Do or Diner

August 1, 2013

Fond memories of childhood summers at her family's Lake Ontario resort complex make Beatrix (Trixie) Matkowski thrilled to be the new owner. She's particularly pleased to be running the old-time diner. But nostalgia meets a harsh new reality when the health inspector dies in the kitchen after eating one of the restaurant's signature dishes. The area's new deputy, Ty Brisco, a true Texas cowboy, heads the investigation, and he can't help but question Trixie's motives. Feisty enough not to lose hold of her dreams, Trixie aims to find out who wanted the inspector dead and why the killer wants the diner to close. Small-town secrets await her and Ty. VERDICT Veteran romance novelist Wenger (Lassoed into Marriage) takes a jaunty step across the genre aisle with this cute debut that has "feel-good" written all over it. The protagonist's amateur sleuthing occasionally veers into "had I but known" territory, but, nonetheless, the delightful cozy flows as smoothly as fresh syrup.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
Trixie Matkowski buys her aunt's diner, cottage, and bait business in a small Maine town. But from the start, things go wrong. Trixie has to fill in as the overnight cook; then the local health inspector dies in the diner from poisonous mushrooms, prompting most of the customers to abandon the place. Trixie sets out to restore the diner's reputation and determine what really happened to the health inspector. She finds lots of people who would like to see her out of the picture: the mayor, who is desperate to buy the diner, and Trixie's competitors in the restaurant business, among them. Meanwhile, the attentions of attractive Deputy Ty Brisco prove distracting. Although the bad guys may be a little too apparent, the frame story about a woman trying to save her business is engaging. Readers who enjoy B. B. Haywood's small-town Maine mysteries may also enjoy this series. Includes recipes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)