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avanders's review against another edition
3.0
First, the critiques: The "Santa Fe accent" was a bit distracting (as inaccurate as it was), the pronunciation of a few words likewise, and the story dragged a little longer than I'd like at times...
But overall, there was mystery, intrigue, surprise, friendship, and a touch of romance.. all the right ingredients for a good cozy. I will read the next book in the series... (it's always nice to choose local đ)
But overall, there was mystery, intrigue, surprise, friendship, and a touch of romance.. all the right ingredients for a good cozy. I will read the next book in the series... (it's always nice to choose local đ)
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
3.0
A fun little cozy that had so much going on, I frequently forgot there was a murder to investigate. I think the author did a bit too because some of the story lines were never resolved.
ljkarst's review
5.0
Iâve spent a fair amount of time in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Ann Myerâs culinary cozy mystery, Bread of the Dead, captures perfectly the feel of the historic and vibrant communityâthe second oldest city in the country, now a mecca for art, music and food lovers from around the world.
Rita Lafitte is a cook at the Tres Amigas cafĂ©, and is crazy busy right now with all the extra traffic to the restaurant caused by the upcoming DĂa de los Muertos holiday. But when her good friend and landlord is found dead from a supposed suicide, Rita is sure he wouldnât have taken his own life. Enlisting the help of her elderly bossâthe irrepressible FloriâRita sets out to unlock the secrets of the adobe townâs residents and find the true killer.
With its well-crafted plot, host of entertaining characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of the local cuisine, this is a terrific debutâthe first, I hope, of many more to follow!
Rita Lafitte is a cook at the Tres Amigas cafĂ©, and is crazy busy right now with all the extra traffic to the restaurant caused by the upcoming DĂa de los Muertos holiday. But when her good friend and landlord is found dead from a supposed suicide, Rita is sure he wouldnât have taken his own life. Enlisting the help of her elderly bossâthe irrepressible FloriâRita sets out to unlock the secrets of the adobe townâs residents and find the true killer.
With its well-crafted plot, host of entertaining characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of the local cuisine, this is a terrific debutâthe first, I hope, of many more to follow!
pssantry's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
bindingthepages's review
3.0
Rita is starting her life over as a single parent and chef working at the Tres Amigas CafĂ© under her friend and snoopy boss, Flori. Life is good when the main mystery in her sight is Floriâs obsession with a potential cheater in the Day of the Dead bread-baking contest when her daughter discovers her landlord dead. Shaken to the core, Rita becomes convinced that her landlord was murdered while her bitter ex complains about the imaginary crime and her amateur investigating.
I decided to pick up this series opener because it seemed like a good cozy to read given Halloween is coming up. The more I read it, the more I was glad that I picked it up because it was so funny. Between Ritaâs shenanigans and Floriâs fun personality in addition to her own shenanigans, I was having a good time laughing while reading. Myers brings such a great cast of characters to the table that it is the real selling point of the book. There are very few unlikable characters, and trust me, youâll know who they are when you see them. I could honestly follow this entire series for however long it goes on for just for the characters and their hilarious antics. Itâs truly what we all need, especially right now when weâre all having such a bleak year.
Plus, the food descriptions had me ready to eat. I was surprised that there wasnât a recipe at the back of the book like there usually is with books following bakers and chefs, but itâs not a dealbreaker. I can make much of the food that was described, and I love to bake on top of that. However, if you look forward to making a recipe the characters in these types of cozies were making, be aware that there isnât one featured in the book.
That said, I do think the mystery itself was lacking. All suspects were obviously red herrings, but the buildup on the actual killer was lacking so they seemed like a red herring as well. I wish there was some foreshadowing or a lead that pointed in this characterâs direction earlier on. By the time the character seems like they might be suspicious, everything is revealed and then weâre suddenly at the final chapter wrapping up the book.
As much as it hurts me to give a book I loved three stars, this is a cozy mystery and mystery is something that this book lacked. I will be checking out the next book, but I hope the mystery aspect is something that improves over time because I think that Myers has something good going here.
I decided to pick up this series opener because it seemed like a good cozy to read given Halloween is coming up. The more I read it, the more I was glad that I picked it up because it was so funny. Between Ritaâs shenanigans and Floriâs fun personality in addition to her own shenanigans, I was having a good time laughing while reading. Myers brings such a great cast of characters to the table that it is the real selling point of the book. There are very few unlikable characters, and trust me, youâll know who they are when you see them. I could honestly follow this entire series for however long it goes on for just for the characters and their hilarious antics. Itâs truly what we all need, especially right now when weâre all having such a bleak year.
Plus, the food descriptions had me ready to eat. I was surprised that there wasnât a recipe at the back of the book like there usually is with books following bakers and chefs, but itâs not a dealbreaker. I can make much of the food that was described, and I love to bake on top of that. However, if you look forward to making a recipe the characters in these types of cozies were making, be aware that there isnât one featured in the book.
That said, I do think the mystery itself was lacking. All suspects were obviously red herrings, but the buildup on the actual killer was lacking so they seemed like a red herring as well. I wish there was some foreshadowing or a lead that pointed in this characterâs direction earlier on. By the time the character seems like they might be suspicious, everything is revealed and then weâre suddenly at the final chapter wrapping up the book.
As much as it hurts me to give a book I loved three stars, this is a cozy mystery and mystery is something that this book lacked. I will be checking out the next book, but I hope the mystery aspect is something that improves over time because I think that Myers has something good going here.
allen's review
3.0
A breezy, cozy little mystery. It was fun to read about some of the sites in Santa Fe.
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