This solid mystery kicks off new cozy series. Please see my review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

A solid first book in a new cozy series. The writing flowed well and the author made the lake-side, small town setting a feature. Has many of the elements of the trendy cozy that sometimes worked but sometimes felt like a checklist: a curvy, a-type heroine who dwells on her figure and her inexperience in detecting a crime that she must solve with her newly formed restaurant team. An old and new love interest, one of whom is the lead police detective. A beloved family member in peril. A cute cat and a bestie with flair. And a complete recipe recap of the food mentioned in the book. Looking forward to the next one to follow up on the characterization. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Six Feet Deep Dish is the debut cozy mystery by Mindy Quigley. This was an enjoyable book with a lot of descriptions but the characters are likable and the mystery was good. Delilah (Del) and her fiance Sam are opening a pizza restaurant. They get in a fight on opening night and break up which causes problems because Sam financed it all. Dell's Auntie Biz's health isn't good and her caretaker Jeremy brings her to the opening. He takes her outside for some fresh air but he ends up dead and Biz doesn't remember anything. Del, her best friend Sonya and her 3 employees work together to clear Biz. The Detective on the case is Calvin Capone, a distant relative to the gangster Al Capone. It was interesting to have more background on him. The cozy mystery is good and just when you think you are at the end of the book, there is a twist to keep it interesting. Overall it was an enjoyable book with great characters. #NetGalley #SixFeetDeepDish #StMartinsPress

I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Paperbacks, in return for an honest review. As the first book in a new series, there are things to recommend. The protagonist opens her own Chicago-style pizzeria in the small town that allows her to be close to her only living relative who is rapidly declining in health. That being said, Delilah is totally focused on opening the new restaurant and not much on her aunt or, actually, Delilah’s fiancée who bankrolled the whole enterprise. When the book opens with their major split up and accusations of emotional distance on both sides, neither character actually seems very appealing. On the plus side, Aunt Biz sounds fun; Butterball the cat is a definite plus and Delilah has friends who love her in spite of her tendencies for over-perfection. The series has potential and, hopefully, Delilah will appreciate more those around her (ala ‘no (wo)man is an island).

Delilah O'Leary's having a soft opening night for her pizzeria. Unfortunately, it begins with an argument with her fiancé followed by a murder. Her Aunt Biz is found with her dead care assistant Jeremy while holding the murder weapon which belongs to her. Delilah sets out to discover more about Jeremy and who would want to kill him. In addition, as her fiancé who was financing the restaurant has taken off, she must find a way to pay her staff and vendors' bills. She has to work fast or her restaurant may not survive. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's for a copy.
#St Martin's

This new cozy series set in the resort town of Geneva Bay Wisconsin was a delicious read. Delilah is opening her upscale pizzeria, but the night just goes from bad to worse. First her fiancee dumps her and then she finds a dead body with her aunt Biv holding the murder weapon, Delilah need to get the murder solved to clear her aunt and make sure her new restaurant is effected. The story features a police detective named Calvin Capone who is the great grandson of Al Capone. Delilah is a loyal friend as well as type A personality, so she is quickly deep into the investigation to solve the murder.

I really liked Delilah's friends and the food descriptions were amazing. Yum. This is a great start to the series. I am looking forward to the next one.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martins Paperbacks for the eArc. This is my honest review.

Six Feet Deep Dish is cozy mystery that serves up suspense, action and humor with a heaping portion of deep dish pizza. This cozy mystery has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while the characters feel relatable, if not always likable. Set on a lake in Wisconsin, the story features a glimpse into the behind the scenes goings on in the restaurant world, a well fed cat, Butterball and even some delicious looking recipes at the end.

Occasionally, there was a sprinkling of social commentary that did not flow well with the story line and felt a little awkwardly placed. I did find that there were a lot of character to keep up with and I would have loved to see the romantic relationships develop a little more. With this being the first in a new series, I can hope that there is more of that to come.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this since it was a bit more in depth than some cozy mystery series. It kept me guessing up until the end!

Almost put this one down. Delilah comes across initially as way too unlikeable and I didn't like the scenes with her and Sam. That ended fairly soon and the storyline improved for me.

This was more midway between OK and like (3 1/2 stars). Good enough for me to give the next one a go.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley. When the story starts with Delilah opening her pizza restaurant, too many characters are introduced at one time. But when you finally figure out who’s who, it gets better. It picks up a faster pace and holds your attention until you find out who did the dirty deed and why.

All words and opinions are my own. I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: fatphobia (excessive), murder, mention of cancer

I was so excited for this book when it came to my attention, because I'm always down for a good cozy mystery, and this one incorporates one of my favorites foods - pizza! However, the story fell far short of the mark for me, with a plot that didn’t really grip me, characters that were impossible to connect to, and a story that had bigger issues than the murder our MC (and the police) were trying to solve.

Unfortunately, it incorporates a ton of fatphobia throughout the story, which made it really difficult to connect to the MC. You know those books that feature women written by men who clearly have no concept of how women actually think or function? Yeah, this was exactly like that, except it was a plus-size character written by a thin person who has no idea about how plus-size people live or think. There's near-constant references to her weight, other people's weight, the eating habits of our MC and others, and the standout "typical lunch" which included two shots of espresso, "a chocolate chip muffin, a turkey club, and a slice of quiche Lorraine. I had a lot of thinking to do, and ... I wanted to do it on a full stomach..." Seriously?

While there was plenty of diversity in the characters, it felt like the author was running through a diversity checklist, so everyone wound up being more like caricatures instead of genuine people. Rather than making the characters feel genuine and inclusive, we wound up with a collection of stereotypes, including:

The hot, ex-military Puerto Rican hunk, working as a bartender and sending all his money home to his family, struggling to survive in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Highlights include him throwing out Spanish phrases at every opportunity for no apparent reason, then having to translate them because no one understands them.
The lesbian, Jewish chef who comes from a literal dynasty of lawyers, but she can't turn to her rich family to bail her out because she decided to go her own way and not be a lawyer.
The overachieving Asian entrepreneur who is excessively focused on status and luxury items, but doesn't have much of a personality aside from this and her beautiful looks. Oh, and she's also super skinny. Of course.
Can't forget about the old, doddering, disabled aunt who can't do anything for herself because she's old and disabled, so they just kind of push her off on someone else to take care of. She isn't given any agency, and neither are the other older people in the story, because who cares about old people, right? They're all just nosy and annoying and meddling, or super sweet and corny, apparently.

As I got deeper into the story, there were inconsistencies that could have been easily solved by simple research or speaking to someone with any experience in mental health or the medical field. The author demonstrated absolutely zero understanding of physical dependence, withdrawal, or how detoxification from substances works, and that is a significant part of the story, so as someone who has worked in that field, I really just found it laughable at how it was handled. As far as Delilah's "detective work," she didn't actually DO any, she just kind of stumbled over everything while repeatedly dreaming about Detective Capone's "pillowy lips," which is a phrase I could absolutely do without seeing ever again in my life.

Finally, one of my favorite parts of cozy mysteries comes at the end - the recipes! I was thrilled to see that there was a deep dish recipe included at the end. As a New Yorker, I totally understand that in Chicago-style deep dish pizza, they put the sauce on top of the toppings. Which I feel is weird, but I'm fully prepared to accept as a location based difference. However, this was included IN THE RECIPE:

"Deep-dish pizza goes cheese, then toppings, THEN sauce. If you do it the other way around, you're not making deep-dish pizza. You're making hot garbage and you have only yourself to blame."

I wasn't prepared to see a personal preference described as "hot garbage" when literally everywhere other than Chicago puts the sauce under the toppings, because duh, toppings are called toppings because THEY GO ON TOP. My opinion? This book and the note at the end of the recipe are hot garbage, and the author only has herself to blame.

This was a pure joy to read. Quigley has written a tough but loveable character in Delilah and has created a diverse group of friends and family to support her. Oh and then there’s the ultimate heart and scene stealer, Butterball the cat. Plus Quigley deftly balances the mystery plot to keep you wondering right up until the end. And, I will admit I’ve never had deep dish pizza but if its tastes as good as it’s described no wonder it’s such a sensation. Be warned you will want to try the recipes pronto! This is the first book in the Deep Dish Mystery series and can’t wait to read more in this delicious series.

This is an amazing first book in a new series! The author hits it out of the park right away. There’s a eclectic cast of supporting characters, especially Delilah’s spitfire Auntie Biz. I love that her friends want in on the sleuthing. Delilah herself is a tad hot headed & that gets her into some predicaments but being so tenacious is also good for her business. She feels like a real person, flawed, which makes her very relatable. Some authors writing is so smooth & well paced that you find yourself ripping through their book. Quigley is one of those authors! This is a really creative & fun start to a series, I’m looking forward to more.

Warning it will make you hungry! There’s many delicious sounding recipes.

📖My Thoughts📖

Do not, I repeat, do not dive into this delectable treat on an empty stomach! This is the very first book in the series and it starts off with a bang! There’s some great characters in the book, including a detective stemming from the family tree of none other than Al Capone, a very smart, sassy independent chef named Delilah, a spitfire aunt named Biz, and let’s not forget the lovable cat named Butterball! This was such a fun book to read. There’s romance, murder and food, lots of food. Within minutes of starting this book, I was sucked in. What a fun and entertaining book to read! I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series! It’s off to a great start! Don’t forget to check the end of the book for some mouth watering recipes!
Thank you Netgalley, Mindy Quigley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. Mark your calendar’s! You’ll want to add this to your cozy mystery library! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six Feet Deep Dish is a wonderful start to this debut series. and new to me author. At the soft opening of Delilah O'Leary's new gourmet pizza restaurant. she breaks up with her rich fiancee who financed the restaurant. and then finds her elderly aunt's caregiver's body, and her aunt sitting in her wheelchair holding a gun. To clear her aunt's name. and get her restaurant open so she can pay her crew, Delilah. with a little help from her restaurant crew, investigate to find the killer. The handsome detective on the case is not happy with her interference, especially as she often questions the suspects before him. This was a good mystery. Plenty of red herrings which kept me guessing til the very end. I loved the characters, especially Delilah, her spunky aunt, and the antics of her chubby cat. aptly named Butterball. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy.

Highly enjoyed this one! Cat, pizza and murder all three of my favorite things! Awesome descriptions of the food made me hungry! Great characters especially Butterball. Will be looking forward to more from this new to me author! Thanks #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A pizza restaurant with an upscale twist in the resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, a chef whose main concern has been the menu, not murder, a group of quirky and lovable supporting characters, a detective whose family tree includes Al Capone and a chubby, adorable cat named Butterball all make this a cozy mystery you'll love!

Delilah O' Leary, has all the cozy elements I love - she's independent, sassy, soft-hearted and determined to make it in the restaurant world. I liked that Delilah was in her late 30's and was not perfect. Through the book, she learns about herself and how to be an amateur sleuth which made her seem more "real". Of course, Butterball was quite a character! The descriptions of Geneva Bay, with its "millionaires row" of mansions and gorgeous scenery made the book even more enjoyable.

There's a bit of everything - mystery, humor, romance, friendship and a cast of characters you'll love meeting!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley was brilliant! This murder mystery was better than good pizza and I’m someone who would eat pizza for every meal! I’m sad it’s the first in the series because I’ll have a long time to wait for the next one.

What I loved
-A heroine, Delilah, who goes after her dream of owning a restaurant and doesn’t let something like a murder stand in her way
-Body positive best friend and a great supporting cast
-Cozy Midwest lake town setting and great kitchen descriptions
-An adorable chunky cat and an even cuter sounding non-chunky detective

Perfect for fans of Hannah Swenson and culinary cozy mysteries!

In Nine Feet Deep Dish, Mindy Quigley lays out the right amount of detail in the first chapter...a good number of characters...enough to keep you guessing,  a great sense of place, both the Chicago themed pizza restaurant and the beautiful lakeside community. Just like a great pizza sauce, this story is a perfect blend of cozy and mystery. You will breeze through the pages and land with a solid ending and find yourself craving the next book in the series.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for an advance copy of SixFeet Deep Dish in return of an honest review. It was a perfect way to pass the time in this hot, humid weather!

I loved it! Delilah is just about to open her new pizza restaurant when her fiance dumps her. And that's not all, a body is found and Delilah needs to help the investigation along in order to have a successful opening.

Ms Quigley writes an amazing mystery, keeping the pages turning til the last pages only to discover I never expected that to be the killer. Excellent first in the series, I look forward to more!