A great holiday themed cozy! I really love the characters and seeing what the crew at the Kabab Kitchen is up to. Some LOL moments since Lucy is a fun gal and some twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end! I really enjoy this series!

The Kebab Kitchen, in the form of Lucy, is taking part in the Polar Bear Plunge for charity (this year it is the Senior Centre) and she has roped her best friend Katie in to do it as well.  Before all that takes place Katie drags Lucy off to look at a potential wedding venue (okay Katie is also trying to find somewhere in a hurry for the Township employee's Christmas party as the previous venue closed without notice!), the Sea View seems fantastic, until they meet one of the owners, who is pompous, money grasping and just down right unpleasant! Even so everyone is shocked when Deacon Spooner ends up dead after the Polar Bear plunge and when it transpires he was killed and a local baker is arrested, Lucy and Katie put their virtual deerstalkers on and start to track down a killer.

Polar Bear plunges are popular even in my part of the country, so this caught my eye as a great event to set up a possible crime. Lucy's connection to the floating corpse become clear rather quickly, and she has a lot on her hands to figure this out. Great characters and mystery!

This is the fifth book in the series and the first that I have read. I had no trouble reading it as a standalone because the author did a great job recapping the series. I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters likable and the mystery was well written. I'm going back to read the previous books in the series.

This is such a fun series, and I had a great time with this cozy mystery. I loved the plot, the twists and turns, and the characters! Kashian knows how to write a fun cozy, and I will definitely recommend this book to other cozy fans.

I love this series and a book set during Christmas hit the spot. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes great characters and clever plot twists

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder

by Tina Kashian

As usual, even though this is the fifth book in the Kitchen Kebab Series, author Tina Kashian does a brilliant job of bringing the reader up to date on the characters in the series at the same time that they are taking the Polar Bear Plunge in the little New Jersey town of Ocean Crest. The title of the book, Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder, encapsulates the plot—but in reverse order. The frigid swim Lucy Barbarian and her sidekick Katie Watson undertake for charity results, unfortunately, in a drowning, but not one of accidental causes. This death (MURDER) and Lucy’s investigation to clear her friend Susan, a local baker, takes top billing in the story. Mediterranean cuisine (MOUSSAKA) comes in second as Lucy manages her parents’ restaurant; the book features enticing descriptions of food. Romance is also in the air (MISTLETOE) as Lucy plans her wedding to head chef Azad.

This cozy mystery will have you turning pages quickly as Lucy discovers that everyone who had opportunity to commit this crime also had motive. Secrets abound. Some of Lucy’s inquiries edge along dangerous lines, and the local detective discourages her “interference.” Gadoo, Lucy’s adopted cat, and Cupid, her landlady’s shih tzu, learn to tolerate each other, and Gadoo has an exciting major role in this book.

The setting is an ocean beach town that depends for its economic survival on three months of summer tourist trade. This book, however, has a cold Christmas backdrop with a nice mix of mystery and holiday fun.

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

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #5 in the Kitchen Kebab Mystery Series, but works quite well as a standalone.
2. A recipe section is included with 4 recipes ranging from easy to more complicated.
3. There was a small scene where a character did a coffee reading similar to someone telling the future from tea leaves. I do not read books with a paranormal focus, but this coffee reading was an extremely minor part of the book and would not dissuade me from reading more in the series.


Publication: September 29, 2020—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

It was isolated in the evening, and a cold breeze blew from the ocean. A full moon hung like a Roman coin in the velvet sky and illuminated the ocean in an iridescent glow. The sounds of the waves were constant and calming.

The streetlamp cast long shadows on the snow-covered street. Coming from a cheerful and noisy crowd in the park, it was eerily quiet.

The mesmerizing pull of the ocean was Mother Nature’s way of clearing her thoughts.

The fifth book in the Kebab Kitchen series by Tina Kashian is Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder. Lucy is taking a morning off from Kebab Kitchen to take part in a Polar Bear Plunge along with many others from Ocean Crest. When a fellow polar bear is murdered, Lucy finds herself in the midst of another mystery. The problem this time is she is hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't want the man dead. This is another of my favorite series. This is a classic cozy with a fun female lead, mystery, and just a hint of romance. It is a good, relaxing read.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Anyone who does one of those Polar Bear dives has to be a bit crazy. Lucy and Kate join many others in town for the frosty dip but it proves to be fatal to one participant. It was not the cold that got him, It was murder. There were lots of possible suspects but Lucy’s friend becomes the main one. The deceased not only smeared her reputation as a baker but threatened to do worse.

Amidst all the preparations for the holiday season, including a big gathering at the family restaurant, plus planning for Lucy’s upcoming nuptials, Lucy and Kate investigate to find the real culprit, much to the chagrin of Kate’s detective husband. Lucy’s Azad is surprisingly supportive as is her kitty, Gadoo. In fact, Gadoo turns out to be the hero.

I have enjoyed this series a lot. I have become invested with the characters and revelled in the development of their relationships. Lucy is a very cool heroine who is smart enough not to go looking for danger but still finds it. That can be a tough balance for an author and not all of them succeed. This one does. It also happens to be a good mystery although I did have my suspicions about the killer but for entirely different reasons. It held my attention from beginning to end.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder: A Kebab Kitchen Mystery
By Tina Kashian
Kensington
November 2020

Review by Cynthia Chow


Lucy Berberian and Katie Watson are best friends. It would take a best friend to get them both agreeing to run into 40 degree water for a charity Polar Bear Plunge into the ocean, where they are joined by many of the business owners in Ocean Crest, New Jersey. It’s a generous act that also gives Lucy a distraction from planning her upcoming wedding to Azad Zakarian, head chef at her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. That Azad is her parents’ dream fiancé for their daughter is as much a detraction as it is an asset, especially in light that as the manager Lucy will continue to work side-by-side with her future husband. Her mother’s success as a matchmaker continues with baker Susan Cutie and Jake Burns, but Deacon Spooner seems intent on destroying all of their planned dreams. Not only does Deacon’s outrageous pricing put a kabosh on Lucy’s hopes for a wedding reception at his Sea View historical estate, his drowning during the Polar Bear Plunge places Susan high on the suspect list as his murderer. Deacon’s lies about a ruined wedding ca jeopardized Cutie’s Cupcakes reputation and future, and Susan’s own threats back make hothead focus of the investigating detectives.

Infuriated that so many other suspects may be ignored in place of an easy arrest, Lucy quickly begins tracking down the many bridezillas and businesses with reasons to have wanted Deacon dead. Azad and her friends patiently accompany and often enable Lucy’s investigations as they manage to incorporate them into actual wedding planning. What is as alarming to Lucy as a roaming murderer are her worries about her marriage to Azad and fears that they could become her parents. A lifetime of living and working together has the senior Berberians seeming to love fighting as much as they do making up afterwards, and that’s the last thing Lucy wants for her life.

Author Tina Kashian makes this Christmas-themed must a standout by adding a Mediterranean twist to the traditional holiday delights. Lucy’s Armenian-Lebanese-Greek background and lack of general cooking skills have her learning family recipes from her mother, and readers will be able to enjoy not just the step-by-step descriptions but recipes of moussaka and pilaf at the end. Family is everything for the Kebab Kitchen restaurant, and especially during the holidays they stand by another and support their endeavors. Drug dealers in high schools, bridezillas, and wedding dress shopping all threaten to put an early end to Lucy’s Christmas, but stubbornly supportive friends and family will save her from becoming a Grinch. While Lucy may nearly stumble her way to a confrontation with the real killer, one never doubts her determination or loyalty. Christmas cooking, wedding planning, and the Berberian family escapades guarantees a delightfully fun holiday read.

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder is everything a good cozy mystery should be with a dash of romance. This is the first book that I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. The characters are likable, the mystery is well written, and the romantic element wasn't too much.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written Christmas-themed cozy to read during this holiday season.

Thanks to #netgalley and #TinaKashian for the advanced reading copy.

A man dies in this New Jersey shore town's annual Polar Bear Plunge. Lucy, who manages her family's Mediterranean restaurant, and her best friend set out to investigate the death, hoping to clear a friend. I particularly enjoy the characters in this series, as they each have their own unique traits. It's also fun to have the food aspect included. Looking forward to the next one!

Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder is the fifth title in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. Although I have not read the previous stories in this series (I will be going back for them in the near future) I wasn’t lost in this story and anything that I really needed to know from the previous events could be found in the narrative or the dialogue. I wasn’t lost but I do wish I’d found the time to get caught up first… time, never enough of it.

Lucy and her best friend, Katie are deep in wedding plans (at least, Katie is) and getting ready for the annual Polar Bear Plunge, the proceeds of which will benefit the work needed at the local senior center. It’s all in fun, freezing, and a good cause… until a very nasty, disliked, and rude man apparently drowns during the event. But it’s soon obvious that this was no accident and another of Lucy’s friends is the prime suspect. There is no way that Lucy believes for one minute that her friend did this, so it’s time to dust off the investigative skills and track down a killer.

I had fun with Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder even though I was catching up on some background that should have been familiar. Still, I got to experience Lucy’s family who originally ran the restaurant and still works there, her adorable soon-to-be husband, and even a flirtatious landlady who has her eye on Lucy’s man… in a totally flirty, not home-wrecking way. And food. I swear I gained 5 pounds just reading this book because, of course, I got the munchies for some moussaka myself. I had a couple of strong suspects, but I rarely read a Cozy Mystery to be the first to point out the killer, I enjoy the lead up to the reveal and the background story perhaps even more than solving the murder. This story kept me on my toes while enjoying an adorable cast of characters (for the most part). I will definitely be going back to the beginning in 2021. If you love a good Cozy Mystery with food, friends, and an enjoyable experience, then you’ll want to check this one out soon.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

It’s wintertime in Ocean Crest, New Jersey, and our heroine Lucy Berberian is trying to persuade her best friend, Katie Watson, to join her in jumping into the Atlantic Ocean for a Polar Bear Plunge to benefit the town’s senior center. Most of the town’s businesses are sending a representative, and Lucy is carrying the flag for Kebab Kitchen, her family’s restaurant. Katie would much rather spend her time planning Lucy’s wedding, but since Lucy and her fiance, Kebab Kitchen’s head chef Azad Zakarian, haven’t yet set a date, she reluctantly allows Lucy to cash in some best friend points in order to get her to go along.

As if plunging into the freezing cold ocean isn’t tumult enough, Lucy, Katie and the other polar bears are shocked when one of their own dies in the water. At first, everyone assumes that Deacon Spooner, the unpopular owner of a reception hall Lucy and Katie had recently visited while scouting potential sites for the wedding, had had a heart attack. But fresh bruising around his neck and shoulders indicates that someone had deliberately held him down in the water to drown.

Local bakery owner Susan Cutie immediately comes under suspicion, in large part because she’d been overheard saying she wanted to drown Deacon just minutes before the starting whistle. When the cops come calling, she enlists Lucy’s aid, and not just because her friend used to be a lawyer before returning to their seaside town. Lucy has had some success bringing murderers to justice, and Susan knows Lucy is the best shot she has at clearing her name. But Susan has secrets she’s not willing to share. Even though Lucy uncovers plenty of other people who might have wanted Deacon dead, Susan’s secrets may prove her own undoing.

As always, Tina Kashian knows how to write a solid mystery, delivering yet another in her fifth Kebab Kitchen mystery. It was also diverting to follow along as Lucy sought to balance her concern for her friend with her own understandable preoccupation with the business of being engaged. Ms Kashian explores the many complicated emotions Lucy has about her family’s expectations and her possible future with Azad, and how her guilt at not being able to quickly figure out Deacon’s killer gets in the way of her ability to truly relish not only her engagement period but also the holiday season.

There were four delicious-sounding recipes included here, and since I’ve always wanted to try making it, I decided to try out the one for the titular dish:

QUOTE
Azad’s Moussaka

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large finely chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
4 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup red wine
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggplants
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ pound butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 quart full-fat milk
4 beaten eggs teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 ½ cup fine bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions until they turn transparent. Add the ground meat and cook until fully cooked. Transfer the meat to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain off any excess fat. Return meat to the pan and heat. Add the tomato paste, wine, parsley, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut unpeeled eggplants into ½-inch-thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and let them sit for five minutes. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a separate skillet. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until they are golden brown on both sides. Set eggplant slices aside on sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. In a separate saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and add it gradually to the butter-flour mixture. Whisk constantly. When the mixture is thickened and smooth, remove it from the heat. In a bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, nutmeg, and ricotta cheese. Add it to the bechamel sauce and whisk until smooth.

Spray an 11-x-16 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Layer half the eggplant in pan, then add half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the rest of the eggplant and then the meat sauce. Pour the bechamel sauce on top.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly. Allow it to cool for twenty minutes before serving.
END QUOTE

I’m so glad this was delicious, because it took me literally hours to make. The longest part of it was probably frying the sliced eggplants: I should have done that in two pans at once in order to save some time. Since the recipe wasn’t totally clear about the amount of nutmeg to use, I decided on the same amount as for the cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon. This does wind up making a party-sized amount of moussaka, so we had a lot of yummy leftovers even after sending a nice portion over to neighbours. It reheats well, with my husband calling the reheated portions “meat brownies” for their dense, savoury richness.

Next week, we make an amazing (and easy!) seasonal treat while sleuthing in my home state. Do join me!

I enjoy this series. This is book 5 in the Kebab Kitchen series and it's winter at the Jersey shore. Lucy takes time from planning her wedding to participate in the Polar Plunge to raise money for the local senior series. With both Lucy and her fiance' Azad chefs in the family restaurant the books revolve around food. The included recipes are easy to follow and delicious. All the friends are back in their re-occuring roles this is a nice Christmas read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Great read by a new author for me. Loved the title of the book The plot is well written and enticing to the reader. The author writes in a way that makes the reader feel like part of The story.

Why yes, I did read book 5 of this cozy mystery series before I read any of the previous books! Did it stop me from understanding what was going on? No! Did I still enjoy book 5 without having read 1-4? Why yes I did.

I am not much of a cozy mystery reader these days. Yes, I did go through a big Agatha Christie phase in junior high and early high school. But, I can probably count the cozy mysteries I've read on 2 hands. So, what made me pick up this one? Um, I like Moussaka!

So, this book is set in the town of Ocean Crest on the Jersey Shore. Lucy Berberian is the manager of her family's restaurant Kebab Kitchen. She and her best friend Katie sign up for the town's Polar Bear Plunge. The thing is, a local venue owner, is found drowned after the Plunge. The police determine that it was a murder but no one saw who did it. Lucy dusts off her amateur sleuthing skills and starts poking around town to figure out who the culprit is. It turns out a lot of people had an axe to grind with the dead man.

This was a fun read set just before Christmas so it checks a few boxes: holiday read, beach setting, food (!!!), and stress-free read. The scenes set at Kebab Kitchen made me want to go out and get some Mediterranean food. Lucy was a likable character and the town seemed like a sweet place. I may try to get my hands on some other books in this series.

For me, each new book in the Kebab Kitchen Mysteries is better than the one before. MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER is no different. Author Tina Kashian writes these characters so well, I feel like I'm with family while I read. WIth a great mystery that had me stumped until the reveal, this Christmas cozy checked off everything on my list!

Planning a wedding provide excuses for Lucy and Katie to investigate Deacon's death, only they keep identifying more people with a motive, and all were doing the Polar Bear Plunge. And there is the fast approaching holiday and the wedding date to be set. Lucy and Katie have a great friendship and neither of them believe the prime suspect is the real killer. In between Lucy's work at the Kebab Kitchen, continuing romance with Chef Azad, and avoiding her mother, Lucy and Katie annoy the detective and catch the killer. The pace is good, the characters are likable, and there are plenty of false leads, twists, and turns, and surprises. This is the fifth in the series and easily read as a stand-alone mystery. An enjoyable cozy mystery and don't forget the recipes!

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

Lucy is one of those characters that you either like or you don't like her at all. When I first started reading this series, she wasn't my favorite. However, in Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder it would be difficult for readers not to like and enjoy getting to know Lucy. With this Christmas addition to the culinary based series, readers will cement their friendship with Lucy and the other cast members.

Christmas in Ocean Crest is cold, snowy, and fun. Between cooking delicious meals, participating in local holiday events, and planning her upcoming nuptials, Lucy has her hands full. But when she takes part in the holiday polar bear plunge and finds a body floating in the surf, she adds a murder investigation to her list of things to do. Food brings people together, and Lucy's culinary skills are improving tremendously, so it doesn't take long to hear on the grapevine that a few too many people disliked the victim.

Suspects come out of the corners, and some seem to have great motives for wanting the victim dead, including a disgruntled former bride, a business partner, and several business people. Twists have more than one meaning in this sometimes bazaar Christmas story, but they all move the story towards its ultimate end. The killer could be a surprise to many but not everyone. I enjoyed the way the author mixed in all of the action, wedding planning Lucy wasn't really into, and family issues such as her parent's constant bickering and the cooking. All of this combined to make Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder, a fun, easy read, with new recipes to delight culinary fans for the Christmas holidays.