Guilty as Charred is a well written cozy mystery with great characters and an easy story to follow.

Synopsis:
Sherry Oliveri has attained celebrity status after winning America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest with her delectable New England Crab Cake Sliders. But now that she’s back home in Connecticut, she’s got to deal with something else fishy . . .

Sherry’s making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town’s community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead, the callers start dishing dirt.

America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest end with Sherry Oliveri bringing home the trophy but now she has to deal with her other activities regarding the community garden. Poppy Robinson, owner of the land for the community garden and fellow board member, is found on the property dead from a shovel to the head. The mayor asks Sherry to find the murderer so that the plans for the 4th of July Cook-off aren't disrupted.

There were numerous twists and turns and the red herrings were interesting,
Glad to see the regular characters continuing to become more 3 dimensional.

If you love watching the Food Network and cooking contests then you'll love this book! This is a great series centered around cooking competitions. I really enjoyed the well planned mystery and the author kept me guessing until the very end. I will definitely plan on reading more in this series.

Cooking contest champion, Sherry, has returned home after competing in her latest contest and finds an acquaintance has been murdered. Poppy, the murder victim, and Sherry were both active in a local vegetable garden. With trouble brewing at the garden already, the suspect list is long. This book easily stands on its own and definitely leans toward the lighter side of the cozy mystery genre. My only issue was how easily the mystery portion of the book could be solved.

Food and folly with a setting to literally die for, Guilty as Charred is a cozy that lights up the night with a mystery sure to stump the most frugal of cooks. With recipes and a fun cast of characters, Devon Delaney reminds us again how much fun solving murders can be. I recommend this book to anyone in need of a tasty homicide.


Thanks to Kensington for the ARC. All opinions are mine.

This is a fun, fast read that is perfect for someone who wants something light. There are even recipes for you to try at the back of the book.

I love cozy mysteries. This is the third book in the cook off mystery series. To be honest it was not my favorite of the series. The characters are great but I felt like the book dragged in parts.

Sherry’s making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town’s community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt.

Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn’t anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head. There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level. Now while Sherry’s organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she’s also got a murder investigation on her plate .

I love 'watching' Sherry both how she cooks and solves the mysteries. The characters are interesting and I enjoy the setting of the book. It's an easy read that kept me turning the pages.

Love the cover. This is an okay cozy mystery. Kept me guessing, but did not keep me glued to the pages. A pleasant read.

The only thing better than a cozy with great characters and yummy recipes is a cozy with creative characters, great recipes, and cooking tips! Sherry Oliveri (love her name) professional cooking contest winner/participant, Ruggery retail worker, Community Garden board member, tennis player, and part time sleuth. After cooking the winning entry in a multi-state competition, Sherry returns home to the news that the Garden coordinator/owner has been murdered and worse yet is under character assasination. Sherry not only mixes up wonderful recipes and helpful hints, she also has quite a knack for putting clues together like a new recipe. A nice variety of suspects from sibling rivalry to not so neighborly complaints and even political malfeasance. I must say that this is the first time I have read a cozy where it seemed like every other character encouraged the main one to actively pursue the murder investigation. Everyone except for local law enforcement of course. Looking forward to trying the artichoke hummus recipe and so happy that they are at the end of the story.

Great cozy! It was a quick, fun, light read. Perfect for the beach or curled up on the couch. I would recommend.

Guilty as Charred is a fun book to take to the beach. The characters are well developed and the mystery was satisfying. I liked it. Its the third book in the series, but dont worry, the author catches you up.

Guilty as Charred was a fun and light read that included an interesting mystery and sub-plots. I also really liked the idea of the community garden, that not only benefited the gardeners, but also those less fortunate.

Sherry Oliveri has become a celebrity chef after winning the “America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest”. While doing an interview for a local radio station, word comes that there has been a murder in the community garden both Sherry and the victim were involved in.

Guilty as Charred is the 3rd book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. It was a fun read with a mystery that kept me guessing. Sherry is a clever, strong protagonist, and I look forward to getting to know her better in future installments.

I had never read the other books in this series but I don't think it is important as this book catches you up. This was a fun, light read with an interesting mystery that I enjoyed trying to figure out. Definitely a great book to read at the beach or on a rainy afternoon. Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sherry Oliveri is back with a major win under her belt and another murder to solve. She won the America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest beating out cooks from the other 49 states. While talking about her win for a local radio station breaking news informs listeners that Poppy Robinson has been killed and that her body was found at Augustin’s community garden. Poppy and her family owned the land the community garden was on, she was on its board and ruled with an iron fist. She was also running for mayor.

The current mayor thought a 4th of July cookoff would be a great way to bring tourists to town and thought Sherry would be the perfect person to organize it. He also wants the murder case wrapped up asap! So Sherri is planning a cookoff, preparing for her next cooking contest, working with her dad at the Ruggery and has now added catching a killer to her already long to-do-list. She is going to need the perfect recipe to solve the murder and get on with her life. Hopefully, she can save the community garden too.

_____________

Protag Sherry Oliveri continues to grow and evolve as do all her relationships with a great cast of core characters. I continue to admire her relationship with her father. Detective Ray Bease also returns and tries to keep her out of his investigation but we all know that is not going to happen. I love when her sister comes to visit and the friendship she has built with Amber.

Ms. Delaney has cooked up quite a mystery this time complete with the red herrings cozy readers love. Twists, turns, surprises fill the pages. Sherri now has a reputation for solving murder mysteries and so many people were pressing her for answers. The deceased had an off-putting demeanor but was that enough for someone to want her dead?

I enjoyed the way Sherri handled her investigation, she really didn’t know Poppy well, but the killer is on her tail so she must be on the right track. Her current challenge is to live through her investigation. I must have totally missed a major clue because the killer reveal caught me off-guard.

I was very entertained by this great story. It was well-written and plotted which was key because there were several subplots that all needed to come together at the end. I will say all of Sherry’s activity exhausted me. But her recipes though delighted me. I hope she gets a few months off before the next case comes along. She needs to recharge her batteries and have time for doing what she loves, finding the perfect recipe to win another challenge.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sherry has just won a national food championship and the entire town is thrilled with her victory when she returns home. Not left to rest of her laurels, she is wrangled into helping the town put on a grill-off for Independence Day. In the process she learns one of her co-workers on the project is not the snob she surmised she would be but she also finds out that other folks are not what they seem.
And that leads to murder.
The victim is a woman who has donated land for a community garden whose reputation is being besmirched by rumours and innuendo. Sherry had only superficial dealings with the woman but feels compelled to discover who is behind the hatchet job and the murder. She is encouraged by a number of residents and of course, is warned off by the local police. There are lots of complications thrown in to muddy the waters and to hide the identify of the culprit. I confess I suspected the villain from the very beginning. There were lots of clues to obfuscate but it always seemed the killer was the most likely one.
I did not get attached to the characters, That is never a good sign as in order for me to do more than like a book, I have to feel invested. It never reached that level.
Four purrs and one paw up.

Sherry is on her way home after a successful cookoff with no murder involved as the big winner. Her name is well known now making the flight interesting but that was only the beginning of the chaos to come. Once home there is lots of gossiping about the community gardens that leads to the death of the woman running it. Sherry has no intention of getting involved but others request it anyways. This leads to a merry adventure of her living her hectic life while stumbling across clues. I must say the ending was a nice surprise twist. A great mystery full of quirky characters and mouth watering food that will keep you hooked until the very end. Perfect for fans of culinary themed cozies. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars

Who killed Poppy and why?
Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney is a delightful mystery with wonderful characters and a lovely small town setting. It has food, murder, and everything that leads us to a great whodunit.

Sherry Oliveri
Sherry is the winner of a few cooking competition; she also helps her dad run his rug store, plays tennis, edits the town’s newsletter and now is helping to organize the cook-off for the town’s Fourth of July celebration. She is a really busy person. Yet, Sherry is searching for the Poppy Robinson’s murderer. Sherry is an unlikely sleuth, but she loves puzzles much like recipes, and she tries to figure it out.

Things to look for (and that I liked)
• Sherry’s family is close even though her sister doesn’t live in town.
• This small Connecticut town is full of secrets and gossips.
• The community has that small town community flavor.
• The idea of the community garden is a fabulous idea that benefits not only those who have garden beds but also the local food bank and the younger generation that learn to grow plants.
• The friendship between Amber and Sherry.

4 Stars for Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney
My rating for Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney is four stars. I enjoyed the story, characters, and the details about cooking competitions and making of the rugs. You will have to follow the clues because I didn't figure it out until Sherry did.
Don’t forget to check out the recipes at the end of the book. I also loved the cover, and you know how much a cover snob I can be.

I highly recommend this book to all Cozy readers.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney.

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

While Guilty as Charred is the third installment in A Cook-Off Mystery series, it can be read alone. What has happened to Sherry in the first two books is summarized for new readers. Guilty as Charred is nicely written, has a good flow, and proceeds at a steady pace. Sherry Olivieri enjoys cooking and comes up with creative recipes for the amateur cook-off contests she enters. After winning America’s Good Taste Cook-off, Sherry is the town’s local celebrity. Augustin decides to take advantage of Sherry’s fame by having her organize a cook-off for Augustin’s Fourth of July celebration. They are hoping to attract more tourists to Augustin. Then Poppy Robinson is found dead in the Augustin’s Community Garden and Sherry is asked to quickly solve the case by various parties. There are multiple suspects along with a red herring or two. There are good clues to aid reads in solving the crime. The whodunit was multifaceted, and Sherry had to do a little digging to find the information she needed. There were some deadly threats and one was very unique. I wish it had been more of a challenge identifying the guilty party. Detective Ray Bease has a shadow in the form of Detective Cody Diamond. Detective Bease is forced to learn how to use a tablet and give up his ever ready paper pad. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions regarding the mystery at the end of the book. I prefer it when everything is wrapped up neatly to satisfy my curiosity. Sherry whips up some delicious dishes and needs to come up with a bacon focused recipe for an upcoming contest. She is also busy working at the Ruggery, taking care on the town’s newsletter, cataloguing seeds that are being mailed to her for use communal garden, planning the Fourth of July cook-off (patties are the theme), spending time with her friends, and going on dates with a new fellow. Guilty as Charred has appetizing cuisine, a technologically challenged detective, a panicked populace, toxic threats, a canine named Chutney, and one prying protagonist.