Review and Giveaway: Liver Let Die

Liver Let Die (Clueless Cook Mystery - Book 1) by Liz Lipperman


Publication Date: October 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: Paperback, 288pp
ISBN-13: 9780425244043
ISBN: 0425244040

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)


Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Liz Lipperman on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter


Excerpt from Liver Let Die


Synopsis:


Jordan McAllister dreams of being a sports columnist, not a food critic. But here she is in the small town of Ranchero, Texas, critiquing local fare when the only thin she knows how to cook up is trouble...


Jordan McAllister doesn't know the first thing about food, but filling in for the culinary reporter at the Ranchero Globe is better than writing personal ads. She's convinced the weekly Kitchen Kupboard report will bring her closer to the coveted sports column - as long as she doesn't let on that she can't cook herself out of a box of macaroni and cheese.


Her first assignment is reviewing the new steak house in town. But she never should have ordered that foie gras - or hidden it in her purse. Back home she finds that she has ruined her friend's beautiful handbag, but that's nothing compared to finding her waiter from the steak house murdered outside her door - with her name and number in his pocket. Now Jordan is the prime suspect, as well as the main course on the murder menu...


Thoughts:


Liz Lipperman's debut cozy, Liver Let Die, is the first book in the new Clueless Cook mystery series. Lipperman starts the series out with a kooky cast of characters and an unlikely amateur sleuth. With suspects a plenty and all the right motives, this series looks to be one readers and foodies alike will enjoy, and it might draw in a sports fan or two, just for good measure.

Jordan McAllister is all about sports, but when the opportunity to write a food critic column for the Ranchero Globe drops into her lap, it has to be better than writing personal ads. Unless of course you don't know foie gras from a good steak. If she can keep her culinary inadequacy from her colleagues, this job make take her one step closer to writing about football instead of entrees. Unfortunately, a murder victim who happened to be her waiter at her first restaurant gig, turns up dead practically on her apartment doorstep, with her name and address in his pocket. Now it's up to Jordan and new friends at Empire Apartments to find the killer before Jordan ends up writing the sports from behind bars.


I liked the overall premise of this cozy. I always try to figure out whether I think the mystery being solved could conceivably happen. In Liver Let Die Lipperman makes it easy. She gives the reader a murder that is plausible and a good reason for the amateur sleuth to start sleuthing. She provides a great list of suspects and some very interesting motives, that will keep the reader on their toes trying to figure out who the killer could be. Lipperman also provides good secondary characters to help Jordan move the plot along and keep the tension high throughout the book. One of my favorite parts of the book was the interaction between Jordan and her new neighbors. The dialogue is snappy and has a lot humor. 


Lipperman also gives Jordan a love interest that isn't typical. Alex didn't exactly grab me in the beginning but he grew on me throughout the book. He seemed a like too much of a pushover in the beginning for an uncover FBI agent. His feelings for Jordan sort of happened over night and caused him to lose focus a bit and I thought that was a little far fetched, but as I said it got better as Jordan started to rely on his expertise in certain areas as they tried to prove her innocence. The other kooky characters in the apartment complex were fun to read about as well adding a lot of comic relief.


Lipperman is able to provide readers a fast paced plot with well developed characters that sets up the series well. Readers will find Jordan's exploits a lot of fun to read. She is a take charge kind of gal who doesn't back down from a challenge, even if she has no idea what she's doing, hence the food critic job. She has a knack for getting herself into hot water literally and she's always finding one wild situation after the next. Readers will love her sassy attitude and root for her to find the killer. She picks up clues easily and is very observant who is a prerequisite for a amateur sleuth. She comes across as believable and a lot of fun.


I recommend this one to cozy fans who are also sports enthusiasts or foodies. With the great success of the Food Network, foods of all kinds have started to captivate audiences and readers are no different. I liked that the author gives readers a character that isn't a chef, isn't baker or even a home cook. It lends interest and fun to the story. I love the fact that cozies always have something a little extra for fans as well. The recipes in the back a nice added treat.


Liver Let Die is available NOW from your favorite bookseller. 


I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Raised in a small town in Ohio, number eight of nine children, I graduated from nursing school and worked as a registered nurse for many years. When I could no longer ignore the characters talking in my head (No, I’m not on medication), I went back to school and got a professional arts degree. Then I started my first novel. 

Anyone who has tried to write a book and sell it knows it doesn’t happen overnight. I started off thinking I was a romance writer, but those evil villains kept pushing their way into my stories. I discovered I loved killing off people, then tricking everyone into believing it was the wrong guy. So, I gave in and let the mystery in me take over, although I still love romance and sneak it into every story. 

Married to my high school sweetheart, I’ve lived in the Dallas area over twenty years and now call myself a Texan. (The Yankee in me still demands to be recognized every now and then.) We live seventy miles north of Dallas and have two grown children. four adorable grandchildren, and a large extended family that remains close. Liver Let Die, the first in my Clueless Cook Mystery series comes out October 4, 2011

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Liver Let Die by Liz Lipperman.


~ You must be a Google Friend Connect follower to participate.
~ US Addresses only (Publisher Request)
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST November 4th.


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