A DASH OF DEATH is the first book in Michelle Hillen Klump’s “Cocktails and Catering” cozy mystery series. I loved this book! Samantha Warren is a realistically flawed yet sympathetic and relatable female protagonist and amateur sleuth. Her background is in journalism, but in A DASH OF DEATH, she finds herself in the role of mixologist – both as a hobby for pleasure, as well as for some extra cash. At the opening book, while at a gig making and serving drinks, a man dies – ostensibly from enjoying one of her drinks. I like when the amateur sleuth has ample motivation to get involved in a murder investigation, rather than acting as a neighborhood busybody. In this case, Samantha has multiple reasons to get involved and find the murderer. Chiefly to clear her own name.
Michelle Hillen Klump does a phenomenal job of having the reader empathize with Samantha and make you feel invested in her life and her investigation. The victim is a low key heel when it comes to his personal life, so Samantha naturally starts there. In a way, I feel like this story has a few hardboiled elements thrown into this classic cozy mystery. Samantha meets with some tough customers while digging for clues, verifying alibis, and bluffing her way through interviews with suspects and potential suspects. Her ex-fiancé comes back to haunt Samantha over the course of the book. I think the way Michelle Hillen Klump writes these scenes with the ex are part of what make Samantha seem so realistic as a character. She’s a smart woman, and she largely distances herself from her ex because she knows it’s the smart thing to do, but part of her is a little conflicted.
A DASH OF DEATH is the perfect mystery to fall into – with its great characters and storytelling. As a longtime mystery reader, toward the middle to end of the book, I had my suspicions about who the murderer was, but the how and why eluded me. Samantha’s support system consisting of her charming lawyer and two BFFs are great and add some lighter moments that break up the tension. I liked the hint of romance in A DASH OF DEATH, and I hope to watch the relationship evolve in future stories. I also like how this author fleshed out the suspects and made them complex characters. I eagerly await the next book in this series.
Bad news for Samantha Warren: The plucky Houston, Texas, reporter lost her job and her fiancé in rapid succession. But Sam has a way of making lemonade out of the bitterest of lemons. At a meeting of the local historical-homes council, she serves up the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party. She intends to use that as her “in” to become an in-demand party mixologist. But the party’s over for one of the council members, who keels over dead soon after he sips the bereft bride’s bitter brew.
It turns out that the victim, Mark, was poisoned—his drink spiked with oleander. Since Sam mixed the drink that Mark imbibed right before his demise, she finds herself at the front of the suspect line. Now, she’ll have to use all of her reporter’s wisdom and wiles to clear her name.
Who could have wanted Mark dead? His wife, Gabby? His girlfriend, Darcy? Someone who wanted his seat on the council? Or another citizen of this sweet Texas town that holds some seedy secrets?
Job hunting, building her mixology business, and fending off late-night phone calls from her nearly betrothed don’t leave much time for sleuthing. But if Sam can’t “pour” over the clues to find the killer, it may soon be last call for her.
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