As a native of Wisconsin who eats lots of pizza, cheese, and brats, who also enjoys reading cozies, how could I not love the Deep Dish Cozy Mystery series by Mindy Quigley?!? And I’m thinking you will too….

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in the series that takes place in a ritzier part of Wisconsin, Geneva Bay. This food cozy is filled with tantalizing descriptions of pizza and other Wisconsin treats (with recipes at the end) and a wonderful cast of characters.

Most people keep coming back to a cozy series because they enjoy the characters and may even feel as if they are catching up with friends, and Quigly once again proves she is a master at creating realistic characters. It’s a well rounded group; felon, lesbian, dreamboat with an accent, quirky elderly lady who’s also very grumpy in this one, and a cat that steals the page!
And her new characters are just as developed and diverse, which is lovely to read.

The mystery was done very well too. While some long time cozy readers may have it figured out pretty quickly, there was still a fun little surprise at the end when it came to the crimes.

I’m looking forward to the third book and seeing how the new living situation works out, as well as what new mystery the gang has to solve and all the new food descriptions and recipes!

Get your favorite pizzeria on speed dial and get ready for a "keep you guessing" mystery with a quirky group of friends who find themselves trying to make sure pizza shop owner Delilah O'Leary doesn't become a victim herself in the latest mystery from Mindy Quigley!

There's so much going on in this book - mystery, humor, broken hearts, greed and a "big-boned" cat named Butterball you'll love. Geneva Bay Wisconsin's "Taste of Wisconsin Fest" will never be the same!

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

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley is a new-to-me cozy mystery featuring Delilah and her bestie, Sonja, who together run a deep dish pizza restaurant, Delilah and Son, in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, a tidy tourist community once summer home to some of Chicago’s biggest mobsters. The problem facing Delilah right now is money. When she opened the restaurant, she was engaged to Sam, who bought the building and renovated it as well as underwriting the restaurant. At his point she was on her own and it was quickly approaching Labor Day, when the tourist trade dried up and she’d have to live off her savings, savings she didn’t have. Her life is full of interesting characters: Auntie Biz who lived in a cottage by the sea nearby; Melody, who lived with Biz, mainly to keep an eye on her and save money on rent at the same time; Capone, the local police detective she kind of had her eye on; and Harold Headley, the slightly peculiar head of the local Chamber of Commerce and chairperson of the upcoming Taste of Wisconsin festival, the prize money from which could keep Delilah’s store open.

It was all a little odd. Delilah was in Juice Revolution to hand off Butterball, the cat whom she and Sam shared custody, when a man passed out in front of her and appeared to be dead before he hit the floor. A perfectly innocuous stranger. Then, Molly, the counter person there got very sick. What the heck was going on? A couple of days later, Jordan, Sam’s new squeeze and the owner of Juice Revolution nearly died. Delilah didn’t have enough to do she started listening and asking questions. She came up with some good leads, too, one that may have saved Jordan’s life. It was an intriguing mystery, full of twists and turns, and some happy surprises, too. I enjoyed the read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by St. Martin’s Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #MindyQuigley #AshesToAshesCrustToCrust

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second in a new cozy series set around a deep dish pizza restaurant in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Owner Delilah O’Leary is planning for the Taste of Wisconsin cook off, in the effort to win the 10,000$ grand prize to help keep her place afloat once tourist season comes to an end. All the local restaurants are competing including the new juice bar run by the new girlfriend of Delilah's ex. Things get even more complicated when the judge of the contest ends up being a celebrity chef who fired Delilah's partner for having an affair with his wife, yikes! If that wasn't stressful enough something is up with Delilah's aunt Biz and
her cat Butterball, oh and she witnesses a suspicious death! Fast paced, lots of twists and great supporting characters. A fun read!

Delilah is focused on trying to keep her business running through the upcoming winter off season. So, she’s determined to win the cookout at the upcoming town festival to help shore up the coffers. No stress. Then she finds that ex-fiancé Sam has moved on and is dating another woman. A bit of a blow, but it was to be expected. Add in that Aunt Biz is acting odder than usual and the stress is actually starting to set in.

When A customer drops dead in front of her at the local smoothie shop, then a famous chef from Chicago is murdered, Delilah finds herself trying to find out who is behind it all. Hopefully Delilah can figure out what’s just out of reach in her mind to help Capone solve the case. Unless she attracts the attention of the murder first. Then there’s no need to save her business at all.

Another solid entry in this series and it’s another good one! I really enjoy the mention of historical figures that had spent time in the area and how they are linked to the present. I have to say Butterball is a favorite…the poor guy being put on a diet. Best of all, in this one, we get some answers on the building Delilah and Son is located in…finally! That was a fun little mystery in and of itself. A great series to add to your reading list…and don’t forget the recipes that are included…it keeps the deliciousness coming long after you finish the book.

There's something about lake life that seems so romantic. Mindy Quigley's second book in the Deep Dish Mysteries series, Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust, brings features that lifestyle in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Delilah O'Leary is finishing the first summer as owner of a pizzeria and hoping that the final weekend of the season will bring in enough money to get her through the winter. However, death and mystery interrupt her plans and threaten to cost her her future. Quigley creates a world that the reader wants to inhabit with the setting, character development, and overlapping story lines. As soon as I thought I had identified the culprit, information would arise that threw my ideas into doubt. Get on board with this new series!

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in a great cozy mystery series set in a lake resort town in Wisconsin. Delilah is running a pizza restaurant that does twists on traditional Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

Delilah has loved this lake community since she was young. Her great-aunt Elizabeth (“Biz”) lives there and her friend Sonya (“Son”) is the other half of the restaurant whose name is Delilah and Son. (Cute!) Given that this is a resort community, they need to make a lot of money over the summer to tide them over the quiet winter months. This story takes place mid- and late summer, culminating in a festival over Labor Day Weekend, where a winner will be announced for the town’s Taste of Wisconsin competition and Delilah is really hoping to win as she can certainly use the money.

The town has a gangster history along with gorgeous lakeside mansions and this history pops up in this story.

Delilah’s ex-fiance Sam doesn’t have a huge role in this book but he’s still an important character. They are currently sharing custody of their cat Butterball. The people who work in the restaurant are terrific: Sonya, Rabbit, an ex-con, Daniel, the bartender, and Melody, a young woman who is living in Auntie Biz’s house as a companion/helper along with working in the restaurant. The local detective is also a great character; he’s the great-grandson of the infamous Al Capone.

There are actually two mysteries going on and they both kept me guessing for most of the book.

Several recipes are included at the end of the book, written in a chatty way, as if one of the book’s characters is giving you the recipe personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ahes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book the Deep Dish Mysteries series. Characters Delilah and Sonya are unique and funny in their own way. To make it better, Aunt Biz and Butterball the cat add a special touch to the story. The storyline hooks the reader and it's near impossible to put the book down. There are many twists to the story which is something I enjoy in a mystery book. Newcomers to the series are sure to enjoy the book, but reading the first book, Six Feet Deep Dish, is recommended to make the experience even better.

2023
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in a very engaging cozy mystery series. The main character Delilah O'Leary is owner and chef of a specialty pizza restaurant in a Wisconsin resort town. This time we have murder, greed and stolen money surrounding the Taste of Wisconsin Cook Off.

One of my favorite parts of the series are all the wonderful secondary characters including Delilah's BFF and sous chef Sonya, police detective Calvin Capone, great grandson of the infamous gangster, and of course Butterball, the cat. The author does a great job keeping the story moving and I enjoyed the twists. If you like cozy mysteries or books with lots of food talk, give this one a try. Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book

Delilah and Sonya are prepping for a local festival, whose main judge is the man who drove Sonya out of Chicago. When he turns up dead, along with a man at the local juice joint, Delilah has to get involved. A good plot, lots of action and great writing makes this a perfect read. The whole book is a delight! Love the recipes as well.

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust follows Delilah and friends again as they prepare for a culinary contest in their small Wisconsin town. Delilah hopes to win but as the contest approaches, things keep going wrong. A string of odd murders and suspicious people seem like a recipe for disaster. Delilah has to figure out the truth before something worse happens.

This was such a great sequel! It was so fun seeing the characters again and meeting new ones. This was a great follow-up, keeping the same sense of humor and fun as the first book. This is definitely a series to keep an eye on.

This had everything I look for in a cozy mystery: multiple suspects, multiple crimes, fast paced movement, logical law enforcement, and a cat! I loved the cast of characters and even though I haven’t read the first book, I don’t feel like I missed anything! You will want pizza while reading!

A wonderful cozy mystery with some lovely characters. Delilah is once again drawn into the middle of a murder mystery. Her relationship with police officer Capone is still in uncertain territory. The plot involves poisonings, guns for hire, and stolen money. It is an easy and fun book to read. Delilah and her friends are great characters to get to know.

This was such a fun cozy murder mystery (can I say that?)! As the second installation in the 'Deep Dish Mysteries' series, I found that it was good even as a standalone book. I have yet to read the first in the series, but will consider picking it up after reading this follow-up.

The cast of characters was what made this book so enjoyable to read. It is the perfect small town ensemble cast, and I really liked the interactions between everyone. I loved the dynamic between both Delilah and Sonya, and really enjoyed reading how they navigate their restaurant with life as well. Not to mention, it was interesting to read how Delilah found herself in a murder investigation!

Overall, this was an easy and enjoyable cozy mystery read. I was able to figure out some of the twists before they were revealed in the book, but that's what makes a cozy mystery a cozy mystery to me.

Another great mystery with Delilah, Butterball, Auntie Biz, and the hot cop, Capone. More murdery shenanigans & delicious food descriptions, this time with 2 dead bodies. As Delilah & Son try to get ready for the Taste of Wisconsin competition, they also have to deal with poisoned smoothies & ruthless gangsters, not to mention Butterball’s expanding girth.
I can’t wait for the next installment!

Delilah O’Leary is busy thinking up the perfect bratwurst deep dish pizza to enter in her town’s 25th Annual Taste Of Wisconsin Cook-Off competition. The winning entry will receive a hefty cash prize, an injection of funds Delilah’s elevated pizza restaurant desperately needs in order to stay afloat during the winter off-season. Her wealthy ex-fiance Sam VanMeter initially bankrolled the construction of Delilah & Son, but she’s refused to accept any more money from him since their admittedly amiable break up. Now her accounts are projected to slide into the red despite a fairly decent but not gangbusters summer season.

Delilah’s hopes for winning the competition take a nosedive when celebrity chef Graham Ulrich is announced as head judge. Delilah’s best friend and sous chef Sonya Perlman-Dokter had an ill-advised affair with Graham’s wife while working for him. When the notoriously bad-tempered chef found out, he dumped a pan of demi-glace on Sonya, ordered her out of the kitchen and blackballed her from the Chicago cooking scene.

While Chicago’s loss is Delilah’s gain, she hates the fact that Graham seems to be extending his vendetta against Sonya by tracking her down to her new job and city. If that weren’t bad enough, Delilah’s attempt at joint custody of her beloved cat Butterball is going poorly too, despite her and Sam’s best efforts. Delilah also doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that Sam already seems to be moving on with Jordan Watts, the owner of local smoothie store Juice Revolution. It’s while transferring custody of Butterball to Sam there one day that they witness a shocking death, as a client gulps down his drink and abruptly dies.

When Jordan becomes the poisoner’s next target, everyone goes on high alert. Is there a random poisoner at work in Geneva Bay, or is someone very cleverly concealing the identity of their intended victim with a shockingly callous amount of collateral damage? As the body count continues to rise, Delilah and her friends will have to race to uncover the murderer’s identity in order to save lives, and perhaps her own livelihood in the process.

This was a wonderfully layered cozy mystery that felt immensely realistic. From the complicated interpersonal relationships to the crushing money concerns, this felt like the tale of an actual business owner who happens to solve crimes on the side. Delilah was also far less abrasive than she was in the first book in the series, or at least more understandably so. I hope she continues to mellow out as the series progresses without losing her keen eye for detail and justice.

There were six recipes included, all written in the distinctive style of each recipe’s (fictional) contributor. I laughed out loud reading Mac’s entry, but absolutely had to try the recipe from Jarka, whom I adore:

QUOTE
Banitsa, a Bulgarian Cheese Pie

3 large eggs
250 g. natural Greek yogurt (1 c.)
7 g. of baking soda (1 tsp.)
400 g. finely crumbled feta cheese (2 c.)
15-20 phyllo pastry sheets
75 g. unsalted butter, melted (6 T.)

Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F. Make greasy a 9-inch pie plate with a little oil or melted butter.

Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat them not too hard.

Add yogurt and baking soda. Mix. Stir the feta cheese into mixture and stir with spoon.

Unroll phyllo pastry, then paint with melted butter on one phyllo sheet. Then, put two or three spoons full of egg-and-cheese mixture on top of this phyllo sheet. Spread the mixture around the center of the pastry dough. Gently for this, like you are stroking the cheek of very small, small baby or you will rip the dough.

Roll loosely the sheet of phyllo pastry up like a log, starting from long side, and place this into your pie plate making beautiful spiral shape like magnificent snail.

Keep doing this until you have done this with all of your pastry or you cannot fit any more pastry.

If you have left any melted butter, pour it on top and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden.

Leave to cool for 20 minutes before you cut the pieces. Serve with extra yogurt for the side, and also have a glass of fruit liqueur such as <i>rakia</i>.
END QUOTE

I was genuinely concerned that this pie’s lack of seasonings would mean a lack of flavor, but I was utterly wrong to worry. The sharpness of the feta contrasts beautifully with the mellow piquancy of the egg custard and the light flakiness of the phyllo, making for a dish that tasted perfectly complete. I didn’t even feel the need to add any black pepper, as is my wont.

I was also a little surprised by how much phyllo I didn’t use. I don’t believe I used even fifteen of the phyllo sheets, but I also lived dangerously and only used one per roll. My sheets definitely ripped in places while being rolled up, but it doesn’t super matter as long as the log holds together at least long enough to be properly positioned in the baking pan. This is a unique, pastry-forward dish that could easily substitute for a quiche or similar savory pie in the home chef’s repertoire. I really liked it.

Next week, we head back to the East Coast to investigate a murder on the set of a “reality” show while whipping up a delicious Italian-adjacent dish. Do join me!

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in Mindy Quigley's Deep Dish cozy Mystery series.

The story is set in a Wisconsin pizzeria and the main character Delilah is trying to keep the business open and she is trying to win the cash in the contest for "Taste of Wisconsin".

I absolutely LOVE her cat Butterball, her best friend and her great aunt.

There is a murder and Delilah and her crew investigate.

I absolutely loved the characters, and the mystery was so good. Lots of twists and turns.

Can't wait for the next book in the series.

This book was just as good as the first one! Great build up to the mystery and I had no idea who did it. So surprised! Calvin and Delilah worked well together, I really hope they get a happily ever after! Some big changes are coming in Delilah's life and I can't wait to see how she handles them. I have some suspicions as to what might happen in the next book, but I'm not 100% sure. Waiting impatiently for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

This book is the second book in a series centered around a pizzeria in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Two best friends are partners in the business. To help boost their income during the off-season for tourism, the pizzaria will be participating in a Taste of Wisconsin cook-off. I love that there is a culinary contest as part of the plot. The preparations were interesting to read about, but I wish more time could have been spent during the actual competition.

I enjoyed the book overall, but I think I would have liked it more if I had read the first book in the series. There are a lot of characters and it took me quite a while to figure out who everyone was, which took away from my enjoyment of the book. I was sometimes confused by why characters were acting in a certain way because I didn't know their background. I liked the friendship between Delilah and Sonya and the banter between them. I think Delilah's adorable cat Butterball is my favorite character of the story. I didn't care for some of the judgmental comments made about a few of the characters and it put me off at first (such as making fun of Jarka's accent). The murder investigation ends up being more complex than it first looked and I liked the way things turned out. The ending helps make up for the slow start and it sets up a very interesting development for future books. Fans of this popular series will enjoy this latest installment. (3.5/3.75 stars rounded up to 4)

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

4.5 stars

My brain has been filled with paranormal fantasy lately, which is awesome, but I was in the mood for a little break. So this came at exactly the right time. When I'm looking for a cozy mystery, this is the kind I like! There's food, interesting characters, small-town living (but near a big city), and a murder mystery that I can sometimes figure out (I did this time). If I met these people in person, I might not like Delilah upon first meeting her, but over the first two books, I've warmed up to her and I really want her and her family of misfits to succeed.

In this book, it's been a few months since the first book, and after Sam and Delilah officially break up, you know she's struggling to keep her restaurant afloat. Delilah and her aunt are both super stubborn, much to the chagrin of those who care about them, but I do like that despite the friction between them because they are exactly alike, they KNOW that the other loves them and that's part of what I love about this book. With every family, there are going to be tough times, but the bottom line is that you would do anything for your loved one. Delilah and her restaurant staff have become a family and I love that her restaurant has such a diverse group of characters. Janka was a fun addition to this story and I look forward to learning more about her in future books.

On paper, Sam is the best boyfriend in the world, and one might close this book and be reinforced in that opinion. Still, he also has his faults, something he freely admits in the end, and I have to respect that. That said, I love Detective Capone and I look forward to more possibilities between him and Delilah in future books.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher and NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.