When Halia Watkins is invited to be a guest judge on a tv cooking contest she's not sure she's interested. Her cousin convinces here to accept the offer All is going well until one of the contestants is murdered.

This was a fun story. I expect I'll read more in this series

I loved this book!! Great story!! It was a cute story!! 1st book I have read by this author will read more of her books!! Received this book from netgally!!

This is book four in the fun cozy series "Mahalia Watkins" by cozy author A.L. Herbert. I have read the previous in series and highly recommend this series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My personal review opinion is my own. I love the setting of this series in Prince George Maryland and that they travel to D.C. for this next in series. The addition of the visit to the African American museum was truly wonderful and beautifully descriptive.

We return to our protagonist and owner of Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, Halia Watkins. She is quite is famous in Maryland’s Prince George’s County for her comfort cuisine. I love the descriptions of the soul food in this series and our talented chef Halia as she dishes up fabulous foods. She has the chance to showcase her talents on national TV when she is asked to judge a nasty group of chefs for a contest and much dissension goes on a among judges and contestants. When a murder occurs Halia knows she must figure out the true suspect and add her investigative savvy to help.

As always wonderful descriptions of locations and food. i love Halia as a smart independent talented cook who has a knack for solving crimes. This is such a fun series that I highly recommend.

Halia and her cousin Wavonne are back. As usual those two are miring their own business, but some hoe find themselves in the middle of a murder. As always their is enough sass, laughter, wigs, eye rolling to go around. This time there were less recipes shared, but still a good read. I am hoping for another book in this series.

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

A.L. Herbert, Author of the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food series, knocks it out of the park with this delectable, highly entertaining murder-mystery story. A true gem, ingeniously the author takes it one-step further and provides you with delicious recipes of food featured throughout the book!

Mahalia “Halia” Watkins, local favorite restaurant owner of Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, has a knack for solving local mysteries. Alongside her mom, Celia, her cousin Wavonne and her mouth-watering recipes, Mahalia’s Sweet Tea has become an esteem and prominent staple within the community. But when a national TV show comes knocking at her door with an engaging offer, Halia must decide if she’s willing to step out of her comfort zone and step onto the national spotlight.

In the competitive restaurant world, where all bets are off, a last-minute opening as a guest judge on the TV Program Elite Chef, has just opened up and Halia is reluctantly up for the challenge. Determined to gain more exposure for Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, Halia decides to partake in the chaotic, contentious, Elite Chef competition. After all, a couple of days of filming, a luxurious stay at a nearly completed hotel and a spot on a national TV show, sounds easy enough…

Animated characters moved this story along in its measured set-up for mystery. Artfully developed range of characters were a joy to experience, along with their quick quip dialogue. A bit winded before the murder occurs, the author takes you along and gently lets you become acquainted with the characters; thus, ensuring you see their potential for murder. From the ever funny Wavonne, the ruthless restaurant mogul, Russell Mellinger, his wife Cynthia, the competitive contestants, flirty-judge Twyla Harper and even Detective Hutchins, it was hard for me to choose a favorite character. I loved them all!

A delightful and delicious murder-mystery will have you highly engaged in its clever and elaborate plot. Meanwhile, you’ll want to take a break and run to the grocery store to find all the right ingredients for the recipes included. Soon, though, you’ll be second guessing yourself as the mystery unravels until the murderer is finally revealed at the very end. Funny banter, a twisty plot and delicious food made for me the perfect combination and an immediately approved recommended read! So, start reading and get cooking (just make sure you check your expiration dates)!

~ Patricia

This my frist book by this author I got more of his books on hold st the ohio digital library. :) I think it was a good book, great character's and great plot's I can't wait to read more of A.L stories.
got a new author for me to look forward to...yay!!

What is it about TV cooking competitions that brings out the worst in people?! Halia Watkins is surprised and intrigued when she's asked to judge the finals of one-even though it turns out she's the fifth choice after a judge dropped out. Well, she isn't as enthusiastic as her cousin Wavonne, who the tv team wants to join in because she's more lively than Halia (hah!). Two of the three contestants are heinous and one is more mature. The host and his wife- also heinous. The night after the winner is declared, the winner is shot dead! Halia pokes around and finds the real villain, who isn't the person you might think. One of the great charms of this series is its setting in Prince Georges County, Maryland and, in this instance, DC. The group goes on a tour of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture- and Herbert captures it well. She's also nailed PG County, the National Harbor, and Ft Washington (although the latter two only make cameos, it's nice to see them in a novel.). Then there's the food! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read with recipes!

4.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food mystery series by A.L. Herbert.

The murder here happens a good way into the book after we are introduced to all the main characters and the basic plot of the story.

Basic premise: There is a cooking contest and Halia is asked to fill in as a judge. One of the contestants ends up dead and Halia has to know whodunit. She is assisted by her friend, Wayonne who is quite a hoot.

Very interesting story. Great plot. I like how intricate it all was when they were figuring out how the murder could have been committed and by whom. Loved that part. Not a normal cozy ending but it felt real and authentic to me.

Definitely a series I want to continue on with.

If you want to read a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits by A. L. Herbert is the 4th book in the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery series, and another fun addition. Mahalia owns Mahalia's Sweet Tea restaurant, her mother bakes all the yummy desserts, and her cousin, Wavonne, is a waitress. Mahalia gets an offer to judge on a cooking show, and Wavonne comes along. When one of the contestants is murdered Halia and Wavonne are determined to get to the truth. This series is so fun, I never get tired of the wise cracks thanks to Wavonne. I really enjoy Wavonne sticking up for Mahalia in this book. If you're looking for a well developed funny cozy mystery book/series, give this book a try. It will also make you hungry and laugh out loud. I highly recommend this book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had all the ingredients for the perfect cozy mystery. It had quirkiness, delicious food and recipes to go with it, intriguing characters and of course, a great mystery.

Herbert was able to hit it right on the head by drafting up this book. It was humourous and kept me engaged; making me not want to put the book down but instead, reading to find out who done it!

This book did not disappoint, and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Entertaining and engaging cozy mystery. A cooking contest and a visit to the African American museum at the Smithsonian make up the first half of the book. The murder comes late in the tale, but that was just fine with me. The conclusion and clever method of murder was the icing on the cake.

In this 4th book of the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery, Halia and Wavonne brought their highly anticipated comedic antics to a not quite open-to-the-public boutique hotel. This is not your typical cozy mystery... and I like that. A.L. Herbert took a very contemporary backdrop and transformed it into a murder scene - a cooking show. I particularly enjoyed A.L. Herbert's divergence from the typical "cookie-cutter" cozy mystery formula - murder takes place within first 10 pages of the book. As a fan of cooking shows, I particularly like that that he gave me a realistic view of what goes on during the development and taping of a cooking show before the murder was actually committed nearly half-way through the book.

I highly recommend this book, as well as past and future editions of this author's collection.

Thank you to NetGalley for opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book.

Not only this was my first of the series but it was a delight to read different identities of African American characters who were much more than their colour. Language is very friendly. Some places too much about the African American culture could have been avoided but I still liked how the author connected the culture with the story line. My favourite characters were Wavonne and Sherry because they had this spunk in them and they could fool with looks in the book and as the story unfolds they get more interesting. The background characters are pretty much active than Halia but it was a good book.

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, verbal-humor, small-business, Maryland, chef, culinary

The only thing that bothered me was putting the recipes within the book instead of at the end. The recipes are good, but I found it distracting and had to photo the recipe (and in one case begin it) before I could go onward with the story. Loved the characters and all the laughs as well as it being a good cozy. No spoilers here and the publisher's blurb is a good hook. I've not read any of the earlier books in the series, but i plan to because i'm sure that they'll be fun, not because this one left me guessing about anything important. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Halia Watkins is busy with her restaurant, Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, when an unexpected opportunity drops in her lap. A well-known cooking competition, Elite Chef, is filming in the area and Halia is invited to be one of the judges. Halia is initially skeptical, but her cousin, Wavonne, strongly encourages her to participate. Of course, Wavonne comes along for the ride as well as she’s excited at the opportunity to be on television. Unfortunately, not everyone on the cooking show is playing fair and things turn ugly when a contestant winds up dead. Can Halia uncover who the murderer is without becoming a target herself?

And oh, am I ever a fan of Wavonne! The wise cracking and downright outrageous antics of Wavonne kept me in stitches from laughing so hard! Wavonne says exactly what is on her mind and I love her confidence in who she is. She’s the perfect complement to the far more down-to-earth Halia. The witty repartee between them is absolutely hysterical, never mind Wavonne’s stories of her past dates!

The twists and turns in MURDER WITH HONEY HAM BISCUITS keep the reader guessing, as we wonder who is behind the murder. We have plenty of viable suspects, but they have alibis, making the conclusion all the more interesting. And while I missed spending more time at Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, but we still get plenty of scrumptious sounding recipes from Halia to make up for it.

MURDER WITH HONEY HAM BISCUITS is pure fun! MURDER WITH HONEY HAM BISCUITS is the fourth book in the Mahalia Watkins series, and wow, this series only gets better with each new installment! I have to admit I’m not always a fan of plotlines involving culinary cooking contests, but A.L. Herbert knocked it out of the park with MURDER AND HONEY HAM BISCUITS!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*
*book also featured in monthly article (see link)*

Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits is the latest in cozy mystery series by A.L. Herbert.
This series adds diversity in the to the cozy mystery category as the main character, Mahalia Watkins, is a 40ish African American woman. She runs a successful soul food restaurant, Sweet Tea, in Prince George's County, Md.
Halia is chosen to be a judge in a reality show cooking contest, run by an African American chef and his wife. Three cooks compete for the championship.
Mahalia encounters a hotbed of culinary sabotage among the contestants, as well as a rival from her past. Inevitably, a murder ensues during the contest.
The murder does not occur until well into the book. However my interest did not flag, as the author creates vivid characters, and drops hints of the motive along the way.
Just when I thought I solved the mytery, Herbert added another twist. A very ingenuous take on the familiar "whodunnit" mystery.
One of the strength of Herbert's books is the exploration of facet of African American life.
In this book, the judges and contestants tour the African American museum in Washington, D C. They view the manacles used on slaves, as well as later artifacts of the Civil Rights struggle. An eye opening visit for the characters and the reader.
Plus, the mouth watering descriptions of Halia's soul food, smothered pork chops, fresh peach pie, and collard greens with bacon, may make you run to the kitchen to recreate the recipes.
Herbert includes several of the recipes in the book for you to sample.
Mahalia is refreshing as a mature woman who is grounded and content. The hackneyed trope of the "hunky detective" is avoided.
Indeed, the focus is on Mahalia's relationship with her younger flamboyant niece, Wavonne. They have a playful, teasing relationship, but when the chips are down, they have each other's back.
Grab a glass of sweet tea, and delve into the world of Mahalia Watkins. Discover a treasure of delectable food and an engaging mystery.

I love this series. This is the fourth book in the series and my favorite one! The characters are funny and engaging. The books are fun and easy quick reads.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a cozy mystery that is heavy on cozy and light on mystery. The murder mystery doesn’t occur until well into the second half of the book. There was so much build up to the murder that I wasn’t invested in who committed the murder or why when it occurred. The drama around the characters was more exciting.

Also, the dialogue in the book did not add to the coziness or mystery of the book. In one exchange a character refers to another character’s hair as a “dime store wig”. The book is set in modern day, dime stores are a thing of the past. The exchange seemed awkward.

Fans of cozy mysterious may enjoy this book. It has light humor based on overdone stereotypes.

I was given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

I love love love this series! Mahalia and Wavoone always delight and intrigue me for coming back for more. This cozy mystery series is delightful to read and sometimes I have to make myself stop from reading it in one setting! I love that the author also incorporates recipes into her books as some of the food sounds amazing and I hope to try cooking it myself. Mahalia always surprises me in the end. I want another book in this series as soon as I have finished one.

I loved this book! It was such a fun and entertaining read! I loved the characters and the food mentioned made my mouth water and made me hungry. It was humorous and made me laugh and get weird glances from my husband. This was my first book by the author and the series but definitely not the last. It did not disappoint in any way. Looking forward to reading other books in this series. Oops did I mention that it is a thriller? No? Sorry! It is a cosy mystery with diverse characters. They were all lovable. The plot was good and I definitely recommend you pick this series. Engaging, entertaining, humorous and nicely done! Oh and yes the recipes were an added bonus! Will try them soon.