Ashes To Ashes Crust To Crust (out this Tuesday) is the second book in a new and fresh cozy mystery series. Set just a bit north of Chicago in the lakeside resort town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where Delilah O‘Leary, the MC, sleuth and chef extraordinaire has opened a fancy deep dish pizza place (yes, it is her passion to elevate a simple pizza to a highly trained chef’s standards) and has solved the first murder on the side - getting to know local police detective Capone (yes, descended from the infamous Capone) along the way.

In this second book in this series the murder does not happen in Delilah‘s restaurant but she is present for a first death only to find a second person (judge in a cooking competition no less) dead, just a little later, her best friend Son(ya) is implicated, so is a waitress‘ cousin so of course Delilah being Delilah she can‘t sit still but needs to start investigating … - the mystery is well plotted, there are suspects galore and red herrings, which kept me guessing throughout the story and there is a hint of romance. An interesting if slightly abrasive sleuth, a great cast of supporting characters, a fun setting, all the pizza (and fantastic flavor combination and topic ideas) and a slightly overweight cat - what more could you want ?
Some of my favorite cozy series are food adjacent and in this one Delilah’s process for developing new recipes is mouthwatering.

Second in series I really enjoy Mindy Quigleys writing style warm funny with twists and turns that surprise.A series I will continue to follow.#netgalley #st.Martins

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

Published: April 25, 2023
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 316
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series: the Deep Dish Mysteries and the Mount Moriah Mysteries. She lives in Virginia, with her Civil War history professor husband, their children, and their idiosyncratic miniature Schnauzer.

“Actions have consequences.”

Delilah is trying to get her restaurant off the ground. With the big “Taste of Wisconsin” competition coming, she figures this will be a perfect opportunity to get recognized and win the first place prize money. When people start getting sick, Delilah finds herself in the middle of what could be a deadly encounter.

This was a very easy read. The storyline flowed smoothly, and the characters were all fantastic. There was enough drama, humor, and sass to keep me engaged.

I liked Delilah. She was relatable and determined. I liked her humor and her drive. I liked Son and Biz as well. All these characters were so well developed and had such great qualities.

This book reminded me of the Foodie Series by Amy Pershing, which I appreciated so much. I loved the location, the chemistry between the characters, and the seamless way the plot read.

I will have to go back and read the first book because this is a series I will follow moving forward!

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley takes us back to Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Delilah O’Leary is working on coming up with a unique pizza recipe for Geneva Bay’s annual Taste of Wisconsin. Delilah needs the prize money to help keep her restaurant afloat since her ex-fiancé who financed the restaurant withdrew his support. Unfortunately, the head judge for the contest is no fan of Delilah’s best friend and sous chef, Sonya. Delilah’s ex-fiancé, Sam has cozied up to juice bar owner Jordan Watt who happens to be Delilah’s rival in the contest. A juice bar customer becomes ill, and the culprit is a tainted smoothie. Blame is laid at Delilah’s door. When the celebrity judge ends up dead, it does not look good for the pizza ladies. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in A Deep Dish Mysteries. It picks up where Six Feet Deep Dish left off. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. I found the story easy to read. I enjoyed the vivid depictions of Geneva Bay. It sounds like a cozy lakeside town. I am not a fan of Delilah. I wish the story was not told from her point of view. I did not enjoy the frequent mentions of her figure (body shaming is not appreciated) nor of her cat’s, Butterball (the name suits the cat). The mystery was okay. It is one that can easily be solved. The key to the plot will have you rolling your eyes (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for you). It is something that could never happen in real life. The storyline with Aunt Biz was unnecessary. It was ill conceived and went against the aunt’s knowledge and experience. The resolution is another eye roller. I enjoyed the delectable pizza descriptions. There are recipes at the end of the book. While Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust was not for me, I suggest you read a sample to judge for yourself. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is a tasty tale with a critical contest, a prejudiced judge, pretzel crust pizza, a pecuniary problem, a sullied smoothie, and a chubby cat.

ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST by Mindy Quigley
The Second Deep Dish Mystery

With her new restaurant on the financial brink, Delilah O’Leary is counting on winning Geneva Bay's Taste of Wisconsin Food competition to keep her solvent. Winning could prove difficult when she learns just who the celebrity judge is. Add the shocking death of a juice bar customer and Delilah's mind veers from perfecting her contest entry to murder. With her aunt being more prickly than ever, her cat having adjustment issues, and odd signals coming from Detective Capone Delilah will have to dig deeper than her deep dish pizzas to keep her loved ones safe and happy, and perhaps solve another mystery.

I can't say enough positive things about ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST. I adore this series. The second Deep Dish Mystery is a mature layered mystery. Delilah O'Leary is flawed. Terribly flawed. And she knows it. And yet she is so very likable, despite, or perhaps because of those flaws. In fact, most of the characters are flawed, just like in real life, which is what makes the book so compelling and real.

The mystery is complex and I love how Delilah quietly goes about solving it, working with law enforcement. Twists and turns abound with surprises, not only to the mystery, but to the life of the characters in general. There's a gravity to personal situations and also humor and hope. Excitement, especially when least expected, kept me on my toes and provided breathtaking thrills.

With a compelling cast of characters, a foodcentric setting, and a fiendishly plotted mystery ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST is a delectable page turner.

It was so much fun to once again get to visit with everyone’s perfectionist restauranteur, Delilah O’Leary, Sonya (her BFF and sous chef), her feisty aunt Biz, Butterball the cat, detective Capone (yes, he’s related to Al!), Sam (her ex)…I could go on and on, so how about I just say it was great to get a chance to return to Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and all it’s wonderfully ‘special’ residents (and we’ll be meeting plenty of new ones). This time around Delilah has entered the town’s annual Taste of Wisconsin contest hoping for some free publicity and a nice cash prize. Of course there is way more than just a simple contest going on. It’s not long before someone is poisoned, and of course Delilah gets herself involved in the investigation, but honestly that just barely scratches the surface of what is going on. This is a genuinely humorous book with endearing characters, a well plotted mystery, and it had me actually laughing out loud on a number of occasions. You don’t absolutely need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, though I highly recommend doing so. I can’t wait to see what book 3 brings us. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Mindy Quigley's wonderful Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R314DN9ZEB4X4T/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second installment in the Deep Dish Pizza Mystery series. Delilah O'Leary is trying to get her gourmet deep dish pizza restaurant, Delilah & Son, out of the red and out from under the dependance of her ex boyfriend, Sam. However, it seems her attention is being divided between her restaurant and helping the police in, Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, solve a murder or two.

I love this series, the mafia history of the building that Delilah & Son's is housed in, the handsome detective, who is a dependent of Al Capone, the characters, Delilah, Aunt Biz, Sonya, Mac and of course, Butterball the cat.

This installment didn't disappoint, it brings you into the lives of the people of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, the structure of the kitchen, preparation of the menu items and a realistic view of the ups and downs of running a restaurant. I can smell the deep dish pizzas that are being made! The story has many red herrings and talks about several plots leading up to the final conclusion which ties up all the loose ends. I really had no idea that the twists and turns would lead to not one, but two cleverly spun murders! I will definitely continue the series.

I was asked to review this novel and the opinions expressed are honest and my own.

This book deserves 3.5 or 3.75 stars

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in Mindy Quigley's Deep Dish Mystery series set in a Wisconsin pizzeria. See my review of the first book which I also enjoyed .

Delilah is doing everything to keep her pizzeria a float while tending to her aging aunt and caring for her lovable orange cat, Butterball. She shares custody of Butterball with her ex-finance who happens to be dating a rival business owner. She's also busy creating a winning recipe for the "Taste of Wisconsin" culinary food festival . Winning the contest would bring an influx of much needed cash. Things become complicated when Delilah is witness to a death at the local juice bar that turns out to be a murder. And when the famous TV guest chef also turns up dead things start to heat up and get really complicated for Delilah.

I was happy to get this ARC copy from Net Galley and enjoyed the 2nd installment of this series. If you like cozy mysteries that include recipes and memorable characters , including a lovable cat, then this book is for you. I look forward to the next installment and hope that book will be out soon.

Also reviewed on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5516290332

A fun cozy. Drew me in way more than the first in this series. Nothing that stands out, but an easy bedtime read.

These little cozy mysteries just haven't been jiving for me. I found this book predictable and slow to read.
I wasn't a fan of the characters. Their chemistry and interactions with one another felt off and forced.
I don't think this author's writing style is for me.

I totally love Mindy Quigleys writing style and I love this series. The second installment made me LOL at several parts. There was a few parts of the mystery I did guess. The mystery had a string of events happening so I didn't guess them all. I adore the location and cast of characters.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a free copy for an exchange for an honest review.

Engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. Clever mystery that kept me guessing wrong. Some things were predictable, but not all which was a great surprise. None of the food or beverages had any appeal to my bland loving taste buds. Too exotic for me. LOL! Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Delilah is at it again in this second installment of the Deep Dish Mysteries. She attempts to develop ways to succeed in the off-season of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. The town is sponsoring a food contest and all participants are busy developing recipes to showcase their products. Aunt Biz has gotten herself into a financial jam, and Delilah struggles to help her out. Sam, Delilah's ex, is off on a new romance. Delilah misses not only Sam's money, but Sam himself. There is a way cool police detective, a distance relative of Al Capone, who used to vacation in Geneva Bay. And there is the ever-present criminal element - we have a murder or two, and plenty of intrigue to go along with the crimes. We mustn't forget Butterball, whose pet parents, Sam and Delilah, share custody as they joint-parent Sam's cat.

This had some twists I didn't see coming until the very end. Really fun read. Hard to put down. Fun to see all the changes from the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah O’Leary is dealing with a break up, running her new restaurant, and dealing with chef’s block on an important competition entry. She doesn’t have the space on her plate to add anything to it. Too bad suspicious deaths keep popping all over her small Wisconsin town. Can she help stop the murders before she’s next?

This was a cute cozy mystery, but I felt like it took a while to get going.This is the second in the series, but I don’t feel like I lost too much context by starting with the second book. It felt like the ending wasn’t the most satisfying for me, but it was a fine enough book.

It's been a while since I've sat down with a cozy mystery and Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust was everything I was looking for! The cover caught my eye immediately with the deep dish pizza and Butterball the cat, who could say no to that! I also love all the Midwest summer vibes in this book and felt as if I was a local, living less than 30 miles from the Lake Geneva area. While this is book 2 in the Deep Dish Mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed it without having read the previous book.

Two murders, two businesses vandalized, threatening notes, an unwelcome celebrity chef from Sonja's past, an unhappy cat on a diet, and the Taste of Wisconsin contest on the horizon that could make or break the future of Delilah & Son, the gourmet deep dish pizza establishment owned by the protagonist. This book has so many amazing characters with their own relationships, secrets, and of course clues to the murders! The plot was easy to follow, but not too easy to solve! I had a hard time putting it down.

As a romance reader, I enjoyed the tension and attraction between Capone and Delilah, and sometimes less is more because that single chaste embrace between them upped my heart rate! Delilah's sarcasm and attitude paired with her adoration and co-parenting of Butterball, made me adore her character.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, give this one a go!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an advance digital copy. This is my honest review.

The busy season in Geneva Bay is coming to an end, and Deliah O’Leary is starting to worry how to keep her business (Deep Dish Pizza) a float during the slow season. The annual “Taste of Wisconsin” cash prize will do the trick and she keep feeding her crew the samples of new instalment of the “Pretzel Crust Bratwurst Pizza” to have it down to perfection.
But before the festival starts things are starting to go south, the tasting judge is one with a grudge, her ex-fiancé has a new love which is also a contest rival, Butterball (cat) is showing stress signs from being carted between 2 homes, mysterious notes, ….
Fun 2nd installment to the series.

This is the second in the series and just as enjoyable as the first. The characters are the main draw, well that and the setting, who wouldn't love pizza on the water!? Delilah is a super interesting character, fiercly loyal to those she loves, and quick to cut off those she doesn't. She and her best friend, Sonya are learning how to run the restaurant together. They have the help of Delilah's Aunt Biz and a couple of ragtag misfits who round out the crew.

Delilah has applied to be in a cooking competition in Geneva Bay. Unbenowst to her, the judge happens to be the one man Sonya has wronged (by sleeping with his wife). There are a bunch of mysteries going on at once, and I looooove the budding relationship between Delilah and Capone. Throw in the gangster references and the ongoing talk of all things cheesy and Wisconsin, there is no way not to love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in the Deep Dish Mysteries series by Mindy Quigley. We are once again following Delilah and her pizza family this time prepping for a local food competition, Taste of Wisconsin cook-off, in the lakeside town of Geneva Bay. With both future realizations and past troubles colliding for Delilah and crew there is more than just bragging rights at stake.
This was a great continuation of the series. The extremely slow burn between Delilah and detective Capone is my favorite evolving relationship but I continue to fall in love with all the crazy characters that fill out this delightful cast. Quigley once again does a great job of creating quite an eventful story to the point that you feel like you’re just along for the ride there is no downtime to try and guess at whodunit. Unfortunately, the one issue I had with the first installment happened once again, the finally standoff with the killer and our amateur sleuth felt way too rushed, while it wasn’t as rushed this time it still felt too neat. Overall, a great second installment in the series.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Deep Dish Mystery series. There is a lot going on in the story, but it all flows together pretty well and doesn’t get confusing. There are a couple of murders and a scary guy, nicknamed Cinco because he’s committed five murders, creeping around Delilah’s restaurant. Is everything related or are there multiple sinister things going on in the resort town of Geneva Bay?

There are also some fun new characters, like Molly, who has a secret of her own, and Jarka, who provides the comic relief, along with old favorites, like Delilah’s cranky Aunt Biz and Butterball the cat. And then there’s Delilah, who I love for being strong and confident, but I wish she was a little less stubborn especially when it comes to others trying to help her.

I love cozy mysteries because they still bring the twists and turns without too much gore, but also the fun and quirky, and Ashes to Ashes has it all.