I was so excited to read the second of this series as I really enjoyed the first one. It can also easily be read as a standalone. The setting on a lake in Wisconsin, not far from Chicago, is mouth wateringly described. The author has upped the suspense in this story with layers of criminal activity in this small resort area.
Delilah is the busy owner of a fairly new deep dish restaurant, not in a relationship, has shared custody of a delightful cat and looks after her elderly great-aunt, “Biz”. Whew! With it’s stunning views of the lake, a popular vacation spot, her new establishment and diverse staff has Delilah at warp speed. If that’s not enough she’s busy compiling an entry into the town’s annual tasting event.
In the midst of this a local man keels over dead at a new healthy juice bar while Delilah’s in line. Oh and the owner is Delilah’s X's, (Sam) new girlfriend. This is just the beginning of a string of events involving gangsters, crimes, shell corporations, money laundering, cryptic notes, break-ins and murder. There is so much to keep up with Delilah must be exhausted!
She has a tiny crush on the local police detective, Calvin Capone. They have adversarial banter as she foolishly involves herself by investigating on her own. The identity of the culprit evaded me, the humor made me laugh and the cast of characters is full of interesting individuals. An easy to read series which I highly recommend.
A digital advance reader copy of “Ashes to Ashes Crust to Crust”, A Deep Dish Mystery by Mindy Quigley published by St. Martin’s Press was provided to me by NetGalley. Anticipated publication date is April 25, 2023. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

First things first - Butterball is an absolute legend! ⭐️ 🐈 🍕

Delilah and the gang are back in the second installment of the Deep Dish Mysteries series by Mindy Quigley and chaos is afoot in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Murder, mayhem and missing bratwurst have Delilah suspicious and back on the case as she tries to solve the mystery, catch the culprit and win the annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. Full of laugh out loud moments and tons of suspense Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is a great read!
Absolutely loving this series so far and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

So I actually requested this book before reading the first one in the series because I had a feeling I would love it and I was right! This mystery was so good! I liked the attention to the mystery, the characters felt fleshed out, and the pizza shop sounded amazing! I also liked that I could read this as a standalone!

There is no sophomore slump from this author as the story grabbed me immediately.

Hoping to win a coveted prize, Delilah and her friends are gung-ho, until mischief and mayhem enter the competition. When the chef who caused Sonya to lose her job comes to town, and surprising so does his ex-wife, well you know what happens next. Someone has to die and meanwhile, someone is poisoning smoothies. Are they connected?

You’ll have to read this well-written drama that had me immersed in all aspects from the introduction of the secondary characters who play pivotal roles in the execution of this whodunit. With a solidly wicked multi-plot scenario, there are plenty of people who are suspects but it’s pizza-making Delilah who puts it all together with help from her friends. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more adventures with Delilah, Sonya, Melody, Capone and Butterball in this delightfully entertaining series.

Loving this series even more after the second book! Great mystery with good twists, but I just love the characters in this town and working in this pizza shop. Enjoying seeing them get fleshed out in each installment.

Another good entry in the deep dish mystery series. Delilah is trying to adjust to life without Sam and keep the restaurant afloat at the same time. A strange series of unfortunate events happen in town right around the Labor Day weekend and the Geneva Bay festival. Everything works out in the end.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a free copy of, Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust, by Mindy Quigley, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Delilah O"Leary lives in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and owns a restaurant. When someone in town is poisoned, Delilah want to help Capone solve the crime. This book made me hungry for pizza, a really nice read.

This second book in Mindy Quigley’s Deep Dish Mystery is such a palate cleanser after drowning in another genre! The story continues to follow head chef, Delilah O’Leary and her friend Sonya as they continue to run their restaurant “Delilah & Son”. Things have changed a bit since book one, but the one constant is Delilah’s need for perfection which sometimes drives her friends and family crazy. Even more so, her nosey, but helpful pseudo-detective skill sometimes pushes the handsome Det. Calvin Capone to warn her from cases. True to form, another murder pops up when Delilah is on the scene. This time it happens at the newly opened juice bar owned by her ex-boyfriend Sam’s new girlfriend.
It was a delight to follow Delilah again on this adventure wrought with amateur sleuths. On the journey with her is her fierce aunt Biz, her staff, friends, and her equally stubborn but lovable cat, Butterball. Of course, a major part of this book is the delicious recipes that Delilah and her friends come out with, which are printed at the end of the book for readers to try.
I recommend the fun and adventurous murder mystery filled with friendship, hijinks, and sprinkles of romance throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Arc.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book will have you laughing, cheering and not wanting to put it down. It has drama, mystery and a hint of romance I think. Dee is back again she is a little down on her luck but if anyone came it through I know she can. Bizz is having a hard time right now but can her luck change? Capone probably doesn't know what to do sometimes when he gets phone calls from Dee but he is a good sport about it for the most part! Family isn't just someone your related to! Things happen for a reason hopefully our friends remember that in the book! Read to find out! This book is for any reader and can be read anywhere!!

To help her pizzeria's bottom line, Delilah is hoping to win Geneva Bay's Taste of Wisconsin
Cook-Off - winner receives a write up in the Chamber of Coomerce's magazine along with
a ten thousand dollar cash prize. Unfortunately, the celebrity chef judge is the person
who destroyed her friend Sonya's reputation in the culinary world.
Before the contest begins, the juice bar owner and a patron are poisoned, the celebrity chef
is murdered and there's a suspicious character hanging around. Is there a connection between
all tha's been happening? Will Delilah be able to save her pizzeria?
Second in the series - introduction to members of the community.
#AshesToAshesCrustToCrust #NetGalley

A cozy with a lot going on kept this a fast paced read.

Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, eateries are competing for a town sponsored award and cash prize at the upcoming festival. Delilah O'Leary really needs the prize money so inventing a new deep dish pizza is underway. One of her competitors, Juice Revolution, had Dee doubly concerned now that its owner, Jordan Watts, is living with Sam Van Meter, Dee's former fiancée. When a customer dies suddenly of a contaminated smoothie, Det. Calvin Capone is on the case, making Dee's heart flutter.

There are a lot of characters in this series but all are very distinctive making it easy to follow all of the action.

I am looking forward to the next episode in this series.

Before I say anything else, I'm just going to proclaim that if there were a contest for best ex-boyfriend ever, Sam wins. Hands down. No contest.

Nope, not telling you why. You're just going to have to read the book. You won't be sorry. I am in love with this series, all the more impressive since this is only the second book. Author Mindy Quigley has done a superb job of investing each character with a unique, relatable personality, right down to Butterball the cat, while weaving it around a murder. True, main character Delilah O'Leary still has her control-freak side, right down to annoying friends with her quest for perfectionism and can't seem to help sticking her nose into the investigation. That somehow seems to work for her, however, as she's also remarkably smart, caring, and fiercely independent. I like her, even though I'm sure she'd get on my own more laid-back nerves at times.

The plot moves along quickly with lots of talk about food and amazing drink mixes in-between trying to figure out the clever murderer. The characters we met in the first book are emerging as interesting, unique people in their own right,too. There are some new characters, too, including most intriguingly, Jarka, a woman of many talents who takes a job working for Delilah. Let's just say,whether you're in desperate need of a doctor or tasty smoothie, she's your go-to person. I'm definitely looking forward to where her story and potential new romance will take her. The mystery is intriguing and kept me guessing but it's the characters that hooked me.

I've barely touched the surface of all that is going on in this delightful book. Did I mention the hunky detective who is related to Al Capone? Or Biz's ability to make sense of numbers that might appear a jumble to most of us? Or why Sonya is avoiding the public area of the restaurant? Or Butterball "the I-hate-diets" cat's secret? Or.... well, you get my drift. Great, diverse characters you'll like, recipes shared in the voices of the characters(Love Biz's for the tomato sandwich), and a touch of romance. I mean, come on, Delilah. He ever waits tables when he isn't investigating crimes.

Bottom line, this book is a winner. Read it. Go back and read the first book, too, if you missed it. Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, and author #MindyQuigley for letting me spend some time in Delilah's world. I think I may skip the Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza, though. Well, maybe not.

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second installment in the Deep Dish Mysteries series set in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and featuring pizza restaurant owner Delilah O'Leary. Together with her best friend Sonya Perlman-Dokter, her great aunt, Elizabeth "Biz" O'Leary and employees Melody Schacht, Rabbit and Daniel, Delilah has established Delilah & Son, a terrific deep dish pizzeria.

The annual Taste of Wisconsin contest is approaching and Delilah is busy perfecting a Bratwurst pizza recipe that she hopes will win and bring in the prize money to keep the restaurant afloat through the winter. What she wasn't expecting was that one of the judges would be celebrity chef Graham Ulrich, Sonya's former boss. While working for the chef, Sonya had an affair with Graham's wife, Renee and when the man found out not only did her fire her, but he'd basically blackballed her out of town.

Delilah is also feeling guilty about Butterball, her furry feline. When Delilah and her boyfriend Sam had broken up she'd insisted on joint custody but now the cat seems to be having weight issues and trouble adjusting to being shuttled back and forth between two homes. During one of the drop offs, Delilah learns that Sam is involved with the owner of the new juice restaurant, Jordan Watts.

When a customer of the Juice Revolution drops dead after consuming a smoothie, and then Graham also turns up dead, Delilah is convinced there is a connection between the two deaths. Despite the warnings of Detective Calvin Capone to stay out of the investigation, Delilah must act quickly to draw suspicion away from herself and Sonya.

A mysterious ex con, cryptic threats and vandalism create a fast paced mystery featuring twists and turns, mouthwatering recipes, a delightful cast of characters, a hint of romance and a furry feline.
This series is a must read.

I received an advanced copy of Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust from NetGalley via St. Martin's Paperbacks. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Wisconsin, relationships, relationship-issues, relatives, poisons, pet-cat, chef, murder, murder-investigation, multigenerational, pizza, situational-humor, verbal-humor, recipes, control-freak, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, restaurant, friendship,*****

What's not to like about a series set in a part of Wisconsin often referred to as the "gangsters' hangout" and whose police detective bears the last name of Capone (and is a VERY competent cop)? The interpersonal relationships are as twisty as the clues and red herrings and the characters are all so very well done, I swear I'd know them if I met them in that pizza parlor! Another great read in this new series! Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I've recently become a fan of this series. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is such a wonderful read!

A cozy mystery with a deep-dish pizza theme? I just had to check out this latest entry into Mindy's series. There's a good amount of drama, good food, mystery, and charming characters in this book. I really recommend that fans of cozy mysteries, food, and this reader's looking for something different to read so check out this series!

This book also includes recipes for readers to try.

My thanks to St.Martin's Press and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review. Here's to the next book in this series!

Interesting Culinary Cozy
Ms. Quigly wrote an interesting cozy, giving us an eclectic group of characters and some different food combos.
Pizza shop owner, Delilah along with her friend Sonya run the shop in a historical building. After a recent breakup that Delilah is struggling with, she is working hard to enter a local contest, when a troubling blast from the past arrives in town. The ladies snoop into a recent death and draw the attention of the police chief when the man from the past is murdered. Strange notes, tainted drinks, odd noises and missing food distract her from her contest. It’s well written and moves along quickly, with the promise of a love connection between Delilah and the investigation and HOT detective. I enjoyed the story. It moved quickly and I await the next book.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc and offer my opinion freely.

This is the second book in the series and even better than the first (which I loved). Delilah is on the trail of the recipe for the perfect Bratwurst Pizza when she gets involved in another murder mystery. I love the town, the characters, the storyline, and even the pizzas, although I'm not sure about the bratwurst part! This was a fun read that I enjoyed. Another winner for Mindy Quigley!

I LOVED this book. Loved seeing the characters from Book 1 grow. Loved watching Delilah's relationship with the police officer grow slowly, and it was nice to see the added mystery with Auntie Biz. Halfway through reading this, I had to insist that we go buy stuff to make our own pizzas. :-) Read the whole thing basically in two sittings, though. Fast-paced, interesting, with enough twists to keep me guessing without leaving me utterly baffled.

Their final entry into the contest didn't honestly make sense to me. (Was it finger food? It read like it was supposed to be, but sounded like a spectacular mess.) To be honest, I would have preferred that she'd perfected the pizza rather than coming up with, basically, a charcuterie board. But that's a minor thing. And the end was a little too perfect.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Review based on ARC provided by Netgalley.

This is a fun second installment in the deep dish pizza series by Mindy Quigley.
This is fast paced story about two friends who open their own pizza place. They each bring unique qualities to their establishment, however, Delilah has her own unique quality, which involves getting caught up in murder investigations.
The dynamic duo will make you laugh as they navigate life, both personal and business.
Butterball has to be my favorite cat, I love his personality.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

Maybe this came to me at the perfect time, or maybe I'm just a sucker for stories that take place in my home state. Either way, this was SO GOOD. I finished it last night and went to bed with a smile on my face.

In book 2 of the Deep Dish Mysteries, we continue to follow Delilah and Sonya on more hijinks, navigating the restaurant business and personal life stuff. Along with them is cranky Aunt Biz, on-a-diet Butterball, best-ex-boyfriend-ever Sam, new-love-interest detective Cal Capone, and the rest of the staff at Delilah and Son's gourmet deep-dish pizza place.

We're also introduced to a few other residents of Geneva Bay: Melody's cousin Mac, the owner of the local "juicery" Jordan Watts, an excitable chamber of tourism employee named Harold and a Bulgarian transplant/doctor/waitress/smoothie maker named Jarka.

This one amps up the Wisconsin-ness quite a bit from the first and I'm obsessed. Delilah and Jordan are competing in Geneva Bay's Taste of Wisconsin competition and the hunt is on to capture Wisconsin in food form (enter me, researching whether or not this competition is real). I loved that this felt like summer in Wisconsin. The people are definitely people you meet here, they talk like they're from here - Mindy, you gotta give me an "ope" in the next one.

The mystery was good, I figured some of the twists out before Delilah, but I like that in a cozy. It was so fun. I definitely laughed a couple times and it's so easy to fall in love with these characters. If you're a cozy mystery person, check this one out.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.