Talia is a different protagonist she doesn't make me want to pull my hair out and she doesn't think she's smarter than law in enforcement. She made me think of Nancy Drew. Shame this series ended with this one

The third book in the Deep Fried Mystery series by Linda Reilly, A FRYING SHAME finds Talia Marby entered in Steeltop Foods’ first annual cook-off and bake-off contest with her Miniature Deep-Fried Apple Pies. As owner of Fry Me a Sliver eatery, the large cash prize would go a long way towards helping her business. When the contest winner is found murdered and Talia’s new friend, and the runner-up in the contest, becomes the suspect, Talia finds she must become involved and find the killer. In addition to the murder mystery of who killed the contest winner, the author has many subplots that twist and turn, keeping the reader turning pages. I wasn’t sure how some of the subplots connected to the overall story but in the end, Linda does an amazing job of weaving them together, creating a cohesive, exciting book.

The characters in this series are endearing. Talia is a good boss and a good friend, showing her caring nature in the way she treats both friends and employees. I love her employee, Martha, a crusty sort of woman, adds another dimension to the story. Talia is dating Ryan Collins, but he has a minor role in this story as he is out of town on business. But, could there be trouble with their relationship when he stops returning her phone calls and texts? Along with a number of viable suspects there were also non-suspects who had secrets or were hiding something which keeps the reader guessing and second guessing themselves trying to figure out the killer.

In keeping with the deep-frying theme, the author provides a couple recipes at the back of her book. Both sound equally delicious and tempting!