Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is the premier novel in A Cook-Off Mystery series. Sherry Frazzelle (rhyme with la belly) is one of the finalists in the OrgaNicks Cook-Off in Augustin, Connecticut. The grand prize is $10,000 and title of OrgaNicks Supreme Home Chef. The judging is completed, and Chef Tony Birns is announcing the winner when he collapses. After it is determined he was poisoned, Sherry rises to the top of the suspect list since her dish was the last one sampled by the victim. Sherry with help from fellow competitor, Amber Sherman sets out to clear her name and her pork tenderloin. The killer, though, is less than thrilled with Sherry’s sleuthing and attempts to warn her off the case. Sherry is missing the last pieces of the puzzle that will help her identify the guilty party. She just needs to assemble the clues like the ingredients in a recipe and stir until she cooks up the killer. Sherry will need to be careful or she will get burned.

Expiration Date is a light, humorous cozy mystery. I felt that Expiration Date could have done with some rewriting to give it a better flow along with a more solid mystery. The pacing slowed down considerably when food was being cooked and described. When Sherry was cooking, the book was reminiscent of a cookbook instead of a work of fiction. We are told each ingredient along with every step in the cooking process. The dialogue could have used some tweaking. It was awkward. Sherry is not a likeable main character. She is a neat freak, likes to be in control, gets anxious quickly, has panic attacks, scares easily and she expects situations to turn out badly (she comes across as neurotic instead of realistic). Sherry does not like her name to be pronounced incorrectly and corrects people throughout the book. She also cannot stand being called ma’am (this happens throughout the book as well). A contradiction to her neat fetish is one of the guest rooms is filled with her estranged husband’s clothing (looks like the inside of a men’s clothing boutique). Sherry is waiting for him to pick them up. Personally, I would have given the man an ultimatum (I believe he is looking for an excuse to stop by). My favorite part of Expiration Date was barely touched on. Sherry’s father owns Oliveri’s Ruggery, a hooked rug shop (rug hooking is a wonderful art form). I dearly wish the author had centered the book around the shop instead of food competitions (that would have been unique). The mystery was simple and solving it is a cinch (might as well be a giant neon arrow pointing to the killer). The author gives away the who and why early in the story. The case details are repeated (more repetition) and there is a lack of action (more cooking than crime solving). I did find the method of murder to be unique and clever. I was left with one question at the end of the book—who won the cooking competition? I am hoping the author ups her game in the next A Cook-Off Mystery.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is the 1st book in A Cook-Off Mystery series. Sherry Frazzelle is recovering from her marriage which only lasted a short time, and is now throwing herself into competitive cooking. Unfortunately when one person ends up dead after eating Sherry's food, she must find the real killer. This book was a fun cozy mystery, but I did not like Sherry very much. I plan on giving this author another try with the next book in the series. If you like cooking and cozy's you might want to give this book a try.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Expiration Date

by Devon Delaney

I don’t think I ever fully understood the term “foodie” until I read Devon Delaney’s Expiration Date, the story of six finalists in a cook-off sponsored by an organic foods corporation. Sherry Frazzelle and her sister Marla are two of the finalists. One of the three chef judges dies immediately after tasting Sherry’s stuffed pork tenderloin.

Although there is a definite mystery at the core of this book, there is almost no part of the story that doesn’t involve food. At first I thought the food figures of speech like “She overheard audience opinions being dished out like coleslaw at a barbecue” were cute and well-played. They are indeed inventive and well-written. At some point, however, it is just overdone—especially when characters totally unconnected to the food industry begin using them. Another feature that is perhaps overused is Sherry’s father’s favorite sayings.

There are sufficient twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader’s interest, but there is a huge jump in believability in the final scene. The setting is intentionally made dark to enhance the scariness factor, but there is no rationale given for why the character chooses to live that way and why the cook-off finalists would venture into that setting.

If you are a foodie who likes cozy mysteries, you will love this book. Otherwise just approach it as an opportunity for a diverting afternoon and enjoy.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Cook-Off Mystery Series

Publication: April 24, 2018—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

People were weaving around each other, like the latticework crust created by bakers to top the best fruit pies.

She tried to lift the throbbing arm, but it was as difficult as peeling a butternut squash.

You’re more agitated than a hungry vegan at a pig roast.

This is the first book in a new series and I was expecting what usually happens in the start of a news series: the heroine is a suspect and she starts investigating in order to find the real culprit.
This is what happens but the book was quite slow in developing the story and it was not hard to understand who did it and way quite early in the book.
My main issue was with the heroine who is so full of issues, from panic attack to being a neat freak, that it ended being a bit too much on the neurotic side.
The start was really exciting but unfortunately it did not keep the promises.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley

Expiration Date is the start of a new cozy mystery series by Devon Delaney and while it focuses on two of my favorite things, food and mysteries, it also left a bit to be desired. The story follows Sherry Frazzelle as she recovers from a short-lived marriage by throwing herself into her new hobby, competitive cooking.
The book started off strong and I was initially pretty interested in what was going on. However the story took a downturn at that point. The dialog felt really awkward and forced and there were way to many clichés. The author used a lot of food puns that were cute at first but got old pretty fast. Overall this story was a pretty big letdown.

Expiration Date by new cozy author Devon Delaney takes the reader to the very competitive (and dangerous!) world of competitive cooking contests. Soon-to-be-divorced Sherry is making a new life for herself after separating from her husband , Charlie, and the two greatest loves of her life are cooking contests and her dog, Chutney. While participating in the OrgaNicks cook-off, a chef/judge dies immediately after sampling her dish, and Sherry must prove her innocence to the local police and discover the murderer before he (or she!) strikes again. Nice start to the series, and lots of room for future installments. Many likable characters as well!

Cooking competition? Yes, please! Mystery? Yes, please! Easy, breezy e-book to pass a couple of hours? Yes, please!

This had the makings of a book I'd really like, but the writing just feels clunky to me. The dialog ("I'm so angry right now! He's drawing damaging conclusions just to sensationalize the event and sell his blog!" Sherry pounded her fists on the table...) feels wooden and unnatural. A co-competitor conveniently joins Sherry and Marla, Sherry's sister, so that Sherry can spill out necessary backstory. ("I'll give you a quick recap of my situation.") And characters are acting simultaneously too worried and too suspiciously. It just isn't gelling into a good read for me, even though I like the premise. I like the idea of Sherry, who has panic attacks and is a bit obsessive and orderly, more than I like actually spending time with her. I'm setting the book aside at 32%.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sherry finds herself a suspect in the murder of one of the judges in a cooking competition she's entered and then, in classic cozy plot line, sets out to find the real killer. This would have benefited from a detached edit to pare away some of the puns, tighten up the dialogue, and make the interaction with law enforcement more realistic. There are, however, some good threads here and I'm curious to see where this series goes. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Read this one for insight into cooking competitions and for the recipes.

Sherry Frazzelle is in the midst of getting used to being single again and she’s found she has a passion for competitive cooking. Spending plenty of time in the kitchen allows her to tweak recipes until she thinks they will be a hit and maybe win a top prize or two. She was extremely excited to be chosen as a finalist in her latest competition.

As the competition is coming to a close and the judgement should be coming soon however one of the judges collapses. When it’s found that he had been poisoned the police begin their murder investigation and since Sherry’s dish was the last to be tasted they begin to look her way leading her to try to find out just what happened herself.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is the first book in the new cozy A Cook-Off Mystery series. As expected with cozies there’s a good amount of fun characters to follow and plenty of mouth watering treats for the foodies out there including some recipes.

While this was an alright start to a new series I did think it had a few flaws in my own opinion. First I noticed that it would drag a bit when the author would have Sherry cooking in the story telling each ingredient and step, made it feel a bit like I’d switched to a cookbook mid stride. I’d also noticed some interactions just didn’t feel very realistic in nature along the way but with a little tightening up it could turn into a really fun series overall.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was an interesting start to a new series. There were a lot of food puns and quirky names. The mystery had a nice twist to it. My problem with the book is that Sherry didn't seem to have common sense.

Expiration Date is the first book in Cook-Off Mystery series and it looks as if it is going to be a very interesting series.
Sherry, along with her sister has entered a cookoff competition with a grand prize of ten thousand dollars. All is going more than well until one of the judges falls face down into Sherry's dish. Sherry is under suspicion and it is up to her to ask, investigate and find out what has happened.
Nice set of realistically presented characters. Bit of humor. It was a bit slow going at first but picks up a pace later. A lot of talk about marriages and relationships in the beginning.
Very detailed description of what it looks like to be a chef and what goes behind the scenes at one of those competitions.

Expiration Date is the debut book in Devon Delaney’s Cook-Off Mystery series. This is a cute whodunit with likeable characters, an interesting mystery, and lots of humor, but the police investigation and their interaction with potential suspects is unrealistic. There are lots of food puns and while they are cute, I felt there were too many of them.

Sherrie Frazzelle loves entering cooking contests, lives in a small Connecticut town with her Jack Russell terrier, Chutney, and has recently separated from her husband. Sherrie and her sister, Marla Barras, are among the six home cooks from around the country who advanced to the final round in an original recipe contest sponsored by Nick Andime, the CEO of OrgaNicks Corporation. The judges, Chef Tony Birns, Chef Brock Lee, and Chef Olivia Baker have voted and as Chef Birns begins to make the announcement, he collapses and passes away. It’s determined that the cause of his death was asphyxiation caused by a non-food irritant becoming embedded in the tissue of his throat. Since Sherry’s dish was the last one he tasted, the evidence seems to point at her. Although Detective Ray Bease and his assistant, Detective Cody Diamond, haven’t ruled anyone out, their investigation appears to be focused on her. Sherry is convinced someone is trying to frame her for the murder and is determined to prove her innocence.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Sherry Frazzelle is a cook-off contestant who becomes involved in clearing her name as one of the judges keels over just after finishing her entry. I like the premise of the story and the mystery and the setting. The author clearly has a sense of humor, as the names of some of the characters are a hoot (Nick L. Andime). I did enjoy the book but found it to be a little slow and did not build nor was there a lot of tension between the characters. I liked Sherry, she did unravel the mystery, and I liked the way she went about it. Will put this down to being a first book and setting the foundation for future books. Will definitely get the next one. Want to see where this goes.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is a light cozy mystery that shows promise.
Shelley Frazelly ( like a - belly) is a fun character w/o seems really full of life.
Her creativity in the kitchen has Shelley participating in a cooking competition where things turn deadly in a flash.
I had a great time finding the humorous names, like Nick L Andime and Patti Mellit.

This story sets the pace for a new series that I'm looking forward to continue reading.

I read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

This is a suspensful, enjoyable mystery with the added bonus of giving you a backstage look at what it's like to be a contestant in a cooking competition. After her divorce Sherry Frazzle has taken up the hobby of competing in cook offs. She is a finalist in the OrgaNick's cook off when one of the judges dies after eating her pork tenderloin dish. Because Sherry is a prime suspect she decides to do some investigating on her own. I was hooked on this story from the very first page, and I especially like the recipe piggy-back game that Sherry, her sister Marla and their friend Amber play. It's something I will be trying with my own family soon! Just don't read this book on an empty stomach - the delicious sounding recipes will make you hungry!

Full disclosure - I didn't finish this book. There are too many good books in the world. When I find myself checking to see how much of the book is left while I am reading it, that's not a good sign.

After splitting with her husband, Sherry Frazzelle is exploring life to the fullest - including taking part in a cooking competition. Right before announcing the winner, the chef literally chokes on his own words and keels over. Because Sherry's dish was one of the last ones he ate, the detectives are especially interested in her. With the help of her sister and friends, she must clear her name.

The book started off strong enough. I loved the idea of the cooking contest. However, it took a sharp turn when Sherry was being interviewed by the detectives. I just feel like they would never say some of the sentences that were coming out of their mouths, let alone have the interactions with each other they were having, and all conversations from there on were unbelievable (at least to the point I read). It was just painful to read and I killed the prior enjoyment I had gotten out of the book. Sadly, I don't feel like reading follow-up books.

A series based on cook-offs, a bit of a twist off the usual cooking mysteries that I enjoyed. Only thing better would have been a Bake Off instead for my sweet tooth.