Rest in Pizza

February 27, 2012
Life is never dull for Eleanor Swift, owner of A Slice of Delight, a pizzeria in the sleepy town of Timber Ridge, N.C., as shown by Cavender’s charming fourth pizza lovers mystery (after 2011’s A Pizza to Die For). When a dead body turns up in her restaurant yet again, Eleanor and her wisecracking younger sister and business partner, Maddy Spencer, must race to find the killer among a host of colorful suspects: a chef’s inebriated wife, a snappy television producer, a wronged assistant chef, and a local bookstore owner hiding a big secret. Meanwhile, Maddy and Eleanor wrestle with their always complicated love lives and the always complicated ins and outs of owning a small business. Though this foodie cozy drags in the middle and suffers from some overwritten passages, the two lovable, dynamic protagonists and the warm smalltown atmosphere more than compensate. Agent: John Talbot, the John Talbot Agency.

March 15, 2012
Sisters team up to investigate the murder of a celebrity chef in their small town. Even closer, actually. When bookshop owner Cindy asks for a hand with her grand opening from local pizza-shop owner Eleanor Swift and her younger sister Maddy, no one suspects what lies ahead. Cindy has recruited celebrity Chef Benet to give a cooking demonstration in order to help bring in customers, and Eleanor and Maddy don't mind taking time from A Slice of Delight to assist, especially since able-bodied Greg and Josh can lend a hand in the sisters' absence. The chef goes missing right before he's meant to take center stage, and Maddy and Eleanor split up to try and find him. Once Eleanor finally does locate him, the enormous knife protruding from his body makes her doubt that he'll be taking his expected role in the opening after all. Of course the corpse has turned up in A Slice of Delight, immediately drawing suspicion on them. To clear their names, and maybe even out of habit, Eleanor and Maddy try to figure out who had reason to off Benet. Given the dead man's argumentative nature, eliminating the few locals who didn't want to kill him may be easier than proving who did. Mixed in with the mystery is drama in Maddy's longtime relationship that may shake things up for good. Despite a predictable plot, the increasing mastery of action and flow suggest that Cavender (A Pizza to Die For, 2011, etc.) is hitting her stride.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.