This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series, the Cook-Off Mysteries.. The story was fun to read and something different. Our heroine, Sherry Frazzelle, is a cook-off veteran and has been in many competitions. She and her sister are selected to compete in a local cook-off competition using products from an up and coming organic food company.

When one of the judges dies after eating Sherry's dish at the cook-off, police turn their attention to Sherry as their primary suspect. Sherry does her own investigating because she wants to clear her name. This was a good story and I thought it was very interesting that people can make a career out of cook off entries. I did figure out the culpirt before the final reveal which was a little disappointing but overall it was still an enjoyable read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

I received an advance copy of this book from #NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sherry Frazelle has been joining cook-offs (think The Great British Bakeoff and MasterChef, and I watch these shows so I can understand the theme and setting of the story) because of her passion for cooking and to move on from her divorce. However, she becomes the prime suspect of a murder because the last dish the victim tasted was hers. Aside from the dread and anticipation of finding out who the winner of the cook-off is, she has to clear her name by discovering who the real murderer is.

I'm having issues with cozy mysteries having "too perfect" main characters and their "idyllic" lives, especially when there's not much humor and everyone takes themselves very seriously. This title is, I'm afraid, one of those. Sherry is super talented, she has the somewhat perfect family, she lives in a quiet and peaceful town, and unlike other cozy heroines, she still has a friendly relationship with her ex-husband. She also has a budding romance, which came off as ideal and convenient. And it is why, for these reasons, I'm having a hard time to relate with her character and her story. I have always held that in a cozy mystery series, the reader must be able to relate with the characters, especially with the cozy mystery heroine because she's the person whose perspective and experience the reader is seeing.

I also was concerned with the presentation of the suspects and their motives, how they were eliminated, the placing of the red herrings and then finally the big reveal. I feel like some of the suspects should have had stronger and more justifiable reasons.

Nevertheless, I had similar issues with other titles, and they grew on me. I'm hoping that the next book is better, and I'm still waiting to get my hands on it and read it.

Sherry Frazzelle is taking part in a cooking competition and things she has a good chance to win the $10,000 prize until the Head judge/chef keels over dead and her dish was the last one he tasted. Sherry is feeling very insecure and feels she needs to clear her name of suspicion before the police take the easy way out and blame her.

Not particularly a fresh idea for the plot and the characters were a bit 2 dimensional. Will try another in the series and see if it improves.

I've got to say, food competitions in general seem like they would be a perfect place for murder! The organic food sponsored contest Sherry is entered in becomes more complicated when a judge is murdered. The wide variety of contestants (from all over the country) made for a bit pot of suspects. This was a light, easy read.

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Cook-Off Mystery series written by Devon Delaney. After a short-lived marriage, Sherry Frazzelle is living single life to the fullest in her little Connecticut town, accompanied by her Jack Russell terrier, Chutney. Her new passion is competitive cooking. With contestants from Maine to California and a ten-thousand-dollar prize at stake, Sherry's latest competition, hosted by the CEO of an organic food company, is sure to be heated. But she's more than ready to step up to the stove. After all, she did win the award for Most Creative Cupcake back in high-school.Today, she's hoping her flavorful pork tenderloin will sway the judges. Instead, it seems someone's decided to slay one of the judges. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author.

I simply adore this series! Yummy food, delightful characters, all mixed with a great mystery to solve. Great beginning to a promising new series!

Devon Delaney's life spent entering competitive cooking contests gives her the unique insider's perspective into that world, seen through the eyes of her protagonist Sherry Frazzelle. Sherry is a newly divorced woman, still in regular contact with her ex-husband. It's refreshing to see a divorced couple acting amiable towards each other for a change-usually in novels like this, some horrible sin has been committed and the ex's name may as well be a curse word. Sherry enters a cooking contest with an unexpected outcome: one of the judges drops dead, and the last thing he ate was her contest entry. Could someone have tampered with Sherry's food? Could something else have killed the judge? Sherry, her sister, and another contestant vow to discover the truth to get Sherry off the police's radar- but if they're not careful, they'll also end up in the cooler.
The novel starts out pretty slowly. The characters don't immediately draw you in to wanting to know more about them. The pacing does pick up a good ways through the book, but I imagine less devoted cozy readers will have put it down by then. Still, the ending is quite theatrical, and worth reading just for that.

This is a great new series. The characters seem like people I will enjoy getting to know over time, and the fact that the stories will be dealing with cooking contests means there will always be lots of good food around.

My only real issues with this book are that, as a first in series, it spent a lot of time introducing us to characters, and there was just a little too much time spent on the main character's food prep.

Looking forward to more adventures in cooking!!

Cooking competitions are a killer...

Devon Delaney cooked up a great story with "Expiration Date". The characters are likable, relate-able, and funny. This is an enjoyable book that should be on every cozy lover's bookshelf.

Sherry Frazelle (Fra-zelly, not Frazzle) witnesses an accident, later named a homicide at a cooking competition with her sister. Due to the murder, the announcement of the winner is delayed and Sherry ends up with a fellow cook-off competitor as a house guest. Sherry is navigating the waters of being newly single and trying to fulfill her passion of cooking and winning competitions. Soon the investigation heats up and Sherry can't help but feel that she can solve this case. With the handsome Detective Bease thinking she is the killer, Sherry is trying desperately to clear her name before she's the one who's cooked.

I am so excited to read the second story in this series because I love the character of Sherry. I hope Amber will continue to male appearances, even though she lives in Maine and Sherry in Connecticut, and I want to see if there is a spark between Sherry and Detective Bease. Only time will tell.

#netgalley #expirationdate

Synopsis:

After a short-lived marriage, Sherry Frazzelle is living single life to the fullest in her little Connecticut town, accompanied by her Jack Russell terrier, Chutney. Her new passion is competitive cooking--but it turns out that murder is the surprise ingredient . . .

With contestants from Maine to California and a ten-thousand-dollar prize at stake, Sherry's latest competition, hosted by the CEO of an organic food company, is sure to be heated. But she's more than ready to step up to the stove. After all, she did win the award for Most Creative Cupcake back in high-school.Today, she's hoping her flavorful pork tenderloin will sway the judges. Instead, it seems someone's decided to slay one of the judges . . .

After Chef Birns falls face first into the Seafood Flatbread Pizza, Sherry's dish is deemed suspicious. Now she'll have to stir through a stew of rule-breaking, corruption, and gossip to get herself off the chopping block, and find out who turned this food fight fatal . . .

Includes Recipes from Sherry's Kitchen! (Goodreads)

Review:

There seemed to be a lot of characters introduced in this story, probably because it was the first one in the series. At times I had a little trouble keeping them all straight in my mind, (that is only my opinion and others may not agree with me). I did like how much Sherry loved cooking and how passionate she was about it. She knew her food and she found something that she could excel at. She did seem to have a lot of hang-ups but that made her seem more realistic to me. She was not perfect but who among us is.

I really liked the premise of the mystery: a cooking competition. I thought that was a unique concept and very interesting. It was great having an inside look at cooking competitions and learning a little bit about what goes on.

The writing style flowed smoothly and for the most part it was a quick easy read. Some of the conversations between the characters did not feel realistic to me. There was a lot of food descriptions and talk of food and sometimes I felt like I was reading a cookbook (I just feel that this was a little over done). The mystery had a lot of twists and turns as well as enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I did figure out the killer before it was revealed but that is alright.

I am planning one reading the next book in this series because I feel there is a strong potential for a great series. As a debut book, I thought it was good start and I am glad that I read it.
If you enjoy food cozies I think you should give this book a try and see what you think.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

The writing was decent this book just wasn't a great fit for me, its not the book just wasn't a good fit for myself.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is the first book in the Cook-off Mystery series. Sherry has entered a cooking competition sponsored by an organic food company with a prize of $10,000. When one of the judges dies immediately after eating her entry, Sherry feels she must find the true murderer to save her reputation and herself from jail. I am hoping future books will go a bit more in-depth with the characters. The story moves along quickly and is a good start to a series.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney

Sherry Frazelle is licking her wounds as she finalizes her divorce from her husband of five years and the loss of her job as his legal assistant. Now she works part-time at her dad’s rug store and spends her free time whipping up entries for the cooking competitions she’s becoming quite famous for winning, at least in her hometown of Augustin, Connecticut.

Augustin is also the headquarters of the OrgaNicks Corporation, an organic foods manufacturer that is sponsoring the latest cook-off that Sherry has entered. The six finalists, flown in from all over the United States, are cooking for three renowned local chefs. Just as Chef Anthony Birns is about to announce the winner, however, he falls down dead, the apparent victim of deliberate poisoning. Worse still, the autopsy shows that Sherry’s dish was the last one he ingested before dying.

Sherry is understandably distraught at being painted as a murderer and sets out to clear her name. But warnings start to pile up on her doorstep, escalating in their menace, and Sherry soon finds herself the target of the real killer as she uncovers unsavory secrets about nearly everyone involved with the cook-off. This culminates in a banquet that is half-macabre, half-screwball-comedy as a murderer is unmasked and a winner is finally declared.

Expiration Date features a heroine who defies the conventions of culinary cozies in a way that is quite refreshing. Sherry suffers from anxiety, and deals with it as practically as she can. I also really enjoyed the way romance was treated in this book: Sherry’s final admonishment to her would-be suitor was quite Austen-like. I’m intrigued by where Sherry’s heart might take her in future novels.

I was also fascinated by Devon Delaney’s insights into the world of competitive cooking. I used to binge watch Top Chef, so getting the behind the scenes scoop for smaller, less glamorous competitions was quite the eye opener. It was fun, as well, to figure out the sly puns in a book chock-full of dad jokes and food similes.

There were four recipes included in this novel, and I admit to some disappointment that none of them had anything to do with the many, many delicious dishes described in the course of Sherry’s sleuthing. However, I quickly got over that once I’d made the following:

QUOTE
Sticky Peppered Maple Steak with Pumpkin Pancakes

Makes 4-6 servings.

1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons pepper
4 boneless beef chuck eye steaks, cut 1-inch thick (about 8 ounces each)
4 shallots, peeled, chopped
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup dried cranberries

For the pumpkin pancakes:
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup buttermilk “complete” dry pancake mix
½ cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more if needed when cooking pancakes
¼ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), as a garnish

Combine the salt and pepper and rub seasoning over both sides of steaks. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the steaks to the skillet. Cook steaks 8-10 minutes, flipping once until desired doneness.

Remove steak to a plate, and maintaining skillet heat, saute shallots for 1 minute then add maple syrup, vinegar, and cranberries to the skillet.

Bring skillet contents to a low boil and simmer until thickening begins.

Add the steak back to the skillet and continue simmering until steak is lightly coated with peppered maple sauce, 1-2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let it rest.

Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin pancakes by combining pumpkin, pancake mix, buttermilk, and nutmeg in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, spoon the batter into the skillet to form each of eight pancakes and flip when lightly browned and bubbly on one side, adding more butter when needed with each batch. Cook until set and remove pancakes to a plate.

Assemble each serving by giving each of 4-6 dinner plates 1-2 pancakes. Cut steaks into strips and top each pancake with 4 steak strips and sauce, and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.
END QUOTE

Be warned: this is not a dish for the faint of palate. While my lovely assistant Karin was quite prepared to be overwhelmed by the pepper, I certainly did not expect the flavor to be quite so bold. Which is not at all a criticism of this excellent steak dish: the pepper flavor, though strong, melds quite beautifully with the maple and pumpkin, and by the end of the meal all three had achieved a harmonious balance on the tongue. The pumpkin pancakes are an inspired and wholly original accompaniment to the steak, with the cranberries and pumpkin seeds (I toasted mine at home) providing the perfect amount of brightness and crunch, respectively. I can see how Ms Delaney wins so many competitions with recipes like these! I did find myself doubling the recipe for pancakes because my whole family wanted more to go with the steaks, but that was serendipitous, as I could use up all the pumpkin puree that came in the can.

Next week, we travel south and I make more cupcakes, teehee! Do join me!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sherry Frazzelle and her sister Marla Barras have entered the OrgaNicks Corporation Cooking Competition against 4 other home cooks from across the nation. It is time for the celebrity chef judges to choose a winner. Sherry looks on as Chef Birns takes a bite of her pork tenderloin, but he immediately crumbles into another entry. She rushes to help but the man is dead and she is now the prime suspect in his murder. He was eating her food. Amber Sherman, another contestant, agrees to stay in town to help her find out what really happened or the home she could be cooking in be “the big house”.

Sherry Frazzelle is an interesting lead character. She and her Jack Russell terrier, Chutney are starting over after her marriage fell apart. She works part-time for her dad at his hooked rug shop, Oliveri’s Ruggery. She is also very into competitive cooking. She has a few quirks, a very Type A personality. She hates it when someone mispronounces her name, Frazzelle (rhyme with la belly) and hates to be called ma’am and she tends to panic when she is not in control. Her soon to be ex is still hanging around. She has a room full of his stuff that he refuses to pick up. She is close to her sister but Marla lives in Oklahoma. She was thrilled that they were both finalists in the OrgaNicks contest. There they meet Amber and become fast friends.

This is a humorous cozy that suffers a little bit of the first book in the series – itis. The author has to introduce readers to all the characters and give us a mystery we can sink our teeth into. Not an easy job.

I found Sherry a little off-putting at first but she grew on me by the end. I liked her sister Marla and their new friend Amber but since they both were from out of town I don’t know how much of them we will see in future installments. We did meet Sherry’s dad too. I hope he is featured more going forward. I found his hooked rugs shop very interesting. I was really into latch hook rugs back in the day. The dialogue between the characters was a little off and didn’t ring true for me especially when Sherry was talking to police.

The theme of a cooking competition was very enjoyable. There is a lot of emphasis on the food. It was easy to visualize every step of the way. It is also nice to have the recipes talked about in the back of the book.

The pacing of the book became a little stilted in places. The mystery unfolded with plenty of twists and turns but I did zero in on the killer very early in the story due to clues that were a little too on the nose. The murder weapon itself was quite unique. Something I would never have thought of.

Like I always say, the first book in a series is a heavy lift. There are a lot of good things in this story and plenty of room left to expand and grow as the series continues. I really did enjoy the main premise of the mystery and the cook-off theme. A little editing and tightening up would have made this a 5-star read. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

A great mystery! I love that the beginning has us at a contest, it is definitely a different and unique starting point! The characters were different enough from each other to make it interesting. With just enough mystery and enough humor to keep it light, this is a story you can read again and again.

Expiration Date is the debut of the A Cook-Off Mystery series set in the small town of Augustin, Connecticut and featuring Sherry Frazelle, a recently divorced competitive cook. Sherry lives in her small house, still cluttered with her ex-husband's belongings, accompanied by her small Jack Russell terrier, Chutney and works part time at her father's hooked rug store, Oliveri's Ruggery.

Sherry is looking forward to competing against contestants from all over the country in the OrgaNick's cook off and winning the ten thousand dollar prize. Her sister, Marla, who lives in Oklahoma has flown in and is also competing in the contest sponsored by Nick Andime's company. As the competition winds down and the judging is about to commence, Chef Tony Birns, a lead judge lands face down in a Seafood Flat Bread Pizza.

Detectives Ray Bease and Cody Diamond appear on Sherry's doorstep with the news that the Chef had died from an adverse reaction to something that he ate, and they suspect the ingredient was something in the Chutney Glazed and Farro Stuffed Pork Tenderloin that Sherry had prepared. Knowing that there was nothing poisonous in her meal that could have led to death, Sherry sets out with the help of fellow contestant Amber Sherman to track down a killer.

The premise of the story was good, but there was nothing really likable about any of the characters. Sherry is a little too angst ridden and she obsesses constantly about the proper pronunciation of her last name. There is no real relationship between Sherry and her family members, they seem to be written in only as fillers. The puns and plays on character names are a bit tedious and distract from the main mystery. With so many secondary characters it is often difficult to keep them straight.

I received an advanced copy of Expiration Date from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I hate to sound cliche, but this is a case of...it's not you, it's me. I just couldn't get into it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this , I voluntarily chose to review.

Welcome to fabulous new cozy author Devon Delaney! She takes the reader into a highly competitive (and dangerous!) world of competitive cooking contests. This is fun and interesting cozy mystery. I enjoyed this look in competitive cooking and was pleased to review this book. My opinions are my own.
Soon-to-be-divorced Sherry is happily forging a new life for herself , She really enjoys entering cooking contests and loves her adorable dog, Chutney. The cooking contest have large monetary prizes which leads to much cutthroat competition. her latest competition has a pay off of $10,000 and a new title of head chef. Sherry is determined to win.
While participating in the new cook-off, a chef/judge dies immediately after sampling her dish, and Sherry must prove her innocence to the local police. She is the first suspect and being new to the town does not help her case. She ask for help from a fellow competitor to investigate the murder. Soon she is close to solving the murder and finds herself in grave danger. The police do not believe her so she is fighting for her life and her reputation.
This book has great humor, fun food and interesting cooking competition. I enjoyed reading this new cozy series and look forward to the next in series. Sherry is likable, the food is scrumptious and the mystery was well developed to the conclusion. Thank you to the author for a new fun series with a great subject of competitive cooking.
I highly recommend this series.

A fabulous first in series culinary cozy mystery! If you think you know all about cooking contests, think again! The competition between the contestants is bound to be cutthroat but what happens when one of the judges ends on up on the chopping block?
A fast paced and well planned mystery, the interesting characters and twists and turns keep the reader engaged until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the Cook-Off Mystery Series and am eagerly awaiting the 2nd book!

Sherry has taken up competitive cooking to help her through her marriage break up, this time the contest is in her home town and so she and 5 others are cooking away (one of the others is her own sister), after they have all finished cooking and plated up the judging is about to start, the problem is that just as one of the judges eats from Sherry's plate he keels over, dead! Now Sherry, her sister and their new friend Amber (one of the other contestants) need to stir the pot and make sure that the Detectives don't decide that Sherry is the one going to be cooking in Jail!

Add in the other contestants, Sherry's terrier (Chutney), her soon to be ex and her father and you have a interesting plate of people! The book seemed a bit "choppy" to start with but I would be happy to read more in the series.