Definitely a unique premise, I believe, to write a cozy mystery about the last menu of the special guests on the Titanic! Val Deniston, who manages the Cool Down Café at the Bayport Racket and Fitness Club, has reluctantly agreed to cater a ten-course dinner from the menu of the Titanic for yacht owner Otto Warbeck.

To add to the creepy factor, Otto has scheduled the voyage for the anniversary of the sinking. Val's BFF and assistant at the Café is Bethany, who agrees to work with her. Val's boyfriend is Gunnar, who is rather a dud and not a good match. (He may be moving--goodbye and good luck!)

Otto has designed a murder mystery game to entertain his guests while on board during the course of the elaborate meal, which definitely intrigued me, but the theme party goes awry when a body disappears.

As this is the fifth installment of the series and my first experience with this author, I did not find the protagonist fully fleshed, although there is sufficient back story to allow viewing this as a standalone novel. I enjoyed references and tidbits about the Titanic and had no idea there was such a large cult following collecting all things Titanic. Red herrings fly over the bow and it would seem most on board had a motive. I was very close, but didn't address a few aspects of the whodunit which was neatly ironed out in conclusion. For some reason, however, I couldn't fully engage with the protagonist and had a problem staying focused. Grandpa is a forceful personality as is Otto, whose trophy wife is sympathetic. The plot moves along at cozy pace and the foodie stuff may be of interest.

I received this ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley for a book tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended as a cozy with an unusual premise for those who enjoy a Five Ingredient Mystery, culinary thrillers, and clean suspense novels. And yes, it does contain those recipes.

Once again, I'm jumping into book 5 of a series that has 5 books in it. No spoilers were given for previous books that I could determine so I was impressed. If there were, they didn't jump out at you. Val Deniston is very close to her grandfather. They live and work together so when he reels in a themed dinner party, Val takes it despite her reservations. The last dinner on the Titanic doesn't sound like the best idea to her but she pretty much clears her schedule to take it on along with her rather difficult client. What she didn't plan to take on was helping to solve the murder that takes place halfway through the meal!

I have to admit, this book kept me guessing. Rather than waiting for the big reveal to confirm what I had guessed, I had to learn along with everyone else. I did guess at what the victim's motives were for the game that he created rather early. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a secondary mystery as well but it was definitely the easier of the two for me to figure out.

The characters are great, the relationships believable, it remained fun when it could have been overly dark, and I was definitely impressed from beginning to end. This is definitely a must-read and I can't wait to find the rest of the books in the series. Let's hope this one lasts a long time.

Recipes include Chateau Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus Vinaigrette, Classic S'mores, S'mores Tartlets, and Savory Cheese S'mores.

Thank you to Kensington, Maya Corrigan, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and share my thoughts and opinions with others.

Grab something to munch on and your white board before you begin this tangled tale.
Was the Titanic cursed? Does that curse carry over a hundred plus years later?
Is Val a murder magnet or does she just have really bad luck?

Val thinks the opportunity to cater a several course meal on a luxury yacht is exciting, until she discovers all the details. The guest list is puzzling, the addition of s'mores unusual for such a sophisticated gathering, and oh how tangled the clues will become as she and her "staff" try to recall the comings and goings of the guests.
Naturally, when a murder occurs, the spouse, who it appears has the most to gain, is a prime suspect. Sadly, a young man is caught in the crosshairs of this investigation, putting his future at risk. Motives run from chickens to racism to financial gain and revenge. See why I said to keep that white board close?

Friendship and family all add depth to the storyline. Will the real murderer be discovered? Could the authorities discover the truth without Val's assistance?
I enjoyed finding out.

This is the fifth installment in the Five Ingredient Mystery series. In this story, Val has reluctantly agreed to cater an event that is meant to be a re-enactment of the Titanic on board a yacht. The host plans a murder mystery dinner with the last meal served on the Titanic. I found this story line so clever as I have always wanted to do a murder mystery dinner or weekend. Of course, someone is killed and found in the bay and Val gets involved in solving the murder. I love Val and her Grandpa and I enjoyed this story immensely. I appreciate it when a story keeps me engaged that I lose track of time (and sleep) because I want to finish the book. I did not figure out who the culprit was until I was supposed so I thank the author for that. This is a dynamic series and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

This was the first book I've read in the Five-Ingredient Mystery series and I enjoyed the Chesapeake Bay descriptions. The characters were slightly difficult for me to like, especially Val's 'boyfriend'. The mystery was multi-layered and kept me guessing until the end. I'm not interested enough to go back and read the first one's in the series, but will look forward to offerings in the future.

This is my first book both by this author and in this series. It did not disappoint. It was a quick read. It was light, fun. and entertaining.

Another installment in a classic cozy series- although this time Val is catering a dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay when, of course, one of the guests is murdered. I like Val, who is cobbling together a variety of different jobs and interests, and I like her Grandfather, who is always up to something. I have my usual quibble about the fact that this is not reflective and does not take advantage of the region but if you aren't familiar with the area, that won't bother you. Corrigan has written some nice characters- and I wonder what's going to happen now that Gunnar, the love interest is planning to move. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and to Corrigan for the recipes!

This was a fun addition to the series. The story is well written and had enough twists and turns to keep me interested until the end.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Val gets the opportunity to cater a themed dinner, unfortunately it's a dinner based on the Titanic and it's to be held on a boat. You know from the start that there is nothing good that will come from this venture. With lots of action and even better food Val investigates the murder. I didn't see the ending coming and once again was hungry the entire time I was reading this book.

I highly recommend this series for those that love good food and even better mystery.

Leslie Langtry's S' More Murder is funny from the beginning to the kind and crammed with delicious mystery, a troop of girl scouts, a current boyfriend and an ex-boyfriend and international spy adventure.

Merry Wrath’s troop had won a nationwide contest for selling Girl Scout cookies so she need to take them and along with one of the mothers for an educational trip to Washington DC. Up until then,
the Japanese Mafia, the Yakuza, were hunting after Merry Wrath, former CIA spy. along her old boyfriend, Riley, her handler in the CIA. The Yakuza had thought that the two had murdered the mother of Lieko Ito, the boss of the Yakuza. Later she received a call for help from Riley but no further information. Without any clue to go on, she heads with the troop for their trip.

So we have an assortment of fun going on. The girls needed supervision and the mother who volunteered conveniently disappears whenever needed. The girls were curious and getting into things and quickly energized by sugar high snacks. Part of the excitement of trip was the girls becoming immediately attached to a King Vulture, the largest of all vulture with a colorful head. They called him Mr. Fancy Pants and he is a character that adds so much suspense and hilarity to this story. I will never forget him and after I looked up a picture on the Internet, I can understand why they were enchanted.

This is a fast paced, funny cozy that keeps you reading until the end. On my next trip, I definitely want to visit some of the places in this adventure like the Spy Museum. I wish that I had not missed the first two mysteries in this series and I am now a fan of Leslie Langtry.

This was not my favourite book in the series. It felt very transitional but not in an exciting way. The mystery wasn’t compelling and things just seemed flat.

S'more Murders by Maya Corrigan is the fifth book in A Five-Ingredient Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.
Eventhough this was the first book for me I had no trouble at all getting into the story. Very few mentions of the previous stories are made. Characters are well presented and defined. Story is ineteresting and nicely paced.
Val accepts to cater as formal dinner on the anniversary and to recreate the very last supper that passengers on Titanic had before the catastrophe. The host has also provided a mystery game for the guests to play and solve. However before the highlight of the evening host disappears and his body is found several days later.
I especially liked how we get to meet the characters one by one as they come to the party. It was very old timed and reminded me of some of the classic mystries.
Story is well paced, it has several twists and turns. Characters are lovable and they look out for each other but are open to new friendship and like to help others.
Seting is very charmnic and I liked that the story began at the yacht.
Interesting and entertaining read for mystery lovers.

I was provided this ARC by Netgalley in return for honest review. This is not the first book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read any of the others in the series but will look forward to doing so. The premise is that the heroine, who runs her own catering business and works at the cafe of an athletic club, caters a dinner on a boat to recreate the last dinner of the first class on the Titanic. As you can imagine, things go terribly wrong. Ms. Corrigan writes a well-crafted mystery, with excellent descriptions, pacing and strong characters. The recurring series characters include the heroine, her grandfather, a quasi-boyfriend and an on-call catering assistant. The small town, on the Maryland shore, serves as a nice backdrop for the story. I gave this book 4 of 5 stars because, while the finale made sense and she did an excellent job of wrapping things up within the book's characters, the killer's action (the act of the killing and the logic for it) took a bit of believing. The weaving of the characters' histories to get to the act was well thought out and believable. I do recommend this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series. (Oh, and there are wonderful-sounding recipes at the end!!!)

I really liked this book. It was fast paced and enjoyble read.
The book is well written, with a likeable cast of characters. There's a good plot that keep you guessing till the end.
I will surely look for other books in this series and look forward to the next one.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

I haven't ever read a series out of order, but I did read book 1 and then book 5. While there was some reference to the other books, I didn't feel lost or like I was missing key parts. The mystery was good and kept me guessing. I thought the premise was good with the Titanic final dinner. The story moved along at a good pace. I'll probably go back and read the books in the middle.

This is the first book I have read from this author and in this series. Instant connection. I really thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the storyline was fun. Val, her grandfather and best friend were all great. None of them played secondary roles in the story. They worked well together to help solve the mystery at hand. Boy was it a mystery too.

It seems that the host of the Titanic themed party has gone missing. How rude. Once Val starts investigating, she realizes that something is a foul. With so many suspects; Val will need all the help she can get to solve the case.

Readers of cozy mysteries will enjoy this book as I did. It has charming characters as well as some laughs. As the story goes it might not be hard for readers to solve the case but that is not the point of these types of books anyways. I know that after reading this book, I want to go back and check out the prior books. A s'more read that is so tasty.

I hadn't read the books in this series prior to this one, but I definitely plan to. This was a really fun little cozy mystery. The setting and atmosphere were nice, the mystery was solid (I did figure it out before the reveal, but that's half the fun), and the characters (especially Val) were likeable. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozies.

Another enjoyable outing with Val and her grandfather (but mostly Val). While one thinks there are a group of stock mystery character suspects (younger wife, unhappy stepson, etc.), they, and the story, surprised me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A new to me series, but I had no issues following along thanks to the author and her background. Solid story and characters, and I enjoy finding books that are set close to home. I will be checking out the others in the series since i liked this one so much.

S’more Murders is the fifth book in Maya Corrigan Five-Ingredient Mystery series. Ms. Corrigan provides enough character background that this book can be read as a standalone. The storyline is well thought out and this is a clean read. The characters are well developed and there are lots of twists and turns and suspects to keep the reader engaged.

Val Deniston lives in Bayport in Chesapeake Bay area, manages the Cool Down Café, at the Bayport Racket and Fitness Club with her assistant, Bethany, and caters on the side. She lives with her granddad, Don Myer, who’s taken an online private investigator course, is writing a recipe column for the local newspaper, and plans to publish The Codger’s Cookbook. Otto Warbeck wants Val to recreate the Titanic’s maiden voyage ten-course final dinner for eight passengers on board his yacht on the Chesapeake Bay on the anniversary of its sinking. She negotiates a few changes to the menu and Otto agrees that her granddad and Bethany can assist her. The guests prove to be an odd assortment and when one of the guests is a no-show, Otto insists Bethany take her place. While Otto is acquainted with all the guests, none of them knew anyone other than him and their plus one. Cheyenne, Otto’s trophy wife, doesn’t know any of the guests and certainly wasn’t aware he’d invited his ex-wife, Stacy. Otto had downloaded and modified a Titanic mystery game, including a character sketch and script. Before the main course is served, they experience rough waters and other problems, forcing them to contact the Coast Guard. One of the passengers, Otto, doesn’t survive the evening and after his body is recovered, it’s determined he died from being shot in the head, and was either a suicide or murder. Cheyenne wants Val to prove her husband didn’t kill himself, telling her he had a secret agenda for the dinner party, and offering to tell her what he told her about his six guests. Val and her granddad ask questions. Research people’s pasts, and do a little snooping around and share their findings with Chief Earl Yardley. Val’s boyfriend, Gunnar, decides to move to D.C. to pursue his dream of being an actor, and asks Val to accompany him.

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