In book #4 of Ellen Byron's lively Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, Crescent City Christmas Chaos (how's that for an alliterative title?), the holidays are looming and 28-year-old Miracle ("Ricki") James-Diaz is looking forward to a visit to New Orleans from her adoptive parents. But soon after their arrival, a much-disliked woman who knew Ricki's mother, Josepha, back in the day, is found dead, and Josepha becomes a suspect because of an irregularity with Ricki's adoption.

The suspicion that surrounds the family may also negatively affect Ricki's boyfriend, chef Virgil, who is hoping for great reviews for his debut TV special, for which Ricki's father has been enlisted as the show's camera operator. Ricki, who manages Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware for the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, corrals her staff and friends to investigate, and the local police detectives reluctantly accept their assistance. Subplots involve questionable skin care products at Crescent City Concierge Care, where ex-nurse Josepha is filling in part-time, and someone masquerading as a beloved holiday snowman character and taking an advantage of the opportunity to steal a few things. In addition, locals are submitting recipes for an upcoming cookbook, and Ricki's young cousin has been chosen a krewe queen for the next Mardi Gras celebrations.

New Orleans at Christmas time is beautifully portrayed by the author, and the characters--both those with which readers of the series are familiar and new supporting characters--are interesting and diverse. My favorites are a group of Christmas carolers hired by the museum who may be more annoying than festive.This is a fun cozy mystery series that makes the most of holidays, local color, and delicious-sounding recipes to charm the reader.

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Lots of mysteries to solve in the latest novel in this series - a murder, a search for lost relatives, and a series of thefts from small businesses - and the author does a good job keeping the plot threads moving along. The author also does a good job introducing new characters (main detective Ricki's parents are in town) while developing the relationships and characterizations of recurring characters. The setting of New Orleans is always a treat, especially in this book that describes Christmas traditions. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Severn House for the eARC.

#CrescentCityChristmasChaos #NetGalley is the fabulous fourth book in this series, and it should be at the top of everyone's TBR pile.
Ricki is in for a big surprise when her parents arrive for the holidays.
Ricki's boyfriend Virgil made it happen, as he needs her father's skills for his premier television show.
With her mother in town, Ricki hopes to spark her memory of who her birth mother, but things don't go as planned.
A visit to a woman who may have an idea about Ricki's mother starts a chain reaction of events that leads to murder.
There is so much going on in this story, I was glued to the pages, anxious to see what was going to happen next.
This series has become a favorite and the author did a fantastic job with this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.