In this 8th book in the Cook-Off Mystery series, Sherry needs to come up with her own version of international cuisine. She qualified with an African Stew (recipe included) and now has to come up with something that will wow the judges.

While considering what to make, Sherry agrees to be interviewed by her good friend, Patti. The subject is her favorite kitchen tool. In Sherry’s case, this is a simple wooden spoon. Others were interviewed on their favorite kitchen tool as well.... including the cook-off judges.

The next morning Sherry gets a call from Patti saying that her boyfriend had been murdered. Things get very complicated when Sherry realizes the boyfriend's brother is sponsoring the cook-off and two of the judges are friends of the brothers. Accusations are flying and some don't even think Patti's boyfriend is really dead.

Of course, it's all sorted out in the end.

I've read and enjoyed several books in this series. This one had the same great family and friends but unfortunately was more challenging to follow.

Includes recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!

#ServingUpSpite

A week's stint in teaching gardening had Sherry in a joyful mood. It also opened her to a new culinary cuisine from Iceland. When her friend’s boyfriend went missing, and it became a murder investigation, Sherry couldn’t avoid getting in the mix of things. It was an intriguing, captivating, and entertaining read.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sherry is once more competing in another cook off but there is much more going on besides trying to come up with a spin on an international dish. She is also getting sucked into another murder investigation. A man who is not the guy he pretends to be disappears and then is found murdered at the bottom of a frozen lake. There are plenty of suspects with grievances including the deceased’s brother, Thomas, who also happens to be a sponsor of the cook-off and Sherry’s friend, Patti.

The two brothers are from Iceland and Thomas is using his newspaper as a sledgehammer trying to force changes upon their community that many people do not want. There is considerable acrimony between the two sides and the blow ups are distracting from the real problem- finding a killer and getting justice for the victim.

Sherry is not a character who gets embroiled in an investigation and locks horns with the local police. In fact, after a shaky start, she and Ray, the detective, have formed an association whereby they work together to solve crimes. It is a rather refreshing twist. It makes for an easy and enjoyable read. Four purrs and two paws up.

Storyline lacked details and tended to drag on in spots. The characters were interesting and I would try other books if there is more or this becomes a series

Serving Up Spite

A Cook-off Mystery #8

By: Devon Delaney

Publish Date: 14 November 2023

Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing

Cooking, Food and Wine/ Mystery and Thrillers

#ServingUpSpite#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

A simple wooden spoon stirs up a tantalizing puzzle in the new Cook-Off Mystery . . .With international cuisine on the menu for her next cook-off, Sherry Oliveri experiments with one dish after another looking for that perfect killer recipe. But her competitive drive gets put on the back burner when her friend Patti calls in her new boyfriend has vanished, and signs of foul play suggest he may have been killed. Then the police begin investigating the disappearance as a murder, and they’ve got Patti pegged as the main suspect. Still, the man’s body has yet to be found, and that in itself has Sherry wondering. Slipping out of her apron and into her sleuthing cap, she learns that the man had serious money problems and was even dating Patti while he was still married. Did he fake his own death to get out of a jam? Determined to find the truth and get her friend off the hook, Sherry follows the clues until they come together like the perfect meal—until one final surprise brings her face-to-face with a killer . . .Includes recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!

Book Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. This is the second book I have read in this series. I still haven’t read the first book, but you really don’t need to read the books in order in order to understand what is happening. The author does a great job in giving you enough information to stay connected to the characters. I really enjoy the friendships and family relationships in this book. I love how Sherry wants to help her friend Patty and how she stands behind her no matter what.

In this book her sister comes for a visit. During a podcast interview Marla, Sherry’s sister gets to know some of the judges for an upcoming cook-off. Sherry meets the judges after her interview and learns a little about them. Sherry has picked her favorite cooking utensil as a wooden spoon and one of the judges talks about the tradition of the wooden spoon from his native land of Iceland.

Unfortunately, this judge later goes missing and her friend Patty is under investigation for his disappearance. Can Sherry help her friend?

I will have to say this book did seem to drag in parts and took a lot longer to get the results than I would have liked but the story was interesting, and I learned about some things about Iceland.

This was a cozy mystery. I liked the story. I found myself really enjoying the part of the book when Icelandic culture and tradition were discussed.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of, Serving Up Spite, by Devon Delaney, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 8 of 8 in A cook off mysteries. Sherry Oliveri is looking for a killer recipe, not to kill but to win. Then Patti's boyfriend goes missing but was he murdered. A nice cozy mystery, great series.

Thank you NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Serving Up Spite is the latest book in the Cook-Off Mystery series. Sherry Oliveri, the main character, is once again investigating. This time, she has to clear her friend Patti's name, as she is accused of murder. Also, Sherry's sister Marla is present and she lends a hand. The storyline is interesting and it was difficult to put the book down, as I wanted to know more. Also great, newcomers to the series will not feel lost or confused will reading the book. Very enjoyable!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of SERVING UP SPITE (Book 8 of the Cook-Off mystery series) by Devon Delaney in exchange for an honest review. Sherry Oliveri is participating in another cook-off and another murder investigation. The host of a popular podcast, Patti Mellit, asks Sherry, as a local celebrity, to give an interview in anticipation of the upcoming cook-off. After Sherry, Patti interviewed the judges for the cook-off, including Patti’s new boyfriend. When Patti’s boyfriend disappears, Patti becomes a person of interest in the investigation, so Patti asks Sherry to help her out by finding out what really happened.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring food, family, and competitions.

#ServingUpSpite #NetGalley

While preparing for her next, cook off, Sherry received a call from her friend Patti whose boyfriend has gone missing. While it appears, he may have met a tragic ending, nobody means no proof. This means Sherry is on the case. Especially when Patti becomes a suspect.

Did Patti cook up murder, or will Sherry be able to decompose and figure out what’s really happened and Claire her friend? Or has Sherry seen the last of her cook off days?

I adore this series. Every time I read a new entry in this series I feel like I’m visiting old friends. An extremely likable and relatable protagonist along with a solid mystery. Every single time is what keeps me coming back for more. This is one taste you series!

Serving Up Spite is book #8 in the Cook-Off Mystery series by Devon Delaney.

I really enjoyed catching up with Sherry Oliveri again. The characters are well-written. If I don’t like the main characters, reading becomes a chore instead of fun. This was a fun read. There was discussion about old vs new which riled up people in town. Sherry’s investigation to clear her friend Patti’s name was interesting and kept me guessing. I like how everything wrapped up.

Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is the first Devon Delaney mystery I have read. She is a new to me author. The main protagonist, Sherry Oliveri makes her living working at The Ruggery, her father's store, and entering cook-offs. Her sister from Oklahoma is visiting during the story.

The location of this series is Connecticut. An extended family has relocated from Iceland to the surrounding area. One of them, Thomas Hulguverson, heads a newspaper that is extremely opinionated. The newspaper’s slant is that Sherry’s town is resistant to change and will perish in the near future if it cannot keep up with changing trends.

Thomas’ brother Sigmund disappears and everyone is eager to write it off as he has runaway with the help of Sherry’s friend, Patti Mellit.

As circumstances develop, the police find Sig’s body.

I liked the well-written story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. There were plenty of suspects.

I was given an advanced e-copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

I re-read the whole series in anticipation of reading this book, and I have to say, the series as a whole is like a warm hug on cold day. I love the whole Oliveri family and this mystery doesn't disappoint! Marla's come to visit and I love it when she's in town. I also love Patti (and while I was like 'Oh no, Patti's not a killer of course Sherry has to investigate') and did like to see her centered in a mystery. It was fun to see a bit more of Patti! I did also enjoy the discourse around progress vs. tradition. It's a conversation that many towns and cities around the world are having, especially in places that have a long and/or proud history. Devon Delany did a great job of contextualizing both sides of the conversation and also did a great job of also pointing out the sensationalism of this conversation by the media (on both sides). All in all, made for a enjoyable read and can't wait for the next book!

recipes, Connecticut, pet-cat, small-town, small-business, cozy-mystery, friendship, amateur-sleuth, cooking, podcaster, disappearance, siblings, family, family-business, family-dynamics, Icelanders, cookoff, search-and-rescue, murder-investigation****

Her friend's new boyfriend disappears and some think that he faked his death for one reason or other, but the S&R and Cadaver dogs prove it to be otherwise. What a mess for Sherry to untangle.
The publisher's blurb covers the major basics, but the characters are much more interesting, and the plot has more than enough surprises to keep my attention to the end.
I requested and received an EARC from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you

Sherry Oliveri makes her living working at her father's store, The Ruggery, and entering cook-offs in her spare time. While giving a week-long lecture about gardening at a school, she learns that one of the students' father is the owner of a new newspaper in town. A newspaper that is riling up the townspeople with talk of modernizing her small town. Most people are happy with the way it is, and they don't like the interference of someone who has recently moved here from Iceland.

To make matters worse, Sherry discovers that her friend Patti Mellit is dating the man's brother -- at least until Sig disappears. Now she's suspected of murdering him, even though there's no body. She didn't even know he was married until recently, and Sherry doesn't think that's a motive. So, when Patti asks for her help, she can't say no. Not to mention she has to concentrate on the cook-off, sponsored by the rival newspaper; and her boyfriend Don is acting around her. Sherry has a lot of pots on the fire, and she'll be lucky if none of them get her burned...

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have loved them all. This time out Sherry is trying her hand at international cuisine, and also trying to solve a murder. Even her cop friend Ray Bease knows why she's doing it, and he knows cautioning her isn't going to change anything. At least her sister Marla is in town to help out, so that's a plus.

When Sherry starts looking for clues, she notices that there's one constant (which I won't mention here as you will find out when you read the book), and that sets her to thinking that the murderer might be someone involved in the cook-off. But which person? When she's confronted by a PI that Sig's wife hired, who's convinced Patti had something to do with the murder, she refuses to work with the woman. But it's not that easy, and the more they discover, the harder it becomes to determine the killer.

In the end, this was a twisted tale that hinged on that one constant, and it all comes together nicely after all. The reasons for the murder only make sense to the murderer (but that's the way it usually is, right?) and the ending gives us a nice satisfaction. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next. Recommended.

I love cozy mysteries and this is book #8 in the cooking series - and the first one that I have read. I'm surprised I hadn't read any of the books yet. I quite enjoyed it. The main character, her friends and fellow investigators are enjoyable to read - and great character development. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Sherry is a busy woman with lots going on. Along with her boyfriend Don, her sister Marla and her friend Patti they will all have to work together to solve a murder. This is a really fun read, all about cook offs and murder. The wonderful descriptions of the locale and food, made me hungry for a visit and a meal. I will definitely look for more from this author.

A cosy cooking mystery set in what becomes a divided town - to stay true to its historical origins or to be moved into the 21st century. There seems to be no mix possible. Missing boyfriend eventually turns up dead but so does his wife and a private investigator. He's a mover, the girlfriend an historical supporter. Cooking sleuth Sherry, very much of the historical bent, puts on her investigative apron whilst devising fantastic recipes and preparing her menu for some major cook-off. The characters are well drawn, there are rather few suspects making it a light read. Not much concentration needed but a pleasant enough read for a dark evening in front of the fire. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was a completely enjoyable cozy mystery. I loved the main character, and her interactions with her friends and fellow "sleuths". Lots of great dialogue, fun memories, and a truly fun mystery. I recommend to cozy mystery lovers.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****