Member Reviews
Another enjoyable installment in one of my favorite cozy series. The mystery was interesting. I will say I wasn’t a fan of the cussing in the story and could have done without that. I really liked the Christmastime setting of the story and the title is definitely a cute play on words. All in all, I am wanting more books in this series!
Wow Auntie Biz sure went through a nice transformation during the Christmas season. She was actually nice lol and didn't even complain about Butterball the cat. There were so many secrets and little side stories but they all sorta contributed or were related to the main murder case.
In a surprising reveal of some of those secrets, a satisfying showdown followed. Now Delilah and her team could gather in their favorite thing to do: feed people and be with those they loved on Christmas Day which was an awesome gathering of family, friends and of course, great food.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.
The next in the Deep Dish mystery series finds Delilah and crew catering a big event. When a woman from the event ends up murdered, Delilah finds many of her friends and loved ones are under suspicion.
This one started a little slow but then it picked up. We got a LOT of side character development, which was fine (it wasn’t too much, just emphasizing that most characters got some sort of movement). I’m intrigued to see if Shea becomes a recurring character now. I’m looking forward to seeing where Delilah’s mysteries go next!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Mindy Quigley for providing this advance reader copy (ARC) of the book. I'm leaving my honest review below.
Lots of family drama, an unlikeable female lead, and no dead body until chapter 7. I'm not a fan. The 2 stars is for the plot, which had a lot of promise, and having a fat orange cat. Like a good who-dun-it there were red herrings and enough characters to keep you guessing. The family drama was a lot to deal with, it was like the Christmas we all dread. The lead, Delilah, is such a mess I took an instant dislike to her. She's a perfectionist with no self-esteem who takes every comment the wrong way, actually 5 wrong ways. Don't get me started on her sister and boring relationship with the boyfriend. Her inner monologs were torture. The wrap-up took a long time to happen after the crime being discussed over and over. Tying up loose ends was an epilog without a big arrest scene.
#NetGalley #SleepinHeavenlyPizza #DeepDishMysteries #MindyQuigley #MinotaurBooks #mystery #cozymystery #culinarymystery
If you're looking for a holiday mystery, this one fits the bill perfectly. Delilah and her friends are always fun to spend time with and the book opens with her staff catering a Chrismukkah house party that ends with a death (but at least they're not snowed in with a killer the way they were in the previous book!) It's an enjoyable read with an ending that I never would have expected. Be sure not to skip the recipes at the end -- they're written by the characters and full of personality!
When Delilah O’Leary agreed to cater the Chrismukkah house party for the Hoffmans, she thought it would be a fun evening of holiday bites and her signature deep dish pizzas from her restaurant Delilah & Son. She brought her staff as well as the food to make sure everything went smoothly. Sous chef Sonya Perlman-Doktor (the Son in the restaurant’s name) keeps everything running smoothly in the kitchen. Melody and Rabbit worked the room, serving tasty treats hot from the oven and taking away empty plates and glasses. Bartender Daniel was making drinks and keeping the women happy with his good looks and Puerto Rican charm. Everything was going smoothly.
Until it wasn’t.
Rabbit goes missing, and Delilah goes looking for him outside, in case he stepped out for a cigarette. Following his footsteps in the newly fallen snow, she ends up going around the house to the front door. She goes upstairs to see if that’s where he is. Instead, she bumps into a party guest, Natasha La Cotti, who is rude to her. Delilah doesn’t find Rabbit so she heads back downstairs, where she bumps into her brother-in-law Jonathan. Delilah is shocked, as her sister Shea had told her they couldn’t make it to Wisconsin for the holidays. Jonathan explains that he has some business friends there, and that his daughter Piper was there also, with her sorority sister Hadley Hoffman.
Delilah is happy to see him and her niece but upset that no one had told her that they were coming to Geneva Bay. Jonathan is just as surprised to see her there, but when she explains that she was catering, he said he’d remembered something about her moving there to open a restaurant. She invites them to the restaurant the next day for brunch, and then it’s time for her to clean up and get everything back to the restaurant.
It’s not until the next day, when the snow sculptors were getting ready to start on their gigantic snow artworks that the dead woman was found in one of the piles of snow. The woman turned out to be Natasha La Cotti, who Delilah had met briefly the night before. But the discovery of the crime meant that Delilah’s time with her boyfriend, detective Calvin Capone, the great-grandson of legendary gangster Al Capone, is cut short. Capone has to investigate, and all his suspects were at the Hoffman’s party the night before.
Now that Delilah knows that a woman was killed, possibly at the party she catered, and that the suspects include her employees and her brother-in-law, she can’t stop herself from looking into the crimes herself. In between holiday celebrations, busy nights working at the restaurant, and spending time with her Aunt Biz and cat Butterball, Delilah barely has time to question her suspects and try to keep her family and friends out of jail. And when her sister Shea does show up with their youngest, Caleb, Delilah really doesn’t understand what’s going on. She knows Shea is lying to her, but she doesn’t know why. The closer Delilah gets to the answers, the more she wonders just who it is she’s going to find at the end of her investigation.
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is book four in Mindy Quigley’s Deep Dish Mystery series, and it’s just as appetizing as the others in this series. With smart writing and strong characters, this murder mystery is baked with a tasty crust, tangy marinara sauce, and plenty of melty cheese. The food descriptions are delectable, and the investigation is just as packed with secrets and red herrings as the pizza is with delicious toppings.
Despite my cheesy description (sorry), I had a lot of fun reading Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. The relationships that Delilah has built with her friends are as interesting as the murder investigation, and her burgeoning relationship with Detective Capone adds a nice balance to the story. There are even recipes at the end of the book for the Tear-and-Share Christmas Tree Pizza Bread, Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts, Imperfectly Perfect Latkes, and Puerto Rican Eggnog, so you can create some of Delilah & Son’s holiday deliciousness in your own kitchen.
Egalleys for Sleep in Heavenly Pizza were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fourth book in the Deep Dish Mystery series. The mystery takes place during the holidays, with special events such as a snow sculpting championship and a Christmukkah event. Delilah, Sonya and Butterball the cat are great characters that really make the book fun to read. Ms. Quigley really knows how to make sure that readers get wrapped up in a great mystery that they will enjoy and remember. This series keeps getting better with every new book. I absolutely enjoyed reading Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. Perfect holiday themed cozy mystery!
A foodie contemporary cozy, it took a few chapters before the pace of the story balanced out (that could be because this one is not the first in the series but it was the first one I had read). I love the pizza and various cheese recipes sprinkled throughout the story, but I'm not sure I could relate to some of the characters (except the cat). If you enjoyed other books in this series, you'll likely love this one too. I do think I'll go back and read the first novel though.
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Delilah’s invitation to her sister to join her, Biz and Butterball at Christmas is once again summarily declined. Dreams of a close family get-together are only alive in curmudgeon Biz’s manic holiday spirit. So when she runs into her brother in law and niece at a house party she’s catering, surprised does not come close. The party is a smash until the daughter of the hosts has a drunken tantrum that sends the guests for their coats. But this is but the beginning of the strange things that will play out over the next several days. And if that was not bad enough, two of her staff and her relatives are knee deep in the mire. Or perhaps I should say snow because that is where a frozen body is going to show up. And the deceased had lots to do with every single person about whom Delilah cares.
Filled with dysfunctional family drama and intrigues, there were enough twists and unexpected turns to entertain. Four purrs and two paws up.
Title: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza
Author: Mindy Quigley
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Pizza chef Delilah O’Leary and her kitty companion, Butterball, get into the holiday spirit as Geneva Bay, Wisconsin hosts the nation’s premier snow sculpting championship. The annual event transforms the charming resort town into a wonderland of snow castles, ice rinks, and cozy cups of cocoa. On the eve of the festival though, a too-good-to-be-true Chrismukkah catering gig brings some frosty tidings and heralds an unexpected visit from Delilah’s high-intensity older sister. Suddenly it seems that the holidays may not be the hap-happiest season of all. And when a missing party guest’s frozen corpse turns up inside one of the town's snowy sculptures, murder threatens to put the celebrations—and Delilah’s crew—on ice for good.
This was a quick cozy mystery read, but I have to admit, Delilah is just too darned nosy for me. I mean, everybody else’s personal life just isn’t your business, so stay out of it. People like that get on my nerves, so it was really hard for me to forget I was annoyed and just enjoy the story. There were a lot of side plots going on here and I figured out who the killer was about halfway through, but it was a decent enough read.
Mindy Quigley lives in Virginia. Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Rounding up from 4.5⭐
Catering a swanky Christmukah party would normally be a breeze for Delilah and her crew. But something has some of her crew on edge, and with the surprise attendance of her California brother-in-law and niece, then palpable tension among guests leaves Delilah stressed and at odds. The discovery of a body the next morning throws a wrench into her romantic plans too. Will the suspicion thrown onto her crew members, friends and family destroy her relationship with homicide detective, Capone? What sets this book/series apart for me is that Delilah is not always a likeable character with her Type-A black or white personality, but still has a great heart and ride-or-die friendships. She's not the only nuanced character in the story and that's refreshing in a typical cozy series. Come for the excellent mystery, enjoy the food descriptions, but appreciate the fully fledged characters.
This was a great story for the holidays. Delilah caters a party that ends with a dead body. As she is nearing Christmas many of things begin happening. Her brother-in-law and niece are in town and then her sister arrives. There is a lot of different things from many angles occuring and at times it is hard to keep track of it all. There is a narrow pool of suspects and it wasn't a surprise when the reveal happened. If you like a light holiday read this is for you.
This was the first novel I read in this series and enjoyed it. I was fascinated by the setting as I spend months not far from Geneva Lake and liked the descriptions.
The characters are fleshed out and Delilah grew slowly on me even if I wasn't a fan at the beginning.
The mystery is twisty, surprising, and kept me guessing.
I want to read the of the series as I enjoyed this one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PIZZA by Mindy Quigley
The Fourth Deep Dish Pizza Mystery
It's almost Christmas and in preparation for the slower business time that winter in Geneva Bay always brings Delilah O'Leary and her crew are catering a fancy Christmas/Hanukkah party. Everything appears to be going amazingly well, the hosts are pleasant and the guests are loving the food, but things go south quickly when the hosts' drunken daughter makes a scene. After the party things get more bizarre. Biz is on a holiday high ramping up the holiday spirit, Rabbit is acting squirrely, Melody is jealous, and Delilah is dealing with family anxiety. Add to that a body is found in the ice sculpting competition. Yes, in. It turns out the victim was at the party and now Delilah's nearest and dearest are suspects. Willing to be a sounding board for Detective Capone, but not afraid to take matters into her own hands, Delilah is determined to have the cold blooded crime solved before the Christmas feast begins and the final Hanukkah candle is lit.
A wonderful cast of unique characters keeps things interesting in SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PIZZA. We get to meet the rest of Delilah's family and discover it's no wonder that the family she created is closer to her than her relations! It was also fascinating to see her behavior change when confronted with her sister. The mystery itself was confounding with so many secrets and the resulting red herrings. Personal issues are fastidiously layered, like the ingredients of Delilah's gourmet deep dish pizzas, within the mystery providing depth with nods to the holiday season artfully drizzled on top. I particularly liked how both Christmas and Hanukkah were represented.
Truth is at the heart of the fourth Deep Dish Pizza Mystery. The accurate way in which restaurant life is portrayed gives verisimilitude to the whole story, from the after work family meal to the camaraderie of the workers, as well as their own personal problems. Almost everyone is keeping secrets and the reveal, the truth, could be their undoing. In the end, truth does out, for better and for worse.
I absolutely love this series! From laugh out loud funny to heartrendingly touching SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PIZZA has it all. Don't forget to read the recipes included at the end for an extra treat.
I LOVE this series so much and it honestly keeps getting better and better. This book starts at a Christmas/Hanukkah party in a flurry of snow and ends up being the last party ever for one of the guests. I ADORE these characters and all of them really shone in this book; even the ones unfortunately under suspicion, which allows us to get to know them and their past more. Not only is the setting perfect, this is on the grittier side of cozy which you all know I LOVE. Some things I read were enraging and heartbreaker and I felt for Delilah and her struggle with her family; the push and pull of wanting to be close, but always feeling like something is keeping her and her sister apart. Families are hard and this was a really great depiction of the mixed emotions around the holidays. I did absolutely tear up at the end when Delilah was surrounded by her found family and I already miss these characters!
Delilah and her staff are once again thrown into a mystery when a body is found inside a snow sculpture. She'll have to juggle her short-staffed restaurant, and a surprise visit from her somewhat estranged sister and family. At least she’ll finally get to spend some time with her police boyfriend Capone…
The who is relatively obvious, but I didn’t figure out the why until almost the big reveal. There are a lot of red herrings, and a lot of other things going on to distract the reader (and Delilah). It felt a little messier than the other books in the series, and wasn’t quite as much fun to read.
Why you should read this book: It’s a nice little cozy and, while I’m not always a fan of Delilah, I love her staff. The secondary characters, especially Butterball the cat, really make the series.
Why you might not want to: The mystery is overcomplicated by the subplot with Delilah’s sister and her family, and Biz’s negative attitude and shabby treatment of Dee are worse than usual.
I received an advance copy from Minotaur via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up.
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is book four in the Deep Dish Mysteries series by Mindy Quigley.
I loved being back in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin with the fun and engaging pizza chef Delilah O’Leary.
The cast of characters, their interactions, their whip-smart dialogue, the one-liners, the cheekiness…it is hilarious and perfect.
Lots of action made this a very fast paced read that I couldn’t put down.
Another great addition to the series! I recommend it to any fans of cozy mysteries especially if you love culinary cozies!
Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
What started out as one of my favorite series is now probably my most favorite. In this 4th book, Delilah and crew are catering a Christmas/Hanukkah party for a rich local family. Delilah is surprised to see her niece and brother-in-law at the party without her sister. With a missing guest who turns up dead, Delilah along with Butterball, Biz, Mel, Daniel, and even Capone, work to figure out the murder.
I loved this series from the first book. The characters are some of the best cozy characters I've read about. The story is always a fun one . The mystery is not always what you first think is the answer and not easily solvable like some cozies. If you enjoy reading a light mystery with a great cast of characters, you will love this book.
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fifth book in the cozy Deep Dish Mystery series. It follows chef and restaurant owner Delilah O'Leary in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, a tourist town outside Chicago. She is catering a Chrismukkah event with her staff at the home of a wealthy resident that seems to be going well until an altercation occurs between the homeowners. There's also some suspicious interactions: 1 between one of her staff Rabbit and the homeowner, 1 with her brother in law who happens to appear at the event, even though Delilah barely has contact with him and her sister and isn't told he was coming to town and 1 with her bartender's family member and the homeowner. Then one of the guests from the event is declared missing and things get even more mysterious.
During the town snow sculpting event that week a body is discovered in a snow pile and all those suspicious happenings from the party suddenly become possible deadly connections. Delilah's staff and family come under suspicion for murder and it's up to her and her detective boyfriend to unravel the truth. There's more than one mystery that gets uncovered and lots of red herrings to keep you one your toes. It's all set in a winter wonderland around Christmas to make things extra cozy. I thought this was another great instalment to the series and we also got lots of personal moments with the characters we've grown to love. You could read this as a stand alone, but I would encourage all cozy mystery fans to check out the entire series.
This cozy mystery is set in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Dee O’Leary is the owner of a pizzeria and Sonya, her best friend, helps her run it. This story gives us a snow sculpting contest. If you have never seen a snow sculpting contest it is amazing. I could picture each one as I was reading. Of course, there must be a mystery that Dee and Sonya know they have to be solved as to who did it.
Chrismukkah fit perfectly with the story and the author did a great job of making it all mesh together and giving readers a cozy mystery they will enjoy.
This is a series that gets better and better with each book.
Thank you NetGalley, Mindy Quigley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. This is my personal review.