Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder

August 1, 2020
A reluctant bride-to-be swaps wedding planning for sleuthing. Lucy Berberian couldn't be happier to have traded her job at a high-powered Philly law firm to manage her parents' Jersey Shore restaurant. She loves working in Kebab Kitchen, a longtime fixture in Ocean Crest. And she loves the Kitchen's chef, Azad Zakarian, her prospective bridegroom. So why does she keep dragging her feet as her best friend, Katie Watson, tries to get her to look at bridal gowns and wedding venues? Maybe because local banquet facilities like the Sea View seem overpriced and have nasty owners like Deacon Spooner. But once Spooner is murdered during Ocean Crest's annual Polar Bear Plunge, Lucy has two reasons for turning her attention away from her still-unscheduled nuptials. First, you can't negotiate prices with a dead man. And second, Ocean Crest detective Calvin Clemmons seems intent on pinning the crime on bakery owner Susan Cutie just because Spooner accused her of ruining a $500 wedding cake. Reasoning that small business owners have to stick together, Lucy launches her own personal investigation. After all, Susan is far from the only Ocean Crester to have had a beef with disagreeable Deacon. From angry bride Clarissa Chase to unlucky gambler Vinnie Pinto to Spooner's business partner, Norman Weston, there are plenty of suspects in the mix. Lucy just has to confront them all--without, of course, becoming the killer's next victim. Unlike the Mediterranean delights at Kebab Kitchen, Kashian's bill of fare is unremarkable.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.