We are delighted to be participating today in the Great Escapes Blog Tour for Mousse and Murder, by Elizabeth Logan!
Mousse and Murder (An Alaskan Diner Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Berkley (May 5, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0593100441
ISBN-13: 978-0593100448
Kindle ASIN: B07WCZPZY7

Publisher's Blurb:
A young chef might bite off more than she can chew when she returns to her Alaskan hometown to take over her parents’ diner in this charming first installment in a new cozy mystery series set in an Alaskan tourist town.

When Chef Charlie Cooke is offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, to take over her mother’s diner, she doesn’t even consider saying no. After all–her love life has recently become a Love Life Crumble, and a chance to reconnect with her roots may be just what she needs. 

Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, which has grown stale over the years. But her plans are fried when her head cook Oliver turns up dead after a bitter and public fight over Charlie’s ideas–leaving Charlie as the only suspect in the case. 

With her career, freedom, and life all on thin ice, Charlie must find out who the real killer is, before it’s too late. 

My Review:
Way to make everyone want to visit Alaska, Ms. Logan! Or maybe that's just me--I want to drop in at the Bear Claw Diner and sample the wares, or hang out at the lake and watch the moose (preferably, of course, with a dish of mousse in hand). Or maybe that's just me--after all, Charlie has a thing or two to say about the weather, and then there's the issue of murder...

This was a quick and fun read, with characters that engaged me quickly. I admit that I solved the mystery before Charlie did, but that just upped the suspense for me.

My Recommendation:
A perfect read for times when you need to curl up in your favorite chair and escape to distant lands. Times like an Alaskan winter--or a Californian summer (or a COVID lockdown, needless to say). Mousse and Murder makes no great demands on the reader, and delivers exactly the delicious, cinnamon-scented read it promises.

FTC Disclosure: I received an electronic ARC of Mousse and Murder from Great Escapes Free Book Tours, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher. This is my honest review, and the opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."   

To our delight, Charlie Cooke herself has stopped by with a guest post! Here's what she has to say about being the protagonist in this new series.

I’m Charlie Cooke, and I want to thank you for hosting me today. Usually, it’s my writer, Elizabeth Logan, who gets asked to talk about me.

And what does she know? She’s usually off doing her own thing when she should be taking care of me. Instead, she puts me in trouble, then walks away while she thinks about how to get me out of it. I never know how long it’s going to take her, while I’m on pins and needles, hanging out to dry.

I swear she spends more time on that next to last chapter—the one where the life is about to be smashed out of me by the killer—than all the other chapters combined.

I hear her talk to her writer friends about me, asking their advice about what readers will believe and what they won’t. I swear, she would not have one book published, let alone 25 or so, if it weren’t for these groups that help her. I wish they’d invite me, so I could at least get a vote when Ms. Logan (aka Ms. Minichino, in case she thinks she’s fooling someone) asks them, “Shall I put a gun to Charlie’s head?” or “Shall I leave Charlie in the woods for another chapter?”

But I shouldn’t complain, because Ms. Logan has put me in the most beautiful state in the country—Alaska! Everywhere I look there are beautiful mountains and lakes. And talk about things to do! Although she keeps me pretty busy, running a diner as well as helping local law enforcement, when I have free time, I can go hiking, kayaking, skiing, camping, fishing, rafting, boating, ice climbing, or just gaze upon a giant glacier. Then there’s the aurora borealis. What a sight that is. 

My writer has given me great companions. Chief among them is my orange tabby, Benny, aka Eggs Benedict, so nice to come home to. My mom, who left me the Bear Claw Diner and the cat when she was ready to retire, also left me a fine staff. Add to that, my BFF from grade school, Annie, has inherited her own family business, an inn down the street from the Bear Claw. And a very cute former army man, Chris, who’s the local newspaperman, is part of the team of sleuths.

She set it up for me to have known the Alaska State Trooper all my life, which is why I get to help him out now and then when he’s overloaded with the vast territory he’s responsible for. Alaska is the largest state in the union, by square miles —571,000, compared to the second largest, Texas, with only 262,000.

I guess there are trade-offs with every relationship, and I’m actually pretty happy with mine, with my writer. 

If I had one wish, it would be that Ms. Logan would let me know what Chris has in mind for our future. Am I just a pretty SUV he likes to drive, or is a romance budding? 

Maybe she’ll let me call the shots on that one!

Thanks again for letting have the floor!

Thanks, Charlie, for stopping by!

 

About Elizabeth Logan


 
Camille Minichino is turning every aspect of her life into a mystery series. A retired physicist, she’s the author of 28 mystery novels in 5 series, with different pen names. Her next book is “Mousse and Murder,” May 2020, by Elizabeth Logan. She's also written many short stories and articles. She teaches science at Golden Gate U. in San Francisco and writing workshops around the SF Bay Area. Details are at www.minichino.com. 
Author Links  
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - IndieBound

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Stop in and see what the other tour participants are saying, check out recipes, and enjoy more interviews and guest posts.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 5 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
May 5 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
May 5 – I'm Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 6 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
May 6 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
May 6 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
May 6 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
May 6 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
May 7 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
May 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
May 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 7 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW
May 8 – Reading Reality – REVIEW
May 8 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
May 8 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 8 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
May 9 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
May 9 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 9 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST
May 9 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews- SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 10 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
May 10 – Literary Gold- SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
May 11 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW
May 11 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 11 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
May 11 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 12 – Diary of a Book Fiend – REVIEW
May 12 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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