Showdown, competing against seven other teams.

When the teams gather for the first elimination meeting, one chef is notably missing. Soon, a scream rings out, and the assistant producer announces, Benji Mayhew, the owner of The Dog House food truck, has been eliminated due to the fact that “he’s dead”. Beth has a contentious history with the man, one that recently landed her in a jail cell, so she knows she will be high on the list of suspects.

The Kluckin’ Good team will have to pull it together and find the killer who struck down the hot dog man, because it certainly wasn’t a chicken!

I love watching The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network. In fact, I was watching it while reading this book. The crazy challenges and the monetary competitions keep those food truck chefs on their toes. I love that on television, they travel to different states. Due to the murder, the contestants in the story are unable to travel too far, and their home base is not a stellar location, but it works well as a place to set a mystery.

Beth is the older twin born on leap day, while Seth was born on the first. He tries to use the technicality that he is actually 7 years older than her, with more actual birthdays. I really enjoyed their banter. Based on my expertise in having four children, it felt like they were true sibling quarrels, debates, and humorous events. Their friend Rylie is the one who brought the Food Truck Showdown to the twins’ attention. She isn’t much of a cook, but has no problem dressing in a chicken costume to bring in customers and take orders. This group of core characters is joined by a quirky cast of food truck owners and their crews, the food network staff, and the local police. All the characters were introduced well and grew throughout the story.

The murder mystery blends with the food truck competition seamlessly. Neither goes smoothly, though. While trying to keep up with the crazy challenges and sell, sell, sell, Beth, Seth, and Kylie are working hard to clear Beth’s name. Beth and Rylie earned themselves the nicknames of Lucy and Ethel from the police detectives because no matter how many times they were told to stay out of the case, they were always found somewhere they shouldn’t be. They worked hard to follow each clue and twist and turn. Beth makes some keen observations, and Detective Kane sees that her help may be worthwhile. I enjoyed being hot on the trail with Beth and on the edge of my seat when the case came to a head.

A Murder Most Fowl has set this series off to a Kluckin’ Good start! A fun read, with entertaining characters, a ton of humor, and just a touch of romance, it checked all my cozy mystery boxes. Be sure to check out the recipes included in the back of the book. You will be craving chicken wings and mac and cheese poppers.

I am pleased to see that book two, Hot Wings and Homicide, will be released on May 12, 2026. I have saved the date on my calendar. I can’t wait.

This new series launches with a food truck competition that turns deadly when one of the contestants is murdered. I was instantly hooked when the main character, Beth Lloyd, cheekily refers to a detective as “Officer Pretty Boy.” Beth’s lack of self-control often lands her in sticky situations, adding both humor and tension to the story. With its engaging characters, clever plot, and vivid setting, this book kept me turning the pages. My biggest concern? The publisher has a history of releasing promising series that never get a second installment and I’m really hoping this one continues.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Murder Most Fowl is a clucking good cozy mystery where food truck siblings stumble into a deadly cooking competition, serving up humor, charm, and plenty of twists.

A nice start to a new cozy series featuring twins Seth and Beth and their friend Rylie. They've got a food truck and are excited about a competition except that there's a murder. And of course this being a cozy the trio will spring into action to solve it. It's standard cozy stuff in spots and it does go a bit over the top at times but I expect it will settle down in the next installment. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to more.

The cozy mystery is my favorite genre. I like engaging mysteries and fascinating characters. I will read more books by this author.

I couldn't finish it, sorry to say. The present tense writing style made it feel like YA, Rylie’s relationship to the twins isn’t really explained (she’s Beth’s assistant? She seems very young but has known the twins since they were teens? She’s on a cooking show but the can’t cook?) and Beth is really unlikable. She was constantly picking fights with people.

Beth was thrilled when her food truck was selected to compete in The Food Truck Showdown, a reality series where mobile chefs battle it out for a $50,000 prize. What could possibly go wrong in the midst of intense competition aside from the rivalry, threats, missing ingredients, and of course, murder?

I knew I was in for a good time the moment Beth called the cop “Officer Pretty Boy.” From there, the story delivers a fun mix of humor and mystery, with a brother-sister relationship that’s both amusing and heartfelt.

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

A flavorful debut with humor, heart, and a killer hook (literally).

This cozy mystery kicks off with a bang—well, a squawk—as we meet Beth, our intrepid heroine, stuck in a chicken costume with nothing underneath and everything to lose. From that memorable opening, A Murder Most Fowl dives into the offbeat world of food truck competitions in the Bay Area, where the prize money is big, the snacks are tasty, and unfortunately, the bodies start piling up.

Beth and her twin brother, Seth, run a poultry-themed food truck with sibling banter that feels authentic and often laugh-out-loud funny. Their relationship is a highlight of the book—equal parts teasing, loyalty, and inside jokes. The Bay Area setting adds rich flavor (pun intended), with a wonderfully diverse cast of food truck owners, dishes I found myself Googling, and a real sense of place that makes you want to visit every street corner they park on.

The central mystery unfolds alongside behind-the-scenes food TV drama, and while the story takes its time simmering through the middle, the payoff is worth the wait. The combination of quirky characters, delicious details, and culinary suspense brings something fresh to the cozy mystery table.

Cozy mystery fans who enjoy foodie fiction, sibling dynamics, and a splash of absurdity in their amateur sleuthing will find plenty to savor here. A promising debut—and I’ll be back for seconds when book two rolls in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This debut cozy mystery is the first of a new series, and it is well worth the read! A set of twins and their long-time best friend work on a food truck that has been entered into a Food Truck competition. Unbeknownst to them, shenanigans and mischief begin almost immediately. After one contestant meets a seemingly natural end, Beth has to wonder if there isn’t something more sinister afoot. This book has twists and turns and will keep you guessing up until the very end. From the non-stop puns to the witty banter between characters, there is never a dull moment while reading. Fans of Maddie Day and Carlene O’Connor will love this!!

This is a fantastic start of a new series. As soon as I started reading I didn't want to put the book. I loved the story, the wonderful characters, the writing style, the banter and humorous bits. I can truly recommend this book and I definitely would love to read more books by this author.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Crooked Lane Books and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

This is book 1 in new series, and if you can get through chapter one without laughing out loud, good luck! This cozy is part chic lit, part mystery and all fun! When Beth signs her food truck up for a reality food truck race, she's hoping to at least get some better advertising for the business. What she isn't expecting is for her rival to be killed as the show starts, and for the show to stay in her area, and toss her into the suspect list for murder. As sabotage and petty crime keeps happening to the food trucks, Beth and her bestie are on the case, trying to solve the murder before their new 'friendly' cops do. This ia fun book, and with the ending, it looks like they'll be plenty of books in the series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

A Murder Most Fowl has light, humorous, and cozy mystery vibe, where I found myself laughing and taking notes on cooking tips. The mobile food truck business along with the reality show kitchen competition was a different setting compared to other books in this genre.

Fun and quirky cozy with just enough difference to make it stand out. Food truck, fraternal twins, a little off the beaten path. An enjoyable read. Love the cover! It sold me.

A fun, light, easy cozy mystery. I liked the writing style (tons of dialogue for a film-like vibe). On the downside, the plot wasn't overly riveting. Promising debut though.

"A Murder Most Fowl: A Food Truck Mystery" by Carmela Dutra is a food truck themed cozy mystery. It's a standalone story, so far. It wrapped up like a standalone but I could also see this book leading into a whole new cozy mystery series. Beth Lloyd co-owns a chicken themed food truck with her twin brother Seth. Her best friend works for them, usually dressed in a chicken costume.

The story starts out with Beth being picked up from the local police station. She was brought in for fluffing her feathers (literally, she was wearing the chicken costume) at another food truck owner. Things don't get much better when that same foe is also in the food truck competition tv show as them. When Beth gets investigated for the mysterious death of the other guy she feels she has to do something to prove her innocence.

This is the first book in this series, where we have a food truck race as the main event.

There is a rivalry between our main character and another food truck owner, who happens to be our murder victim.

This book had a few good twists, but was way too long for me. The story was good, and I look forward to reading more in the series should it continue, but this was about 75-100 pages too much of back story and randomness that were not central to the plot.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 7.23.25:

I enjoy a fun cozy mystery as long as it's not TOO ridiculous. I can handle a little silliness and outlandishness, but if it goes to be too much, I'm out. That explains why I DNF'd A MURDER MOST FOWL twice before finally finishing it. As much as I like the book's reality-tv-food-truck-cooking-competition-gone-wrong setup, the story just gets ridiculous. The novel does get a little better as it goes along, so I didn't have to force myself to finish it or anything. It ended up being only an average read for me and yet, I could be persuaded to pick up the next book. We'll see.

Beth is supposed to be an endearingly adorkable heroine, but I found her all kinds of annoying. Although she's supposed to be an adult (at least 21), she acts like a flighty teenager. In fact, all the characters talk and act like kids instead of the grown-up professionals they're supposed to be. I like banter, especially between siblings and besties or in enemies-to-lovers situations, but some of the conversations in this book are just eye-rollingly silly. So are some of the characters, who feel more like caricatures than real people. In spite of that, I do like the warm relationship between Beth and Seth (the rhyming names are definitely cringey) and Rylie. They make for a fun trio, silliness notwithstanding.

As far as plot goes, this one is contrived and confusing. Also predictable. I saw the killer coming from miles away. Some plot twists would have been nice.

So, yeah, A MURDER MOST FOWL was an okay read. It's quick and entertaining overall, but it's also silly, far-fetched, and a bit ridiculous.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence