Welcome to a competitive cook-off! Sherry and her brother Pep compete with other cooks to prepare their specialty dishes in "Eat, Drink, and Be Wary". However, Sherry's primary rival (Fritz) does not show up for the event, and Sherry emerges as the winner in her category. Unfortunately, Fritz meets his end under suspicious circumstances, and Pep seems to be a suspect. Sherry teams up with local law enforcement to help solve the case. She encounters many hazards, but ultimately her friends also pitch in and the culprit is apprehended.

In addition to the main plot, several subplots emerge in this cozy mystery. Readers are kept guessing about the identity of the perpetrator of the crime, as new clues appear and suspects abound. Stormy weather and autumn activities add to the atmosphere of the novel. Although this story is part of a series, I read it successfully as a stand-alone.

This story featured a lot of characters, quite a few of them shady. I had difficulty keeping track of them all. The many subplots and detailed descriptions also detracted from the main storyline and added twists and turns that seemed confusing. Readers might want to keep a pencil and paper handy to create their own lists or diagrams to avoid confusion. This is a clean cozy mystery, without strong language or graphic details of violence or sexual encounters.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

4.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the A Cook-Off Mystery series by Devon Delaney.

This was a fun mystery to follow. I was fascinated by the cook-off concept. I guess Sherry is a home cook who doesn’t do cooking as a thing she does to get paid (aka her real job). I mean, she does get paid since she seems to win these things quite a lot. Her real job is in a store that sells rugs and items for rug hooking. I wonder why her store doesn’t branch out into more similar crafts like embroidery, cross stitch and the like.

The whole mystery centered around a contestant, who Sherry was familiar with, who ended up dead the day before the contest began. There were all sorts of suspects, a nosy freelance reporter who seemed to be stacking the deck in her favor trying to make her story more sensational and a spice market guy who also served subpoenas. I couldn’t decide who was the better suspect. These authors are so good at pulling the wool over our eyes that I never see the bad guy coming.

I really resonated with Detective Ray Bease in this one. He had such a hard time during the course of this case. His mother was taking a turn for the worse with her dementia and he was so distracted he was afraid that the younger guys on the force were going to take his job right out from under him. Loved how Sherry helped him in the end.

Overall just a great read. Highly recommended. Loving this series so much!

If you like cozy mysteries, 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.

Sherry's back at a food competition, this time with her brother Pep as her sous chef. She wins but then it turns out that her main rival- Fitz- was murdered the night before. Pep, who argued with him, is a chief suspect but Sherry knows he didn't do it. It's classic cozy in that there's more than one person who really didn't like him. This is the fourth in the series and new readers should know that even those of us who have read them all found there were too many characters introduced up front. There are some interesting recipes. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I like Sherry and wish Delaney well.

Eat, Drink and Be Wary is the fourth installment in the Cook Off mystery series by Devon Delaney. Sherry Oliveri enters the New England Fall Food Festival cook-off that is being held near her hometown. One of her competitors, Fitz Frye, is murdered the night before the competition and Sherry’s brother is a suspect! Sherry must clear his name!

This is the first book that I’ve read in this series. There were a lot of characters introduced in the first few chapters of the book and I had a hard time keeping them all straight. Perhaps if I had read the other books in the series, I wouldn’t have had as hard of a time. I also felt like I didn’t get to know the main character, Sherry Oliveri, very well either. Again, this is probably because I haven’t read the first 3 books. Since I didn’t feel a connection to the characters, I found that I struggled to stay interested in what was happening in the story, which at times was a bit confusing. I do not recommend this title as a stand-alone, but I believe that readers who have read the entire series would enjoy it. It was a quick light read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher of Eat, Drink and Be Wary for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This is the 4th installment in the Cook Off mystery series. Sherry’s hoping her Savory Shrimp Lettuce Cups will impress the judges, and she’s invited her brother, Pep, to serve as her sous-chef. The good news is that she takes first place in her category, the bad news is that it’s easier to win when your toughest competition is dead . . .

After contestant Fitz Frye is found with a fishhook in his neck, Pep’s strange behavior doesn’t help his case when the police consider him top suspect. While Pep sits through a shakedown, Sherry searches near and far for the real culprit

This was another fun cozy mystery by Devon Delaney!! I love all the characters and look forward to reading more!!

This is the 4th installment in the Cook Off mystery series. Sherry Oliveri is getting ready for the New England Fall Fest cook-off which is being held near her hometown. In this cook-off, her brother Pep (who is visiting from Maine) is helping her as her sous chef and he seems to be very pre-occupied and always on his phone during the walk thru practice as well as during the cocktail reception at the local historic Inn. Sherry runs into a former competitor Fritz Frye who has beaten her before but she is very good natured about the whole thing. The next day Pep is on point as is Sherry and she wins her category at the cook-off. During an interview after the event, she learns that Fritz was murdered the night before after the cocktail party. Sherry then goes to the Ruggery (the family business) and as they are discussing the cook-off detective Ray Bease arrives to question Pep about an altercation he had with Fritz the evening before. Pep also did not arrive at Sherry’s home until after midnight so he has no alibi. Detective Bease is distracted as he is dealing with family issues and basically knows Sherry is going to be investigating since Pep is a suspect. There were lots of characters in this one with some new contestants as well as Pep and some locals. There was lots going on and at times not really sure where this was going. I did enjoy this story even with all the twists and turns. I do think Sherry is softening up which is helpful.

A book set in New England with a lot of food will always be a winner to me. I've enjoyed this series from the first book and this latest one does not disappoint. The cooking competition theme is one that continues to keep me going back to the series as well as likable characters that I'd like to meet.

Well-written and an easy read. Just be prepared to be hungry after finishing it.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of EAT, DRINK AND BE WARY (Book 4 of the Cook Off Mysteries) by Devon Delaney in exchange for an honest review. Sherry Olivieri is excited to involve her brother Pep in one of her food competitions. Pep has agreed to act as her sous chef in the local competition hosted by the New England Fall Food Fest. Usually physically elusive, Pep’s body is present, but his attention seems to be everywhere but with his family. When Fitz Frye, one of the toughest competitors, is murdered the night before the competition, Pep comes under scrutiny. Pep continues to seem distracted and begins to act elusive. With the local homicide detective distracted by personal matters and with an investigative reporter trying to push Pep into the hot seat, Sherry begins to search out motives and check alibis. Sherry comes under attack as she closes in on the killer.

I haven’t read any of the prior books in the series but had no difficulty keeping characters straight. Reading the earlier works would probably have given me a better connection to the characters, so I recommend reading the previous books first. One or two transitions in the tale could have been clearer. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, food, competitions, seafood, family, sponsorship, seaside settings, small businesses, and silly pet owners.

#EatDrinkandBeWary #NetGalley

Fun cozy mystery. But recommend reading the others first. Enjoyed, but confused at times. Would still recommend.

I found parts of this book to be confusing. Especially the reveal as to who the murderer was, a lot of information was given that wasn't mentioned in the other part of the book. There are a lot of secondary characters which the author does a good job making separate individuals. #EatDrinkandBeWary #NetGalley

Fun! This was a light, quick read. It had characters I liked and a good story line. I enjoyed the writing style and will be back for more books by this author!

When an author feels the need to introduce 15 or more characters in the first two chapters of a book, I lose interest. It's difficult enough keeping some of the characters straight, but the addition of ancillary characters just for the sake of having named people in the book forces me to lose interest. That's the casse in Eat, Drink and Be Wary. In addition Sherry Oliveri is a bossy, unsympathetic character and I struggled to finish this book. I'm shocked that this is the fourth in the series.

A cook that's an amateur sleuth in order to solve the mystery of her competition and help her brother. An enjoyable read.

Sherry Oliveri is a cook-off queen, and she and her brother are making shrimp wraps for a major regional contest. It's not as simple as it seems, though. In fact, there are wheels within wheels at this cook-off, from the venue's owner who is on the verge of bankruptcy to a food journalist who is way too involved with the contestants, to Sherry's brother's mysterious secret.

And that's before the murders begin.

If your idea of a great cozy mystery involves lyrical prose and witty repartee, this is not the book for you. The writing is competent but not the best thing about the book. However, there is a complex story, likable characters, and plenty of action from start to finish.

An enjoyable read with lots of interesting culinary details and a couple of recipes to boot.

Another enjoyable iteration of the Cook-Off Mystery series! While Sherry doesn't always feel like the most dynamic of lead characters, her colorful family and friends (plus the in-person introduction of her brother!) more than made up for that. Lots of tasty food intermixed--another cook-off in the bag!

Sherry Oliveri is cooking up a storm in this next installment of this fun series.
Once again she becomes involved in a murder investigation and keeps asking questions until she finds the answers.

When a cooking competition is in her backyard, Sherry Oliveri is the hometown favorite to win. Making the event even sweeter is having her baby brother Pep home to act as her sous chef for the event. When her top competitor is murdered and Pep is a suspect, Sherry needs to put her sleuthing cap on as well as that of chef and ruggery employee. While Pep had a verbal altercation with the victim and has been acting suspicious during his visit, Sherry knows her brother isn’t a murderer and needs to clear yet another Oliveri’s name. Now Sherry has to withstand the heat and hope she won’t end up being burned by the murderer while attempting to clear her brother’s name.

Lot’s of surprises in this fourth entry and some are quite pleasant. While I didn’t really clique with the character in the previous book, which is the first I read in this series, I seem to have come full circle and enjoyed this entry. Looking forward to trying the recipes and the next entry in the Cook-off series.