I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

DNF at 36%. A lot of good potential in this one and I thought the setting and time period were interesting, but for me personally I was unable to invest more interest and time in this one.

I wanted to love this one or at least enjoy reading the mystery because I've never read one that focused on a an Polish American family food. While I loved the mystery and the family. The heroine the one who is working to solve the mystery and the person who's head the reader is in for the whole book got on my nerves. I couldn't find one thing I liked about her. Leaving no way to see myself reading any other books in the series.

My husband is Polish so I’m familiar with the food and the area of upstate New York Lydia lives in. While I loved the setting and the premise of the book, I had a difficult time getting through this one. There’s a lot of description about nothing and so much filler to wade through that I couldn’t find the actual story. I knew who was going to get killed and I knew early on who did it so rest was left to character development, which there wasn’t much of. It might just be because it’s the first in the series so I will try the next one.

New author for me. Loved reading this book. Had good memories reading it. My grandmother was the same way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

This was one of my toughest cozy mysteries to rate this year. I veered from 2 -star to 4-star at different points in the book. And here's why it came down so low where it did:

I highly enjoyed that atmosphere and cozy vibes. I also enjoyed the characters. The Buffalo setting and Eastern European foods made me so happy as an upstate New Yorker.

But...there's always a but. I knew who dun-it right from the beginning. So there was no interest in unraveling anything. There were some interesting side stories with the characters...but no red herrings and the side stories I felt, while making me enjoy the characters...did not do anything for the "mystery" part. I felt it was very un-mysterious the whole way.

In fact, the main character is a horrible investigator. She drove me a little nutty second guessing herself and pushing things "off" that would have driven the plot forward. If it's important...get it done. Progress the plot and maybe give us some doubts on the culprit.

There is so much to build on here, this was a great intro to a new series...I just hope it builds up the mysteries a bit more in the future.

Thank you to Severn House publishing and NetGalley for this ARC

'm half Polish; did you honestly believe I would pass on a series called the Kielbasa Queen and a title like Kielbasa Killer? Although she has several series in print, this was a new author to me. In this first Kielbasa Queen murder mystery, we meet Lydia Wienewski, who lives in a very Polish community near Buffalo, NY. The story is set in 1982, a time I remember well (I was 17 in 1982, and grew up in a very Polish community in northern NJ; see why I had to read this book?). Lydia has recently returned home from attending baking school out of state, and her father has recently suffered a stroke, so she's deferred her plans to open her own bakery and is running the family butcher shop. Kudos to Ms. Krotow--except for one fact, she nailed what it's like to live in a Polish family in a Polish town. She even got the cross-cultural marriages correct: int hat part of the country, and in my own family, several Poles married Italians, just like Lydia's Italian grandmother married her Polish grandfather. The one mistake: Poles do not eat meat on Holy Saturday, and the author has Lydia and her family eat lasagna that night; she specifically does not say meatless lasagna. It's a Polish thing: we don't eat meat Good Friday or Holy Saturday, and we don't eat meat Christmas Eve. Other than that, I could have sworn I was reading about my family and neighborhood in New Jersey. As to the mystery, it's not the hardest to solve, Minor typos: Chapter 1, it would be a cinch to do it, not a clutch to do it. Minor inconsistencies: Chapter 5: she's just found a dead body and for some reason, she thinks her family are the main suspects (there's no way in heck they are, despite the location of the dead body upon discovery, but again this is used as a weak ploy to get our amateur detective investigating), and all she can do is barely resist the urge to swivel in a vinyl chair? We get it, Ms. Krotow, you've got all the details right, you don't have to hit us over the head with actions like this that would make no sense to someone really panicking over fear of an imminent arrest. I also disliked her assumption that the reason she was being told she shouldn't investigate the murder was because she was a woman when it's because she's a civilian; again, another weak plot point in my eyes. But despite these and a few other little things, I enjoyed the book. It's so evocative of a time and place I know well, and remember fondly, that it was taking a time machine back with Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. Recommended

Dollycas's Thoughts

Set in New York in 1982 right before Easter, Lydia Wienewski puts her dreams of opening a Polish-American cafe and bakery on hold to run the family business, Wienewski's Weiners & Meats, while her father recovers from a stroke. Easter is a big holiday for kielbasa and Lydia has prepared plenty. But when she goes to get the meat that she prepared in the family's private smoker she finds her father's meat supplier, Louie McDaniel, dead with family heirloom sausage picker stuck in his neck. A man who had been shaking her down for money just hours earlier. Lydia and the rest of her family top the list of suspects so Lydia and her Grandma Mary decide they must catch the killer on their own to save themselves and the family business.

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I thought the theme of the book was unique so I was excited to read it but it just didn't really work for me.

The characters felt flat. This Polish family needed a lot more development so that I could find someone to root for. Lydia and her grandmother live together in a flat over her parent's garage. Her grandmother was very supportive of her dream and even invested so she could get the property she wanted but apparently, the family meat business was in the red. This just felt strange to me. Why use the money to start a new business when a current business is failing? The failure did play a part in solving the mystery but it still felt off. Also, Lydia is a worrier, big time. I was assuming she is in her twenties but at times she came across as much older. I thought the grandmother would be a character I could get behind and of all the characters she was my favorite but she lacked depth.

The murder mystery was a very easy solve. I pegged the killer early in the story. Lydia and her grandma's investigation was all over the place, more than almost any other amateur sleuth I have read in their first go at searching out a killer. There was also one huge clue that someone should have caught immediately especially a family immersed in a butchering business for as long as the people in this family. Heck, I knew it from biology classes in school.

I found the Polish theme interesting and I did enjoy learning more about Polish culture and the food, but I just wanted more.

Now, this book could be hindered by what I call "first-book-itus". This is when the author has to introduce a whole slate of characters and encase them in a mystery that will keep the pages turning all in a certain number of pages. With this book coming in at just over 200 pages there isn't a lot of room to do that. I think if the author had come closer to the 300-page mark the mystery could have been more complex and the characters could have been more fleshed out.

The Kielbasa Killer was okay. I would be open to reading another book in this series in hopes that the characters would be more fully developed and that mystery was more complicated.

If you like magical little villages with scenic coastal views, you will not find these in this cozy mystery set in Buffalo NY. But instead you will find that the nostalgia of this cozy little community in 1980s Buffalo NY more than makes up for the lack of scenic views with genuine realistic characters and a lot of heart.

In the Kielbasa Killer, Lydia is busy running her dad’s shop Wienewski’s Weiners and Meats over the busy Easter weekend when she finds the dead body of their meat supplier. Even worse, the body is found in the family smoker, making Lydia and her family the prime suspects. Inspired by their favorite detective shows, Lydia and her grandma, Mary, team up to catch the killer and clear the family’s name in this delightful cozy mystery.

I did not know anything about Cheektowaga or Buffalo before reading this book. I’m from Chicago with lithuanian and German ancestry, so a mystery involving polish American food immediately interested me. This book felt like I was stepping right into Lydia’s family and close community. The writing is so descriptive and immersive, that when I would take a break from reading this book I’d be surprised that it was summer in Illinois and not Easter in New York! It really transports you.

The plot itself was also really fun, and fast paced. Lydia and Grandma’s investigating skills were surprisingly good and more importantly laugh out loud hilarious! Grandma Mary was my favorite character for sure, she was so funny and feisty! Reminded me of my own grandma. There is a small amount of cursing/bad language in the story, which I found refreshing, but some people may not like. Also I really enjoyed Lydia leaning on her family and her high school best friends for help, it made me wonder who I would pick to solve a murder with me. This was a really well written cozy mystery and I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A new to me author and cozy series, a solid mystery i thoroughly enjoyed. There's not a lot of books set in the Polish world and this one was well done made me learn something new.
A solid mystery that kept me guessing, likeable and fleshed out characters.
I want to read other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The 1980s setting is really well done. It is done subtly to remind you every so often when it is. The Weinewski family is a wonderful family and Lydia is working hard to keep everyone going. I really appreciate the way people around Lydia support her. The mystery was well done. There weren’t that many clues about who it was, but I was pleased by the end of the book. The Polish food and culture was a good interesting addition to set this cozy mystery apart. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Geri Krotow and Severn House for the advanced copy of this book. The Kielbasa Killer was 100% my type of cosy murder mystery novel and I’m looking forward to further books in the series. I’ve never read anything set in the Polish American community before so I really loved gaining that insight and I just love Mary as a character!

Lydia and her grandmother Mary find themselves hunting for the killer of Louie- because they're worried that their family will be the main suspect in the investigation. It's a classic cozy, I like the idea of a kielbasa shop and of the lead character working with her grandmother but this was just a tad too all over the place for me, Those who like boisterous characters will enjoy Mary, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious to see what the next installment will hold.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of The Kielbasa Killer, the first novel to feature Lydia Wienewski, set in Cheektowaga, New York in 1982.

Lydia is about to realise her dream by opening a restaurant and bakery, but in the meantime she is managing her father’s sausage shop while he recovers from a stroke. She’s dealing with supplies for the Easter rush and one particularly problematic supplier, Louie McDaniel, when she finds him dead in the family’s smoker with an antique sausage pricier in his neck. Not only that she’s the prime suspect.

I’m always happy to try a new series so I picked the Kielbasa Killer to get in at the start. Unfortunately it isn’t quite to my taste, but I did finish it. It runs along the same lines as the Stephanie Plum novels with Lydia involving her man mad grandmother, Mary, in her investigations, but it’s not as inventive or funny.

The plot consists of Lydia and Mary running around trying to solve the murder and get the family off the hook as suspects. They aren’t particularly adept at investigating and tend to jump to conclusions while attempting some fairly silly field work. It’s chaotic and I think that many readers will enjoy their efforts at sleuthing, but it’s a bit twee for me. The solution is easily guessable and fairly predictable, given what goes before.

The novel is told from Lydia’s point of view and she’s a worrier. The whole novel is driven by her need to shed any suspicion attached to her family and get the business solvent - apparently being a murder suspect keeps the customers away.

The Kielbasa Killer is a light hearted read that will appeal to readers looking for some easy entertainment.

Lydia Wienewski has taken over her family business during her father’s recovery from a stroke. Easter is only days away and Lydia is making sure the community has all of the hams and kielbasa they will need to feed their families. She adds extra kielbasa to the smokehouse in the family's backyard. When she goes to pack up the meat Lydia trips over something on the floor, and unfortunately discovers her meat supplier dead.

This first in a series book by Geri Krotow follows Lydia’s snooping to clear her and her family of killing Lousie McDaniel. I loved this story. The characters were interesting and developed well. The plot moves at a steady pace and I was engaged from the first page. The setting of spring in Buffalo, NY is very similar to the area I live, including the large Polish population and is a part of the story. When I finished this book I was ready for more of Lydia and her family and friends. Her Grandmother is fabulous! I will definitely look for Book 2. I recommend this book.

This was a well written and fully developed narrative. It was maybe a little too narrtive heavy for me as a reader. I felt at times that I was slogging through too many details to get to the end. Definitely an interesting take on a food themed cozy.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me and I DNF at 50%.

The premise sounded great and the book name is *chef's kiss* but I didn't warm to Lydia or her grandmother. And when Lydia didn't know that a dead body doesn't bleed, despite running the family butcher shop, I was done.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Severn House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Severn House.

The Kielbasa Killer by Geri Krowtow is the first book in the Kielbasa Queen Mystery series. This was a super fun who-dun-it! It sure kept me guessing. I really liked the characters, especially amateur sleuth Lydia Wienewski and her cohort Grandma Mary. I liked how they thoughtfully followed the clues they discovered. This is a great beginning to the series.

The first in a new cozy series about a sausage shop owner. Lydia is excited to be expanding her family’s business by opening a Polish cafe and bakery. However, things go wrong when she finds their meat supplier murdered. Lydia must investigate to save her family’s business.

This was ok for me as a first entry. I feel like the first few chapters could’ve introduced us better to Lydia. I don’t feel like I really connected with the protagonist like I do with a lot of cozy mysteries.

First in a new series. Lydia Wienewski is running the family owned Polish-American business while her dad recovers from a stroke. But when meat supplier is found dead next to the family owned smoker with a sausage pricker in his neck, suspicion falls on Lydia. It's up to Lydia and her grandma Mary to find the real killer. A fun read. The characters are promising. I'm Interested in seeing how the series develops. Thanks #netgalley and #SevernHouse for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.