I love reading books like this, and the story was well written. It wasn’t too serious and that’s what made me want to continue reading it. Love the fun and mystery of the main character. Looking forward to the next instalment.

This was an interesting hobby the heroine had - making homemade bitters for drinks. It sounds like this is a lost art because I never knew this was even a thing.

I enjoyed the heroine and her friends and new love interest. I would like to have seen more of her mom. Hopefully her mom will get a little more time in a sequel.

There was only couple things I would have changed. The opening was very abrupt and slow. My attention was not grabbed and I felt I needed to force myself to keep going. I am glad I did because it was a satisfying conclusion. My only other comment and I actually struggled if I should say anything or not be decided I would as this is a feedback that is asked for is I would be careful on social activism zingers. It is very sensitive topic in this day and age. People read cozies to escape news and get away from it all. There was a line or two that added nothing to the story. That is ultimately the goal of a book is everything should be written in advancement of the story and nothing else.

I enjoyed reading the book and was very surprised at the end on ‘who did it’ and gave 4 star review. 😊

This is honest review on ARC I received from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC.

I didn’t connect with the story or the main character. The story was too descriptive in places and I had to skip to finish the story. This is a miss for me.

In a Dash of Death, the main character finds herself a murder suspect after her involvement at a community event. What starts as a way to get her mind off of some personal challenges ends up as a potential life-ruining accusation. Her only option is to try and find who the real killer is...

A Dash of Death is a fun cozy mystery that features a main character that is passionate but also fallible. She tries her best to help others and yet is challenged when she needs to rely on herself and her instincts. The story leads to many possible directions and guesses as to who did it. I always prefer it if it's a bit muddy and not easily figured out.

With that said, I found some sections to be a bit slow as we worked through the main character's troubles. While I understand that she is supposed to be an investigative journalist, I also found myself frustrated with her as she continually refused to listen to the advice of anyone around her (lawyer, friends, police....). It's one thing to grow and learn to follow your instincts, it's another to ignore your safety.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and was eager to find the solution.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. #netgalley
Awesome cozy mystery with a new to me author and an awesome setting.

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Author Michelle Hillen Klump for this ARC.

Samantha is implicated in a murder. She, however, did not do it and therefore must clear her name, putting her on a hunt for the real killer.

The story was both fast-paced and very cozy. You'll need a snack to read this one with so many descriptions of delicious food (the recipes are included at the end). There were so many believable red herrings that I kept switching who I thought did it which kept me glued to the story.

A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump was a dash of pure perfection! This delightful mystery was shaken not stirred to create a frothy, colorful combination set in Houston! Samatha is a freelance reporter who dabbles in mixology and making her own bitters. When someone is found poisoned after drinking her cocktails Samantha has to draw on her investigative skills to clear her own name.

I absolutely adored this book! Samantha was fun and this felt like the new type of cozy mystery with a younger protagonist that I’ve been seeing more of lately! I can’t wait to see what’s next for this series and Samantha!

A dash of death is a unique mystery, Samantha Warren, the protagonist is a journalist and makes bitters as a hobby. Her fiancé stood her up just before the wedding and she has many, many bottles of bitters that were to be favors for the wedding guests. Friends convince her to serve and sell them at a historical home tour in Houston which she does. But a guest is poisoned and she is under suspicion and must clear herself.
At the beginning of the book, she is devastated and downtrodden by her circumstances but this is no woman who will take to the fainting couch she takes her future into her own hands and sets out to unravel the clues and catch the murderer.
There are a lot of twists and turns as various suspects emerge and must be proven or eliminated. And Samantha successfully searches through clues and doggedly tracks suspects.
The book is interesting and well written at times very suspenseful and always captivating. I enjoyed the story. I would love to try a cocktail made with Samantha’s bitters.

A Dash of Death, A Cocktails And Catering Mystery by M.H. Klump, published by Crooked Lane Books, is a small town mystery, a stand-alone, set in Texas.
Samantha Warren just lost her job as reporter as well as her fiancé in one go. Wanting to become a mixologist she finds herself in a murder case investigation.
This fast paced read is well written, kept me in suspense from start till the last page, let me connect with the characters. A great read, 4,5 stars.
Bonus are the recipes included at the end of the book. Loved them.

I didn't read the whole story because there were constant omissions of letters in words within the book. If this were not a fact, I feel that I would have read the entire book. In future books by the author hopefully this mistake will not be repeated.

reporter, Texas, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, lawyers, cozy-mystery, friendship, family****

Interesting characters. Samantha is a reporter who gets dumped just before the wedding and is a mess, but her friends help her out with a new financial plan. Unfortunately that meant tending bar at a charity event where a man was poisoned. The guy's wife was in the middle of a nasty divorce but chooses to file a civil suit against Samantha even before the police have named a chief suspect or arrested anyone. Things get even crazier from then on! Interesting plot and well defined characters. A good read.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.

This was a fun cozy mystery that had me guessing who the culprit was and changing my mind throughout. In the midst of her personal life falling apart, Samantha is implicated in a murder, so she strives to clear her name by uncovering the truth. Lots of red herrings interspersed with nice descriptions of food and drink preparations and interesting history about real estate development in Texas. I struggled with feeling an emotional connection to the main character and was repeatedly frustrated by her decisions, but I suppose if she turned over evidence to the authorities and waited it wouldn’t be a very entertaining story. Overall, a fast paced read that will appeal to cozy mystery fans. As an extra treat, at the end of the book some recipes from the book are included!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review - A Dash of Death

This book tells the story of Samantha Warren, a Texan woman whose life just hit a new low: she lost her job as a reporter, her fiancé dumped her, her wedding was canceled, she gave up on her dream house and she ended up intertwined in a murder case. Sam gets caught up in this legal disaster after being sued by the ex-wife of the victim, Mark Brantwell, a member of the city's Historical Commission, for wrongful death, as she was the one mixing the drinks at the event where Mark was poisoned.
After the lawsuit goes public, Sam takes to her hands the matter of finding the real murderer before her reputation is ruined beyond repair, that was one of the best twists to a very common plot in mysteries, where a random reporter is digging around a murder case to get the best story possible. Here, Samantha feels like she has to proceed with her own investigation, as the way the case has unfolded is negatively affecting her life. Along with the investigation, we follow her journey trying to get over the recent breakup, build up her confidence in herself and learn to trust her instincts, as well as her beautiful friendship with Marissa, Sam's best friend, and her girlfriend, Beth who are always trying to support and look after her. There was a nice balance between the mystery bit of the story and Sam's personal life, which helped me feel a connection with her and root for her even more, not only legally, but also on the romantic aspect of her life, that is explored during the story.
The book was interesting from beginning to end, I loved the fact that the story really begins in the first few chapters, and there were absolutely no boring chapters, there was always something happening, always something dragging me to read a bit more, another thing I really enjoyed was the size of the chapthers, they which were not very long. The last 60 pages were mind-blowing and I could not put the book down until I found out exactly what had happened, the ending was not predictable at all and I really enjoyed the book.

Sadly, I just could not connect with this one at all. It all just felt a little implausible. I found myself skipping to just try and follow the overall story and then I stopped. Quite unusual for me.

I don't think it helped me that so many words were incomplete. It certainly didn't help that I was trying to make out what the correct word would be, and then confirm it. It became quite tiresome.

I really hope other readers have a much better experience.

With thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Publishers and the author for my Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the storyline, I found it a fun mystery however there are alot of missing and unfinished words, thankfully it was a good storyline so it was easy to make up words but it will need to be checked before publication.

A first in the series was okay. Samantha Warren, former journalist, turns mixologist is the main character. She is easy to like, fast paced mystery and good plot.
As ARC you always expect the writing not to be perfect. This one however was one of the worst with letters and words missing.
#ADashofDeath #NetGalley

This was a debut book in a new series. It was a average cozy mystery. I did find it difficult at times to read as some letters were left off of some of the words and I would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what the word was supposed to be.

Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books.

I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Warren life is falling apart losing her reporter job and her fiancée right after each other. She decides to use her homemade lemonade bitters that she had planned as weddings gifts to her bridal party as a launch a new career as a mixologist.

Serving her bitters at the local historical home council, a guest will fall dead poisoned by oleander. Samantha will have to use her reporter knowledge to hunt for the killer as she looks for a killer.

A quick paced read that flows.

A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump is a great cozy mystery that is the first in an awesome new series: a Cocktails and Catering Mystery.

This is a great way to start off a new series. I enjoyed the murder/mystery plot. It was complex, but yet not too convoluted. There were plenty of potential suspects that helped shroud the culprit.

I really liked Samantha (Sam) and her experience as a reporter as well as her current gig as a mixologist, is an interesting combo that opens up a lot of opportunities for situations and different groups of people that can be included into a vast array of narratives.

I liked the Texan feel and the southwestern charm infused throughout the book. I think this really has potential, and am looking forward to seeing where this goes.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Crooked Lane Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Didn't quite come off I feel. Partly because a lot of the words had either missing letters or part of the word missing which made it very hard to read. This really detracted from the flow of reading. That coupled with oft repeated phrases. The characters were all a bit too shallow and the plot rather flimsy. It might work better as an American TV programme.
The recipes at the end are a great idea however if you are not in the USA you will need to Google amounts as they are all in cups. You will also need to Google what is meant by certain terms like "Italian shredded cheese"?? There are many Italian cheeses that could potentially be shredded (grated???) and also what you could use as substitutes for "Italian seasoning" "Lasagne noodles". (I'm guessing lasagne sheets ) The book instructs you to follow the recipes to the letter but this is quite hard when you have no idea what some things are.
Good idea that fell a bit flat