Jodi Rath

I came across this series when I answered a question in a Facebook group on cooking with a cast iron skillet. I love my cast iron skillet. I make all kinds of things in it. It is older than I am. A cozy mystery that includes cast iron skillet recipe? Yes, please. I bought the book to check it out and thoroughly enjoy myself! I really like the family and friends in this small town. I don’t want to say a lot about the plot so yes a dead body is involved along with another mystery that isn’t a dead body. Are they related or separate? I did not guess the ending at all. The ending is complete but there is something that happened to Jolie that I absolutely must have the next book to see how it goes. So maybe the ending is complete but not. I don’t know. What I do know is I’m definitely getting Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Murder. And this fall I’ll be on the lookout for Turkey Basted to Death, the book not dinner at my parents where my dad always says the turkey was basted to death. You know I have to get that book just for the title alone. My dad is going to crack up! I’m so looking forward to more books in The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series.… (meer)

I have liked the previous two books in this series. I wouldn't say I disliked this book, but it definitely wasn't my favorite of the series. I feel like Ava and Jolie "push each other's buttons" a bit too much in this book--enough that I found it irritating, perhaps because it made me wonder if they would remain friends. I don't quite understand what triggers Ava's over-the-top reactions.

I like that it is set in Ohio. I have to admit that the cover art, which I mentioned in a previous review, is growing on me, though I still feel it screams "self-published". I do think the turkey baster on the cover looks out of proportion with the rest of the picture. I do like that there is a different image related to the story used in each book--this one's is a turkey baster.

The story revolves around a community-wide Thanksgiving meal. Through some dynamic between the mayors of two cities--a dynamic I don't even pretend to understand--a group of disadvantaged youth end up joining the Leavensport community for the meal.

The romance portion is a bit tired. It's a tried and true formula: a trio, interest on one person's part not returned by the other party, etc.… (meer)

3.5 stars (rating may differ depending on if the site allows half star ratings) This book and the first one in the series were on a Friends of the Library booksale cart. I suspect they might have purchased copies for the summer reading program and had a few left over. I liked the first book a bit better than this book.

They did include 3 recipes at the end this time (the first book had only 1). The map of the town is still difficult to read.

To my eye, the book looks like a self-published book, which is sad because many people won't give a self-published book a chance and this is a decent series. I think the cover art is one thing that shows the self-published look--however, the author seems to think her books' cover art is "cute" and great (based on the dedication text). I'm not sure I agree. The text layout seems a little better than what I saw in the first book.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY LIE AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION:
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A new, expensive Italian restaurant has opened on the other side of town. Jolie hopes to include them in the business cross-promotions the town is doing. Yet when she first approaches them, they aren't interested.

There's an altercation between Lou and Mr. & Mrs. Seever outside Jolie's restaurant. Later, Lou is found dead. Many villagers blame him for losing their investment savings. Mrs. Seever goes to work as a hostess for the new Italian restaurant but later turns up at Jolie's restaurant to fill out an application (that is left hanging and we never find out what happens about that).

Delilah (and her family) are being pressured to sell the storefronts they own in the "art district" part of town. Instead of asking friends for advice or assistance, Delilah tries to hide it and ends up taking it out on others who care about her.

Mick Meiser finally cashes in on the date with Jolie he bid on at auction in book 1. Keith keeps trying to talk to Jolie about something important but that keeps getting ignored until late in the book--if it's that important, I think he'd try harder to get her to talk with him.

I find myself understanding Jolie's feelings of wanting to be alone at times--her family is a bit overwhelming.

I didn't guess who the murderer was or why until it was revealed. I did suspect someone else but hoped it wasn't that person because I didn't want such a young person to be so twisted. I also didn't guess the identity of the true owner of the Italian restaurant.

It's disturbing that Nestle is seeming to get away with his scheme, though that plot line may not be over yet, so maybe a future book will show a resolution.

My concern is that this is supposed to be a small town, near to a large city, in Ohio--and at some point, it starts to feel like "Murder She Wrote"'s Cabot Cove--as in, how many people can be killed in a small town that rarely has had a murder, before things get a bit too unbelievable--or the police force has to be increased, or something else that changes the character of the town from what it was at the beginning and what drew you to it in the first place.… (meer)