BLOG TOUR: Death on Eat Street by J.J. Cook

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to be when you're in the mood for a wordy escape from the every day; we've got you covered.

Today, we're playing host yet again to the final leg of a blog tour celebration courtesy of Great Escapes Book Tours (hi, Lori!).  It stars a cozy mystery that's a perfect fit for my site for not only is it a bookish adventure but a foody one as well.  There are even a few recipes at book's end to tie it all together!  Too cute.  Anywho, back to the matter at hand, today's blog tour guest and featured title is....

A Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery:

Death on Eat Street

by

J.J. Cook

9780425263457

Berkley

About the book....

Zoe Chase always wanted to own her own restaurant—but first, she’ll have to serve up a heaping helping of meals on wheels, with a side of mystery. When she’s once again passed over for a promotion at work, Zoe decides to take the big leap and go for her dream. She quits, gives up her fancy digs, and buys a fixer-upper diner in a shady part of town. To keep above water during the renovation, she buys a used food truck to serve the downtown and waterfront of Mobile, Alabama. Zoe starts to dish out classic Southern food—but her specialty is her deep-fried biscuit bowls that blow traditional bread bowls away. After a promising start, things start to go downhill faster than a food truck without brakes. First, someone tries to rob the cash register. Next, Zoe is threatened by the owner of a competing food truck for taking their spot. And when the owner ends up dead inside Zoe’s rolling restaurant, Zoe and her sole employee, Ollie, find themselves hopping out of the frying pan into the fryer. They need to find the real killer, before both of them get burned.

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The trouble I have with a lot of cozy mysteries is that they are heavy on the cozy, light on the mystery.  Often times you can guess right from the start the who-what-when-where-why-and-how of it all....not so in this little niblet.  The author duo focus more on creating a likable lead with curious friends and a potential love interest than on fluff merely meant to entertain while only somewhat shielding the final outcome.  Here, you get so caught up in Zoe's struggle to stand on her own two feet, her dreams of feeding the masses while putting a smile on their faces and her do-gooder attitude that the mystery unfolds as the story progresses not all at once.  A recipe for success?  In my book, it is.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Zoe in all her crazy curly haired glory.  I respect her ambition and dedication to her dream even if times are tough....she may not be the toughest, but she DOES get going!  Her choice of friends and acquaintances is interesting to say the least but it adds unexpected flavor to the story.  Ollie and Marty have pasts of their own landing them in the shelter they currently call home, but it doesn't make them bad fellows; after all, it's not what's on the outside but what's within that counts.  The same can be said for Delia who comes off as ...um, well not exactly an intellectual but what she lacks in IQ points, she more than makes up for in personality and heart.  Speaking of heart, Zoe's heart strings are plucked by not one but TWO potential suitors!  I won't even allude to (Miguel) whom I think (Miguel) she'd make a great couple (Miguel) with.  (hehe). ...I'll let you figure that one out for yourself.

All in all, a cozy mystery with a story as satisfying as the biscuit bowls she serves....with savory AND sweet fillings for one and all.  If you're looking for a great reading escape for your next afternoon or weekend break, definitely consider this tasty treat.  You won't be sorry...and even if you were for some unfathomable reason, the delicious sounding recipes at book's end will put a positive spin on things toot suite.  (Oh yes, I DO intend on trying them....)

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About J.J. Cook

 J.J. Cook writes award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, Joyce and Jim Lavene, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family. 

Connect with them online....

BLOG    |   SITE   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER

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Review copy received courtesy of Lori at Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and Berkley, an imprint of Penguin.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this promotion, be sure to stop by the official tour page where you'll also discover the other blogs participating and even uncover a chance to win....or two.  This was released just this month via Berkley, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time...happy reading!