Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument. Then, Angela is found dead. Can Samantha help Patty and find the real culprit?
This was a good cozy mystery, although I felt a little disconnected. I remembered the main character yet didn't remember any of the other characters involved in this mystery. I became confused with the suspects, and I had problems telling them apart. Overall, I like the plot and hope to read more from this author soon. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy.

I started this book but could not finish it.


I received a complimentary copy of the book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The title for this cozy mystery was just so clever, that, paired with the lovely cover, I just had to request it.

Samantha, settling into her new career with mixing up delicious cocktails, is roped into a mystery when her mother’s friend is implicated in the death of a local socialite.

I think my absolute favorite part of this story was Samantha’s relationship with her mother. It was complicated and flawed and felt very real as they tried to work together to clear their friend’s name.

The mystery also kept me guessing, bringing up new suspects and clearing them. But the final reveal was very clever, and I had to go back and see the crumbs that were scattered throughout. And the recipes at the end all look delicious and I can’t wait to try them.

I’ll admit, I was a little put off when it comes out that our protagonist’s biggest emotional event that she’s dealing with is only due to some miscommunication soured me a little on the story. And that felt like it was resolved too easily, like it needed to be over with so we could have a love triangle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

Murder Served Neat is the second cozy mystery featuring plucky mixologist and amateur sleuth Samantha written by Michelle Hillen Klump. Released 21st Feb 2023 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a nice summer-themed small town cozy with a humorous, lightly sarcastic MC and well constructed mystery. The book is full of the quirky and appealing small-town characters, and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and complete. It works well enough as a standalone, but the returning characters do have some back history which is explained in the first book in the series.

This is the kind of cozy which has some recipes included at the back of the book, and the author and publisher have included one for glazed salmon, fig cake, and some mixed drinks. Throughout the book, the author has included lots of interesting info and factoids about mixing drinks, food and professional cooking.

Four stars. Interesting and engaging.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I am loving A Cocktails and Catering Mysteries and can't wait for the next book. I'm really liking the new character of Martin, my only problem is I like David too so it will be interesting to see how this will play out in the next book.

I also think this is an interesting twist on a cozy mystery, the way it centered around Samanthas passion for making drinks. I'm not really a drinker but I find it fascinating learning about bitters and how they are used in drinks.

The characters are well written and I can't wait to see how they develop in next installment in the series.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalleryfor the ARC

This was a great holiday cozy mystery. Lots of great characters and an interesting story line. Love the recipes for sweet treats. The writer keep it interesting and the reader wanting more. Looking forward to what next if there is more to this storyline

Murder Served Neat is the second book in Michelle Hillen Klump's Cocktails and Catering mysteries. This book picks up with protagonist Samantha Warren serving her specialty Sparkler cocktails at the local Independence Day festival being sponsored by the Highlands' German Lodge. When tensions between two factions of the lodge increase to the point that one of the most vocal supporters of the new tennis club is found dead, Samantha is quickly pulled in to the investigation when one of her mother's friends is identified as a prime suspect due to some public confrontations she had with the victim.

As this series is developing, the author is utilizing some unique venues and storylines to expose her readers to cultures and traditions that may be new to them while maintaining consistency with the characters and their backgrounds. Utilizing the conflicts that the victim has had within the community keeps the reader guessing throughout the multitude of twists and turns that the author takes on the journey to the solution of the mystery. I look forward to reading more books in this series to see where the author takes Samantha and friends in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Samantha is hired to provide the cocktails for a Fourth of July celebration. There is major drama regarding a tennis court at the private club. When the society queen bee Angela is murdered, the main suspect is Samantha's mother's best friend. Add in the fact that Samantha and Angela's son do not get along for some silly reason, and you have a book based solely on drama. The mystery was okay although Samantha is possibly the most careless cozy mystery heroine. I would love to see her mature for future books!

⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover on this one!

Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump is an entertaining cozy mystery novel that follows the story of Samantha Warren, a reporter-turned-mixologist who finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation. This time, her mother’s best friend has been accused of murder, and Samantha must clear her name by helping to solve the case.

Although this book was better than its predecessor, and it also had a well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing until the end, it still suffered from being too long-winded and unevenly paced. That said, Samantha was more likable this time around, and I enjoyed reading about her mixology skills. The addition of recipes at the end of each chapter is always an additional bonus.

Overall, Murder Served Neat is an enjoyable cozy mystery with interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns that unfortunately suffers from uneven pacing and could use a good edit.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Thank you NetGalley, Michelle Hillen Klump, and publishers for gifting me a copy of Murder served neat in return for my honest opinion.

3/5 stars

Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking. Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?

I am torn by this cozy. While I found some parts to be enjoyable and easy to read there were some moments that had me rolling my eyes. I need to say that I didn't read the first book in this series and maybe they went more in-depth for character development but I didn't feel like I connected or cared about the main character that much. It was well written but out of all the cozies I've read this wasn't my favorite. I did like learning about the different cocktails that were included in the book!

Murder Served Neat is the second A Cocktails and Catering Mysteries. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. Samantha is busy serving cocktails in this book. The Fourth of July event turned out to be a winner for Samantha and her foodie business partner. We get detailed descriptions on a variety of cocktails as well as information on bitters. This book is definitely for those who enjoy alcohol. I found the pacing to be uneven. The mystery portion was especially slow as well as the sections describing the details of the various alcoholic beverages. The mystery was straightforward. There is a nasty lady who ends up dead (it was obvious that she would be the victim), friend of the family who is the main suspect, our protagonist ends up investigating thanks to her mother (who, of course, has to help), and, let us not forget, the to stupid to live moment during the reveal. I am amazed that Samantha found time to investigate in between her many catering gigs. The police are present at the end when it is time to arrest the bad guy. Samantha’s mother is visiting town. She spends the majority of her time comforting Patty who the police’s main suspect. Patty’s son, Martin shows up much to Samantha’s chagrin. They had a falling out in college and Samantha has avoided him ever since (which is difficult since the two families frequently have get togethers). Samantha has two love interests in this story (I am not a fan of love triangles). I believe she is leaning one way over the other, but we will have to wait and see. There are recipes at the end for items mentioned in the book. Murder Served Neat is a light cozy mystery that focuses on cocktails and romance. Murder Served Neat is a cocktail cozy with creative cocktails, a dead diva, fireworks on the fourth, a family friend in a fix, and an executioner served up with a twist.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sam and Beth are working hard to build their catering and cocktail business and things are looking good as Sam’s cocktails are a hit at the German festival. But things take a sudden turn for the worst when her mother’s best friend is the prime suspect in the murder of one of the organizers of the event.

Lillian is determined to help Patty and enlists Sam’s help against Sam’s better judgement. She has even more reason to question her involvement when Patty’s son arrives. Martin and Sam have a long history and it did not end well. Can the two children of the best friends put their animosity aside and work together?

This is not Sam’s first murder and she is rightly nervous as the last one almost turned deadly. I like that she keeps that in mind as she investigates. It adds to the believability of the plot. Heroines who suffer from amnesia every murder and tempt fate are frustrating. The story was good but I would hate to see the livers of the characters if they are drinking cocktails every single day= no matter how yummy they may sound. Four purrs and two paws up.

Murder Served Neat Earns 5/5 Sparkler Shots … Entertaining & Clever Gem!

New to me, Michelle Hillen Klump’s second book in her Cocktails and Catering Mystery kept me engaged and entertained with a clever murder mystery again entangling Samantha Warren with Corpus Christi, Texas, Fourth of July, and the inaugural Highlands’ Independence Day Festival as the backdrop. Sam’s put some of life”s left turns behind her, a lost job and fiancé, and has grabbed her new life as a caterer and mixologist with both hands. But, she landed in the middle of a conflict. The German Lodge social club is meant to preserve Texan’s German heritage, and one faction wants to maintain that vision while another wants to build a tennis club. This pits Patty Davis, Sam’s mother’s best friend, and her status quo vision versus Angela Clawson, the tennis club committee chairman, and not surprising, the public argument will be hard for Patty to dismiss when she’s suspected in Angela’s murder. Sam’s mother encourages her to look into the matter which uncovers an estranged family and inheritances, but that may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Michelle Hillen Klump’s writing is descriptive with a third person narrative and does well to create an environment in which readers can immerse in fusion cultures, food, and … drink. There’s an enjoyable diverse, multigenerational cast, supportive and realistic mother/daughter dynamic, and beyond the murder, a bit of emotional conflict between Sam and Martin, Patty’s son, a childhood friend turned not-so-friend, then add a certain detective to create a fun romantic triangle for Sam to deal with. Of course, with the theme of cocktails and catering, readers are treated to mouth-watering descriptions of a plethora of foods … and recipes are including to perform your own taste test: an entree, Blackberry Glazed Salmon; a dessert, Samantha’s Grandmother’s Fig Cake and Fig Cake Frosting, and a few drinks, Samantha’s Sparkler Cocktail, Angela’s Blackberry Blush, and Blackberry Shrub. A cozy mystery, delicious eats, and flavorful drinks … the perfect combination!

I liked the mystery and how Samantha's mother got involved. A couple negatives is that Samantha is a bit wishy washy regarding two guys. Reasons why were mentioned in book 1, but was a negative point for me. Also how Samantha is surviving financially by the thinnest margin but spends a lot of money on take out and restaurants which doesn't ring true because of her finances and she's a caterer.

Samantha works the local German Texas Lodge's Fourth of July festival. Her cocktail and catering business, ushering in her new career as mixologist, whips up Sparkler cocktails for the local crowd. Turns out the lodge has been experiencing painful truths of its' own--whether to provide historical info or expand and sell some land to a growing group of club members who want the cash flow a tennis court would bring. Angela Clawson is a vocal voice for tennis, and when she is found dead, Samantha's mother's friend Patty is the first suspect. Samantha's former job as a reporter comes in handy as she continues to grow her business while investigating other options for suspects in the murder.

I liked the first installment and love this one, a fast paced and compelling cozy mystery.
There's a lot of fun, a solid mystery, and I was glad to catch up with the relatable and fleshed out characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Samantha Warren's mother is visiting for a week. Unfortunately Samantha needs to keep working during her mom's visit.

Samantha is selling her unique cocktails at the community Fourth of July festival while her mom enjoys the festivities. Everything is going great until Angela Clawson's dead body is found at the nearby tennis court construction site.

Angela Clawson and Patty Davis are on opposite sides of a heated battle over the construction of the tennis courts, and everyone knows it. Patty Davis is the long time best friend of Samantha's mother.

When police set their sights on Patty as the murderer, Samantha and her mother need to prove her innocence.

Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump is the second book in a well written, fast-paced cozy mystery series. I got to meet up with Samantha Warren again, a reporter who lost her fiancé just days before their wedding, and her reporter's job. Sam is building her own mixology business. Set in Houston, Texas, Sam is the owner of an orange and grey cat named Ruby. I like Sam, finding her to be level-headed and pretty positive in spite of her circumstances. The mystery is complex and intriguing, there are some great recipes and I had no idea who the killer was until the ending. I am eager for Samantha’s next adventure.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Crooked Lane via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Independence Day in Texas like everything else is BIG! Samantha is spending her holiday at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival mixing up her signature drinks for the masses. It is clearly evident that there are two factions at the event. Those that are for the new private club and tennis courts being built on the property owned by the lodge and those against the project, happy with things just the way they are. Samantha's mom's BFF Patty is definitely one of the latter and has no problem voicing her opinion even right to the woman in charge of the project's face, in full view of a crowd. Things even got physical and they had to be separated. So when the high society tennis racket-wielding matron, Angela Clawson is found dead at the construction site it isn't long before Patty Davis is driven away in a police cruiser.

Samantha already pored over the clues to solve another murder and never wanted to repeat the process, but when her mother begs her to help Patty, she just can't say no. Hopefully, she can wrap this one up quickly and get back to her and Beth's cocktails and catering business with another killer behind bars.

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Mixologist Samanta Warren is an appealing protagonist. A former newshound she knows how to get the answers she needs, most of the time. Sometimes it takes a little more work but she doesn't give up. Her friends Marisa and Beth understand but Beth is worried about how Samantha's sleuthing will affect their new business. Marissa on the other hand is more willing to help Samantha investigate any time she can.

In Murder Served Neat, Samantha's mom, Lillian is in town for a visit which is good because her friend Patty needs her now more than ever. Patty's son Martin has also come to town to help. He and Samantha have known each other for years but they had a falling out in college and she is not ready to forgive him.  I enjoyed the close relationship Samantha has with her mother and by extension to her mother's friend Patty. It made sense for Samantha to start her own investigation. The testy relationship with Martin added a little drama and I enjoyed that too. Samantha asked David if they could take their relationship slow and I was happy to see it moving a little bit faster by the end of the story.

The victim was a force, pushy, and entitled so she had made more than a few enemies, some within her own family so it was fun to tag along with Samantha as she kept her eyes and ears open and used her journalist skills to get to the truth. I did put the clues together quicker than Samantha and wanted to jump in the book to stop her but boy that was an exciting ending.

The author's descriptive writing style takes her readers on the entire journey with her characters. I felt like I was right at the festival and could almost taste Samantha's Sparkler Cocktail and was even craving a funnel cake. I could envision the locations of the lodge, the festival, the original construction site, and the proposed changes. All the places Beth and Samantha catered were also easy to imagine. I really enjoyed having a bird's eye view as Beth created the foods to serve and how Samantha comes up with her drink ideas and the work entailed to make her bitters. Six recipes are included at the end of the book including the recipes for Samantha's Sparkler Cocktail and a Blackberry Shrub needed to make Angel's Blackberry Blush.

Michelle Hillen Klump has served up a delightful mystery in Murder Served Neat. Engaging characters and a well-plotted mystery kept me happily entertained from the first page to the last. I am looking forward to visiting these characters again soon.

Well written cozy mystery that moves at a good pace. I love learning about the different cocktails and menu items they came up with and enjoy the continued focus on growing their business. This story, however, employs a few things that I am not a fan of: breaking into places to get clues, aggressive interrogation strategies, and TSTL moments (seriously, if they’re smart enough to solve a crime, they’re smart enough not to put themselves in danger!). There was also potential for a love triangle but hopefully that’s resolved itself and will not reappear. Otherwise, this story was a quick, easy read and I look forward to the next.