Like a good play, Book 2 of the Deep Dish Mysteries focuses more on character development than setting. We've already been introduced to the holiday town of Lake Geneva, and now we delve deeper into the backstories of Delilah's friends and frenemies.

It's three months after the events in book 1. Delilah's facing hard times – her new restaurant has lost its main backer, causing her rough edges to become more pronounced. Speaking of which, her ex-fiancé, Sam, has moved on with Jordan, a health-focused juice bar owner. Son, her sous chef, is tired of endlessly tweaking the recipe for a food festival entry. Aunt Biz is even grouchier than usual, and Dee simply doesn't have the time to deal with it. Even Butterball, Dee's comfort cat, isn't his usual self. Capone, a source of both positive vibes and lingering negative emotions for Dee, remains by her side... maybe.

Quigley excels at describing character emotions. For example, schadenfreude, the pleasure one takes in another's misfortune, is what Dee feels when the first victim dies in Sam's new girlfriend's juice bar. The victim, a loathsome network food star, met his end in a way most readers, including myself, found satisfying. For Son, however, the victim's death was a more personal matter – the star had humiliated her before firing her. This personal connection becomes a driving force for Dee as she investigates the crimes, further muddying her feelings towards Capone.

On a personal note, this book made me crave pizza! Each chapter was like a delicious slice, devoured with the same hunger I felt for the mouthwatering descriptions of Quigley's culinary creations. A reader wonders, who is stealing the bratwurst intended for the contest?

Just like a deep-dish pizza, Quigley's book offers layers of delight, both in terms of character development and plot. I eagerly await reading Public Anchovy #1. Highly recommended for all lovers of good pizza and excellent cozy mysteries.

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is determined to keep her restaurant afloat in the resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she sets her sights on winning the cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. In her corner, there's her wisecracking BFF, her cantankerous great-aunt, and a recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza. But while Delilah and her team have been focused on pumping out perfect pizza pies, her ex-fiancé has cozied up to a new squeeze, juice bar owner Jordan Watts―Delilah’s contest rival. When one of Jordan’s juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, Delilah becomes a suspect. Delilah must act quickly before another one bites the crust.
This was a wonderfully delicious mystery filled with delicious characters, a scrumptious plot and a mystery that you want to sink your teeth into. I love Delilah and how she solves this mystery. She's intelligent, well spoken, and curious to the point of being nosy. The only issue I had with this book is that it seemed to take too long to get to the climax. I suggest reading this book if you like cozy mysteries and deep-dish pizza. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity of reading this advanced reader's copy.

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. genealogy, bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*

I really enjoyed this book. It was a combination of romance and murder - who could ask for anything more?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. Fun cozy mystery with a little bit of an edge to it. It’s different but I liked it. Characters were great and the story flowed easily. Definitely made me crave pizza! lol
Can’t wait to dive into the rest of this series.

I really enjoy the Deep Dish Mystery series, and this book was no exception. I actually listened to it with my daughter, and while I generally love the series, I found myself cringing a bit at the storyline involving Delilah’s ex-fiancé moving in with his new girlfriend. The way the cat immediately loved the new girlfriend felt a bit over the top, and it was easy to see where the plot was heading.

In "Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust," newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is trying to keep her restaurant afloat in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she's aiming to win the cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. Delilah has her big-boned cat Butterball, her wisecracking BFF, her cantankerous great-aunt, and a nearly perfect recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza to help her out.

But complications arise when Delilah’s ex-fiancé cozies up to juice bar owner Jordan Watts, who happens to be Delilah's rival in the contest. I felt like this subplot was a bit predictable and filled with clichés. Some of the ongoing subplots in the series are starting to feel repetitive, which is surprising for such a new series.

Things take a turn when one of Jordan’s juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, and Delilah finds herself in hot water. Accusations fly, suspects are everywhere, and a menacing stranger shows up with a grudge. Delilah has to navigate through kale-juicing hipsters and grudge-bearing chefs to solve the mystery before someone else gets hurt.

Overall, while this book had some predictable elements and overused tropes, I still found it enjoyable. The series remains fun, with engaging characters and humorous moments that keep me coming back for more.

Another interesting murder mystery in Geneva Bay’s Deep Dish Murder series.
Local pizza place Delilah & Son is trying to stay afloat, hoping to cash in on the top prize at the Taste of Wisconsin festival. Delilah shares her cat Butterball with her ex, on a custody handoff at the new Juice Bar in town chaos ensues. A man dies from a smoothie, she realizes Sam is dating the owner and she discovers a creepy note by the register. Luckily she is friends with the local detective Capone. Bring on all the crazy locals and a few scary ones as Delilah tries to find the killer. Page turner, lots of twists and side stories.
Fun read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I LOVE this series and recommend it often to patrons. Will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

This is the second book in the Deep Dish Mysteries series. I really like this series! In this book, Delilah is participating in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin's "Taste of Wisconsin" . Delilah's ex-fiancée is now dating Delilah's contest rival, a woman named Jordan who has opened up a juice bar.

When a patron of the juice bar dies in the shop, Delilah takes it upon herself to investigate. There's a police officer/love interest named Capone, yes - that one- and a fat cat named Butterball in the mix. I just really think this book is funny and I love the author's style.

There's murder, mystery, romance and pizza! Who could ask for more? I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery.

This was a great follow up to the first book in the Deep Dish mysteries! Great plot, and all the pizza made me hungry, be warned you will crave a slice while reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

To say I love pizza would be the understatement of the year. I'm so psyched someone finally decided to make a cozy. mystery series out of it. Hooray! And this series doesn't disappoint. And it couldn't be set anywhere better than cheesy Wisconsin. This book reminds me of the Milwaukeefest with it's Taste of Wisconsin contest.

This is another great installment in the Deep Dish series. Cozy mysteries are my comfort reads and I enjoyed being back in Geneva Bay with Delilah and her supporting characters. There is a lot of clean action in the one and it was fun to try to solve the mystery with the crew.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. Wow what can I say about this title it was just an awesome read. This book was just something so wonderfully different I’ve never quite read anything like this. You should read to find out you won’t be disappointed. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.

This is the second book in this pizzeria cozy mystery series! I think I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first one. Butterball the cat is still my favorite, but the rest of the cast of characters are a lot of fun.

I found this one to be more fast paced and engaging and I’m more invested in continuing the series. It’s a fun quick read :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy!

This series is something special and just has such a unique flare. I think because the MC is a bit more jaded and down to earth person and is a bit more rough around the edges (which I looooove) than many cozy sleuths. There are a lot of grittier dynamics thanks to the fantastic characters the author has created. Her relationship with her aunt, her relationships with her ex, her and Sonya’s pasts, her ever changing relationship with the lead detective, all bring extra interesting layers in to the mystery story. And of course I was hungry the ENTIRE time!

This book is the second in the Deep Dish Mystery Series. It was fun from the start and everything I want from a cozy along with bonus recipes at the end!

The plot was very nicely paced, and the writing wasn’t overly descriptive making for a quick, enjoyable read.

I loved all of the characters, and even Delilah’s fiancé, Sam, grew on me. I enjoyed the great interactions and witty, one-liners among the cast of characters.

I’m normally not a fan of a series, but I plan on continuing with this one. I’m really enjoying this fairly new-to-me genre.

Was it the fun-loving fluffy kitty, Butterball, that won me over? Maybe . . . ☺️

This was my first book in this series and I know it won’t be the last. I love Delilah and her friends and family. I even love the name of her restaurant. lol There were times where I was like Delilah you have way too much on your plate, but everything was tided up at the end. I also loved all the recipes at the end of the book. That would make a cute Bookclub meeting.

I have been provided with a review copy of Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

This is the second book in a series but it can be enjoyed as a standalone. I liked seeing more of the characters in this volume - and getting to know them even more. The mystery in the book was believable, and tied to the characters' day to day lives. I enjoyed the little twists in the mystery and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I adore this series! It's a fun cozy mystery, but it also has a little bit of a darker edge to it that I really liked. And hello, deep dish pizza? Yes, please! I really like Delilah and the cast of characters surrounding her. They make the story that much more intriguing and fun. Cannot wait for the next one!