Have a Deadly New Year

Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon is the fourth A Farm-to-Fork Mystery. Angie Turners, chef and co-owner of County Seat, along with Felicia Williams and the rest of their staff are at Cliff Henry’s house in Sun Valley. Cliff is the lead singer of the newly reunited band, Postal Mutiny. County Seat has been hired to cater a party that evening, and they get the opportunity stay at the cabin until New Year’s Day. During this retreat, Angie wants them to work on new recipes for the upcoming season. Angie’s plans fly out the window when band member, Dane is found dead at the dining room table the next morning with a drumstick protruding from his chest. Sheriff Pearson suspects it is an accidental death from Dane overindulging in alcohol until the test results come in. Unfortunately, Angie and the gang are stuck at the house with a blizzard raging outside and a killer on the loose inside. The group from the County Seat attempt to identify the guilty party in between whipping up delectable meals. The mystery was simple with little investigation (seemed like Angie was avoiding it). The focus of the book was on food and not murder. Avid cozy mystery readers should have no problem pinpointing the guilty party before the first course is served. I suggest reading Who Moved My Goat Cheese? Before reading Have a Deadly New Year. As it is a novella, you do not get the opportunity to know the characters or their background. I found the story to be disappointing and not like Lynn Cahoon’s A Tourist Trap Mystery series. The characters felt flat and so did the story. I felt Have a Deadly New Year was a miss and not in tune with the other books in A Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. This will not keep me from reading the next A Farm-to-Fork Mystery this spring titled Deep Fried Revenge.

What a deliciously intriguing mystery, released just in time for New Year’s Eve! It can be enjoyed any time of year, as the snow will sound quite refreshing in the middle of summer. It is great to catch up with the well-defined characters; I learn more about them in every book. The mystery is hard to solve; whodunit was certainly a surprise to me! There’s nothing like being snowed in with a killer to make one’s business retreat worse than waiting on a whole restaurant full of crabby customers! Angie and Felicia are partners in their farm-to-table restaurant, the County Seat in River Vista, Idaho. An old boarding school friend of Felicia’s was the lead singer in the famous rock-n-roll band, Postal Mutiny. He owns a “cabin” in Sun Valley where he hired them, and three of their kitchen staff, to cater a special dinner. Once the dinner is complete, they can stay at the cabin for a week. They will have a retreat that includes planning the winter dishes and menus as well as monthly themes for the next year. It sounds like a great idea, especially when they see the huge cabin and amenities at their disposal. Postal Mutiny, including stars Cliff and Dane, is getting back together for a new tour and album. The dinner celebrates signing the final documents, which will occur the following day in Los Angeles. Midway through dinner, however, the band started fighting, just like in the old days. When the ladies checked the dining room, only Suzie, personal assistant to the band manager, is still sitting there. Once the fight began, everyone left. All but the band and its manager left before the predicted snow storm gets worse. The rest plan to fly out the next day. The next morning, however, Felicity and sous chef Estebe are in the kitchen early. When Felicity checks the dining room to see how much mess awaits them, she finds Dane with a drum stick sticking out of his chest and blood everywhere. He is still alive, and the police and EMT’s on the way when she awakens Angie, Matt, and Hope. She wants them all to gather together, as the killer must be somewhere in the cabin – and it isn’t one of their group. While the local sheriff was there, he was called away for a search party for a child, knowing he might not be able to return for a day or two with the impending storm. Alone, snowed in with a killer. Wow. Not how I would want to celebrate New Year’s or any other day! It isn’t bad enough to be snowed in with a band whose members can’t make sandwiches for themselves, much less run a washer or dryer. This tale captured my attention from the start and held it throughout. I was not able to figure out whodunit, the best kind of mystery! I highly recommend it to fans of this series and those who enjoy well-written cozy mysteries that can be read in an afternoon or evening. From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this from Goodreads First Reads; a review was not required.

Have a Deadly New Year brings a fun traditional touch to a great contemporary series. A culinary catering job for a celebrity friend of Felicia's is suppose to turn into a retreat, instead, it turns into a traditional cozy mystery. It isn't any fun for Angie and the crew, but it makes great reading. Have a Deadly New Year is a winning stand-alone novella for fans of the series and those new to Farm-to-Fork. I love Lynn Cahoon's between-the-numbers visits with the characters I enjoy so much and they tell a full story.