Murder Served Neat
A Cocktails and Catering Mystery
by
Michelle Hillen Klump
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting - Texas
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Hardcover
Page count: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1639102345 / ISBN-13: 978-1639102341
eBook
Page count: 314 pages
Digital ASIN: B09ZRLRFB4
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About Murder Served Neat
Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos.
Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking.
Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?
Review
4 stars!
Engaging characters and a page-turning plot will keep readers
guessing!
Murder Served Neat is the second book in author Michelle
Hillen Klump’s delightful Cocktails and Catering Mystery series, and it
is a fine follow-up to the debut. The unique mother-daughter sleuthing
combination works together to solve a murder and clear the name of a family
friend.
Samantha Warren is good-hearted and fun as she creates signature
cocktails, even if they are to mark an unusual event: a funeral. She is a
relatable and engaging young woman and must deal with a disappointing incident
in her past involving the son of the main suspect and her mother’s oldest and
dearest friend. Having made it clear that she wants to take a budding relationship
with a character from the first book slowly, she finds herself the object of
interest of not one but two men. Her journalistic experience stands her in good
stead as she seeks out clues. Lilian is entertaining and sometimes alarming as
she tries to help her BFF, Patty, out of her dilemma. Together, mother and
daughter, librarian and former reporter, work their way through a worthy list
of possible suspects.
The murder mystery itself is solid and kept me turning pages
from the very start. The author’s writing style is easy and engaging, and I was
quickly drawn into Samantha’s current case. The story is brimming with mentions
of delicious-sounding entrees from the catering side of her business as well as
lip-smacking libations that had me snacking my way through this book in
defense. Readers who enjoy recipes for the dishes and drinks mentioned in their
stories won’t be disappointed.
With its engaging characters and a page-turning plot that
will keep readers guessing, I recommend MURDER SERVED NEAT to mystery lovers
who enjoy culinary-themed cozies with the tantalizing talk of good food and
drink or a central Texas setting. Also, for all those readers participating in reading
challenges, as the events in this book occur over the Fourth of July, it will
fulfill the often-used prompt of occurring “during a holiday other than Christmas.”
About Michelle Hillen Klump
Michelle Hillen Klump began her writing career as a newspaper reporter, traveling the back roads of central Texas and Arkansas, reporting on everything from natural disasters to crime and corruption. She’s interviewed former presidents, covered a midnight manhunt through the Ozark Mountains, and learned the finer points of how to break a car window from a looter while covering a hurricane. Now, she uses her experiences as fodder for fiction, writing a cozy mystery series about a former reporter turned craft cocktail caterer.
Michelle lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and young daughter. When she’s not writing or working her day job, she enjoys gardening, reading, exploring Houston’s neighborhoods, hiking and biking, and creating craft cocktails for friends and family.
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Thank you for the review.
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