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gwenm's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kberry513's review against another edition
2.0
This one was a slog. While I didn't hate the ending the same way that I hated the previous one, I think a lot of it was just sort of...blah. Also, it retroactively irritated me even more about the previous one - there was this weird twist set up of Vinnie and Suzie inheriting a child and then they didn't even show up in this one.
I felt like this was a bit of a rehash with Brooklyn's sister finding the dead body, touching it, and then being the prime suspect. Almost this exact thing happened with Robin (but done better) in a previous book. And yes, Brooklyn acknowledged it, but that doesn't really excuse it.
The addition of Derek's brother did nothing to enhance the plot and actually made it weirder. First of all, the way the author has started adding in side-romances that are almost-but-not-quite-incestuous is a little...icky. First there's Robin -best friend since childhood who spent most of her time at Brooklyn's house and is like a fourth sister- hooking up with Brooklyn's brother and then Derek's brother Dalton (really? your parents named both of you D names? does every family in this universe have a weird theme for their children's names?) hooking up with Brooklyn's sister. To me, sisters dating brothers is just weird, but I suppose there isn't anything technically wrong with it, per se... In addition to that, in both those cases, the relationships go from 0 to 100 immediately. I don't care how attractive you find someone, it is weird immediately after being introduced to ask if you can touch their bald head and then spend the next several hours awkwardly stroking it in company. Also, I'm starting to get annoyed by the way every man that comes across Brooklyn's path seems to both be drop dead gorgeous and subtly (or not so subtly) interested in her.
Savannah's naivete is annoying instead of endearing. And she is stupid about pretty much everything not the least of which is dismissing Brooklyn's search for the cookbook, especially considering a valuable book could easily be a motive for murder.
Brooklyn and Derek were just sort of there; they didn't do much investigation. Plus, the whole woo-woo factor has increased in the last few books - Brooklyn's mom's spells, rather than being an example of her weirdness, have been "working" and the reason Brooklyn finds so many dead bodies is that she is "Nemesis" and finds justice for the dead, for some reason. I think at this point, she really should transition to being a PI or something because it's starting to get really far-fetched.
I suppose this is a familiar issue in cozy mysteries; if the heroine is someone who does a job where they should rarely (if ever) come across a dead body, after the first few murders there must start to be a reason. Other series do a better job of either explaining it or making it seem so natural that you no longer question it or have their friends start coming to them with problems because they solved 2 murders on their own or something like that.
Things I'm glad about - Derek has stopped calling Brooklyn "darling" so much - which feels condescending. Gabriel did not pop up (although Dalton was an equally irritating substitute). The mystery itself was pretty entertaining, but I think it could have been done better and with about 75 less pages.
I'm debating whether or not to keep reading this series...I hate not finishing, but I don't really like them anymore...
I felt like this was a bit of a rehash with Brooklyn's sister finding the dead body, touching it, and then being the prime suspect. Almost this exact thing happened with Robin (but done better) in a previous book. And yes, Brooklyn acknowledged it, but that doesn't really excuse it.
The addition of Derek's brother did nothing to enhance the plot and actually made it weirder. First of all, the way the author has started adding in side-romances that are almost-but-not-quite-incestuous is a little...icky. First there's Robin -best friend since childhood who spent most of her time at Brooklyn's house and is like a fourth sister- hooking up with Brooklyn's brother and then Derek's brother Dalton (really? your parents named both of you D names? does every family in this universe have a weird theme for their children's names?) hooking up with Brooklyn's sister. To me, sisters dating brothers is just weird, but I suppose there isn't anything technically wrong with it, per se... In addition to that, in both those cases, the relationships go from 0 to 100 immediately. I don't care how attractive you find someone, it is weird immediately after being introduced to ask if you can touch their bald head and then spend the next several hours awkwardly stroking it in company. Also, I'm starting to get annoyed by the way every man that comes across Brooklyn's path seems to both be drop dead gorgeous and subtly (or not so subtly) interested in her.
Savannah's naivete is annoying instead of endearing. And she is stupid about pretty much everything not the least of which is dismissing Brooklyn's search for the cookbook, especially considering a valuable book could easily be a motive for murder.
Brooklyn and Derek were just sort of there; they didn't do much investigation. Plus, the whole woo-woo factor has increased in the last few books - Brooklyn's mom's spells, rather than being an example of her weirdness, have been "working" and the reason Brooklyn finds so many dead bodies is that she is "Nemesis" and finds justice for the dead, for some reason. I think at this point, she really should transition to being a PI or something because it's starting to get really far-fetched.
I suppose this is a familiar issue in cozy mysteries; if the heroine is someone who does a job where they should rarely (if ever) come across a dead body, after the first few murders there must start to be a reason. Other series do a better job of either explaining it or making it seem so natural that you no longer question it or have their friends start coming to them with problems because they solved 2 murders on their own or something like that.
Things I'm glad about - Derek has stopped calling Brooklyn "darling" so much - which feels condescending. Gabriel did not pop up (although Dalton was an equally irritating substitute). The mystery itself was pretty entertaining, but I think it could have been done better and with about 75 less pages.
I'm debating whether or not to keep reading this series...I hate not finishing, but I don't really like them anymore...
kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
I love books, especially mysteries and cookbooks, so when I came across A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY, the seventh book in the Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle, I was sure I had found the best of both worlds. Brooklyn Wainwright restores books and manuscripts for a living and when her chef sister, Savannah, brings her a cookbook from the 18th century to restore, she is thrilled. However, Savannah is planning on giving the valuable historical cookbook to her ex-boyfriend, celebrity chef Baxter Cromwell. Baxter’s ego is as large as his fame and Brooklyn is afraid he won’t appreciate or treasure the gift. Savannah argues that Baxter is the one who gave her the book in the first place, so it rightfully belongs to him now that they are no longer an “item”.
To celebrate the opening of his new San Francisco restaurant, Baxter has invited Savannah along with some of their fellow Cordon Bleu culinary school graduates to be guest chefs. Savannah invites Brooklyn and her boyfriend, Derek Stone, to attend the dinner. When Savannah presents the restored cookbook to Baxter, Brooklyn is appalled that not only does Baxter not appreciate the gift, he is angry that her sister gave it to him. Savannah, needless to say, is very upset and later when Brooklyn and Derek return to the restaurant to pick her up, find Baxter murdered with Savannah standing over him clutching a bloody knife. In addition to the dead chef the valuable cookbook is also missing.
The police have every reason to think Savannah could be the murderer but Brooklyn is just as certain of her sister’s innocence. Brooklyn begins asking questions, digging deeper into the secrets Baxter and Savannah’s chef friends seem to be hiding. She finds that all of them had reasons to hate Baxter and when another chef is found murdered Brooklyn knows she must solve the case before there is another victim.
A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY did not disappoint. The murder mystery and the disappearance of the historical cookbook were skillfully woven together and kept me turning the pages late into the night. In addition to providing some information on restoring books, Kate provides a few recipes at the back of the book as well, including an historical recipe for Syllabub. While I found it very interesting to read about Syllabub (and want to try it one of these days), I opted instead to try Brooklyn’s Mom’s Crazy Delicious Apple Crisp recipe. Oh my goodness, absolutely delicious as was the book!
To celebrate the opening of his new San Francisco restaurant, Baxter has invited Savannah along with some of their fellow Cordon Bleu culinary school graduates to be guest chefs. Savannah invites Brooklyn and her boyfriend, Derek Stone, to attend the dinner. When Savannah presents the restored cookbook to Baxter, Brooklyn is appalled that not only does Baxter not appreciate the gift, he is angry that her sister gave it to him. Savannah, needless to say, is very upset and later when Brooklyn and Derek return to the restaurant to pick her up, find Baxter murdered with Savannah standing over him clutching a bloody knife. In addition to the dead chef the valuable cookbook is also missing.
The police have every reason to think Savannah could be the murderer but Brooklyn is just as certain of her sister’s innocence. Brooklyn begins asking questions, digging deeper into the secrets Baxter and Savannah’s chef friends seem to be hiding. She finds that all of them had reasons to hate Baxter and when another chef is found murdered Brooklyn knows she must solve the case before there is another victim.
A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY did not disappoint. The murder mystery and the disappearance of the historical cookbook were skillfully woven together and kept me turning the pages late into the night. In addition to providing some information on restoring books, Kate provides a few recipes at the back of the book as well, including an historical recipe for Syllabub. While I found it very interesting to read about Syllabub (and want to try it one of these days), I opted instead to try Brooklyn’s Mom’s Crazy Delicious Apple Crisp recipe. Oh my goodness, absolutely delicious as was the book!
dizzybell06's review against another edition
4.0
I love how these mysteries all have slightly the same premise, but the plot lines are very different. I enjoyed that this book incorporated cooking and introduced a new.
dizzybell06's review against another edition
4.0
I love how these mysteries all have slightly the same premise, but the plot lines are very different. I enjoyed that this book incorporated cooking and introduced a new.
ewil6681's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars
Brooklyn's sister Savannah, a world renowned Chef, is being featured in a new restaurant being opened by an old friend. As a thank you to him, she wants Brooklyn to fix up an old cookbook so she can give it to her friend as a gift. In fact, it was a book he had once given her, back in their culinary school days. Savannah is trusting and a little naive, but Brooklyn knows her "friend" Baxter is not a good person. So it is not surprise to us that he ends up murdered in his own restaurant. The suspects? All of his old culinary school "friends". Or are they really friends? We quickly find out that there are long histories between Baxter and all the characters...and he is truly a manipulative and calculating guy. Though none of them can believe that one of their friends is a killer....someone must have murdered him. And why?
Brooklyn of course jumps at the chance to investigate to help clear Savannah's name. She is reluctant to believe any of the culinary friends are the murderer, but she efficiently looks into each one as a suspect. I wish Derek was by her side for more of her investigating, because I LOVE HIM. I also adore her family, I would love to visit Dharma and live with them. I would happily take a protection spell from her mother.
I was actually not very surprised by the identity of the killer. I also liked how the mystery revolved someway around the cookbook and learning more about it's secrets.
This is one of my favorite series because of the awesome characters. Brooklyn is funny and strong and I love learning more and more about old books and book binding. Derek and her family and friends are amazing recurring characters and I feel like I really know many of them. I can't wait to continue this series
Brooklyn's sister Savannah, a world renowned Chef, is being featured in a new restaurant being opened by an old friend. As a thank you to him, she wants Brooklyn to fix up an old cookbook so she can give it to her friend as a gift. In fact, it was a book he had once given her, back in their culinary school days. Savannah is trusting and a little naive, but Brooklyn knows her "friend" Baxter is not a good person. So it is not surprise to us that he ends up murdered in his own restaurant. The suspects? All of his old culinary school "friends". Or are they really friends? We quickly find out that there are long histories between Baxter and all the characters...and he is truly a manipulative and calculating guy. Though none of them can believe that one of their friends is a killer....someone must have murdered him. And why?
Brooklyn of course jumps at the chance to investigate to help clear Savannah's name. She is reluctant to believe any of the culinary friends are the murderer, but she efficiently looks into each one as a suspect. I wish Derek was by her side for more of her investigating, because I LOVE HIM. I also adore her family, I would love to visit Dharma and live with them. I would happily take a protection spell from her mother.
I was actually not very surprised by the identity of the killer.
Spoiler
Raoul seemed almost too good to be true. To nice, too emotional, too upset by all the deaths. It actually seemed in character for him to commit these acts to protect his family...in his mind the only way to do so.This is one of my favorite series because of the awesome characters. Brooklyn is funny and strong and I love learning more and more about old books and book binding. Derek and her family and friends are amazing recurring characters and I feel like I really know many of them. I can't wait to continue this series
ncostell's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
retrogirl20's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not my favorite in the series, but a cool concept of a cookbook based theme