Working as a firefighter in a small town means there is always the chance you'll know the victims and this is obviously even worse if there is a fatality. Val Deniston, manager of the local sports cafe, is dismayed when her boyfriend Bram, the newest volunteer at the fire station, finds himself in that position. After a second body is discovered it it also seems as if at least one if not both victims were murdered.

When Val's grandfather tells her he also knows one of those who died, via the drama group he and Bram both attend, Val knows she has to intervene before anyone else dies. With the play's future in doubt Val finds herself drafted in to take over the now vacant role which means she can at least ask questions and observe everyone's reactions. With clues leading to a new spa about to open in town and secrets from the past threatening the present can Val and her grandfather find the killer before they strike again?

Book nine in this series is another fun visit with Val Deniston and her grandad in a murder mystery which has obviously been well researched and had all sorts of twists and turns. There are also, as usual, recipes at the end of the book all of which play a part in the story and sound lovely.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is a nice addition to this very good series.

A Parfait Crime is the delightfully done ninth book in Maya Corrigan’s Five-Ingredient cozy mystery series. The series features café manager Val Deniston and her recipe columnist grandfather who live together and solve mysteries on the side – in this one Val joins the cast of The Mousetrap after one of the cast members dies in a house fire. Val takes her place in the play but when it looks like the victim was murdered, she and her grandfather start investigating. The mystery was well done with just the right amount of suspects but what I really loved about this book were the references to Agatha Christie which were well done with no spoilers about The Mousetrap – even the part where the killer was revealed was an homage to Christie. So well done – it kept me up past my bed time as I was finishing it!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

What a delight. Just like Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", it kept me guessing until the end. The author does an excellent job weaving modern day murder into the framework of "The Mousetrap," all without giving away its ending, either. As a once-upon-a-time theater buff, both on and off-stage, I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions of the cast and how the casting put main character Val's relationship with Bram in the spotlight, so to speak. Her novice stage actress questions do an excellent job of letting readers unfamiliar with theater understand what is going on, too, as well as the frequent terminology. I'd also forgotten Bram's magic skills, so that was a fun surprise. I did feel like I was right there in the theater with them, especially since doing a reading of a play can be just as stressful and require almost as much preparation as acting it out, a reminder of the teamwork/community of actors needed to make it work. That the play was a known classic would have added that much more pressure. Toss in murder and, well, real murder, and things were definitely stressful.

I won't belabor the plot, however. The blurb does an excellent job of that and, well, like the mystery of the play, I don't want to give away too much. I'll just say the plot flowed, with occasional pauses that involved food (have snacks handy as you read) and interactions between the characters. I give kudos to author Maya Corrigan for her obvious attention to detail and research that made it all come together. The various characters felt like people we might want to as friends and the five-ingredient recipes at the end will help you deal with the hunger the food sections will create. In the meantime, you'll learn more about the connections between the regular characters, not to mention even some birding expertise.

One of the things I most appreciated was the inclusion of how our protectors and rescuers are supported in dealing with the trauma that they may encounter on any given day. I mean, let's face it, it has to be traumatic to find not just a dead body from a house fire but a skeletal body in the same house in a freezer. Nope, not explaining. You'll just have to read the book. Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for giving me a sneak peek at Val and Granddad's world. I thoroughly enjoyed it and how everyone pulled together to solve crimes. And, loved the ending!

Val and her grandpa are back in another fantastic installment of the 5 ingredient murder mysteries.

 #AParfaitCrime #NetGalley kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
As her grandpa and his friends rehearse for the play, The Mousetrap, Val finds herself involved in the play, and another real life murder investigation.
I like Val a lot, her character is down to earth, has qualities that I would like in a person, and following her along on another adventure is always a pleasure.
I loved the ending of the book and I can't wait to see what they cook up in the next book by Maya Corrigan.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Maya Corrigan's latest novel, "A Parfait Crime" was a good read in her Five-Ingredient Mystery series (book 9).