Cold Turkey

Cold Turkey is a fun, holiday-themed cozy mystery that is the next installment of the Tish Tarragon mystery series. Tish is preparing for the opening day of the new location of her Cookin' the Books cafe, which happens to be the Friday after Thanksgiving. In addition to the stress of opening, Tish is also planning a romantic Thanksgiving dinner with Reade - a way to celebrate their first major holiday together. The last thing Tish needs is a murder; however, at the local Turkey Trot, the Deputy Mayor is shot and a killer is on the loose. Now, Tish and Reade are determined to find the murderer before he or she ruins everyone's holiday plans.

I absolutely love the characters in this series. Jules is a particular favorite! Cold Turkey has everything one would want in a cozy - lovable characters, a charming setting, holiday-themed recipes, and an intriguing mystery. As this series goes on, the characters continue to develop nicely. I even enjoy the not-so-favorable characters and the conflicts and chaos that they provide to the story. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, and I'll continue to follow the adventures of Tish and her friends. Oh, and I'll definitely be attempting the stuffing recipe that was provided at the end!

The seventh book in the Tish Tarragon mystery series is full of interesting characters and a story that flows smoothly. The victim wasn't well liked but Tish and her friends are resolved to solve the crime. The characters are well developed and realistic. This is a good addition to the series. Thanks #Netgalley and#Severnhouse for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

There are so many things that I love about Amy Patricia Meade's Tish Tarragon mystery series, and Cold Turkey, the 7th book in the series, brings every one of them from the complex mystery to the wonderful relationships among Tish's friends.
The victim of the murder that sets off the mystery in the novel may not be greatly mourned, but Tish and Reade take resolving any crime seriously. Not only has a life been unfairly taken, but the murder touches lives beyond the victim and his family. While the fact that Tish is hired as consultant does not seem realistic to me, I love watching those two work together. Neither is perfect but Reade appreciates the perspective and knowledge Tish brings, and she has great respect for his education and experience.
No matter how good a mystery is, it is the characters that make or break any novel for me. Amy Patricia Meade excels in creating realistic characters whose lives are as interesting as the investigations. Not only has the relationship between Tish and Clemson been dynamic throughout the series, but the relationships their friends are involved in have changed and grown as well. In Cold Turkey, our favorite couple is doing well but the same cannot be said for some of our other friends, and problems always seem worse near the holidays.
Speaking of holidays, I enjoyed experiencing Thanksgiving Day and the preparations through the story. I love holiday books that give us a real taste of the holiday.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this winning novel. I highly recommend Amy Patricia Meade's Cold Turkey to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.
#NetGalley #Severan House #ATishTarragonMystery #ColdTurkey #AmyPatriciaMeade

An enchanting journey through vividly imagined worlds and compelling characters. This fiction gem weaves a tapestry of emotions, adventure, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author's masterful storytelling evokes a powerful connection, making this book an absolute delight to read. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a captivating escape

I love the array of characters in this book. I like the way that the mystery moves along but the people never get lost either. I got lost in the world of the book and didn't want to put it down.

With Thanksgiving and the grand reopening of her restaurant upon them, Tish has her hands full. But with a fund raiser for the local community, she pitches in at the town’s annual Turkey Trot, where the Deputy Mayor is killed as he kicks off the race with the Mayor. Her schedule be darned, Tish finds herself digging into the background of the mayor and city council to find out what might have caused the man’s death. Will there be much to be thankful about this year at Thanksgiving? Only time will tell.

I really enjoy this series and Tish is a strong female protagonist that delivers tasty dishes at her book themed restaurant, along with a side of sleuthing. If you haven’t read one of the books yet, give it a try…you’ll find it hit’s the sleuthing spot and leaves you wanting more in the series!

With Tish's food stall ready to go, the spectators and participating 'Trotters' are eagerly awaiting the starter's pistol when they are confronted with the sound of rifle shots from the woods. Deputy Mayor Behrens is dead. But was he really the intended target, or could it have been Tish's ex, Mayor Schuyler Thompson? As Tish and Reade investigate, it seems there are no shortage of residents with an axe to grind against the town council their controversial policies. Can Tish finish first in her race against the killer?
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Tish already has a lot on her plate- a new shop, a booth at the Turkey Trot, cooking Thanksgiving dinner- so why on earth would she plunge into an investigation to find the killer of the Deputy Mayor of Hobson's Glen? Well, because that's who she is. That and the fact that she thinks there's more to the story and that perhaps he wasn't the real target. Classic cozy set up and options (lots of people disliked him, she's in the food business and has good pals to help) which makes this easy to read as a standalone. Know, though, that there are many players that even those who have read the earlier ones might have a little trouble keeping straight. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is the first title I've read in this series. It's a neat little package of small town politics, family secrets, pride, shame, and envy. Although it's a bit melodramatic in parts for me, I like Tish and the other main characters and I find the puzzle and its solution satisfying. I do with there was a bit more action and a bit less talking. Lots and lots of talking. I know that's how real crime solving happens, but at times it's a little bit tedious. And the idea that Tish has been hired by the sheriff in an official consultant capacity for whenever a murder happens...well. That's just a bit (ha!) hard to swallow. Still, the story is engaging, and I had no inclination to stop reading. So this mystery does its job. I'd give it 3-1/2 stars.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Tish Tarragon Mystery (I do love her name!), a cosy Christmas holiday theme and a fun book to read. Easy to read and lots of fun, I love Cookin' the Books café and the story is easy to follow and a cosy to the core.

I must say I have read some of the books in this series but not all of them and I still love them and enjoy the entertaining way the stories are written. A bit of fun and mystery, a bit of Christmas and food. A very enjoying read.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this read, I was not aware that it was book number seven in the series!! Did it matter that I hadn't read the others? No, I don't feel that reading this as the first book made a difference.

I loved the fact that Tish has a lot of great characters around her, they are definitely a quirky bunch that also have a lot of drama with them too!! It's great to have lots of different things to read about in-between the main storyline.

As for our murder - I loved this part of the storyline, the fact that there was so many people that hated our victim made it difficult to try to guess whodunnit so soon which was something that I really enjoyed as it kept the suspense going.

I loved the writing style and felt that I could just easily flow through the book. I may need to go and catch up on the previous six books too!

One of the things that always sticks out to me with the Tish Tarragon mysteries is that, while they are very much a cozy mystery, they often deal with things with a more serious tone than other cozies I read. At the start of this story, there is a shooting at a public event that has many of our several of the series’ recurring characters a bit shaken and re-assessing what’s important in their lives.

I think that while there are (obviously) deaths in all the mysteries I read, the panic at the public shooting and the emotions that the characters went through in the aftermath felt very real and fearful. It was easy to understand why the characters all felt like they had to keep their loved ones close by in the days that followed.

I really liked the character development in almost all of the characters that we’ve come to love, including the core trio of Tish, Jules and Mary Jo. While they all have separate lives, you know that they are there for each other. I have been reading this series from the start and it’s these 3 that keep bringing me back. While I adore Tish’s boyfriend Reade, it will always be the Tish-Jules-Mary Jo friendship that is the heart of this series for me.

Speaking of boyfriends, I can’t believe what a snake Tish’s ex-boyfriend, and now mayor, Schuyler has become! The author’s incredible writing has literally turned a character I liked to one I absolutely loathe. It wasn’t hard to believe that there were people in town who wanted to kill him and I think a large part of the mystery was sorting out who the intended target was and who the real suspects were, because there were a lot of people who had issues with the way the town was being run.

Since Tish has official police consultant status, it normally would be a lot easier for her to indulge in her sleuthing but with her past relationship with Schuyler, she’s still a bit hampered in her investigation. I love the support that she and Reade offer each other and how much he trusts her.

The mystery, which shares the spotlight with several personal relationship developments, is a nice twisty one, with lots of suspects, motivations, and red herrings. I really enjoyed it, but honestly, I enjoyed the interactions between the characters more. This series has a real human feel to it and I think that’s one of the main reasons I keep coming back for more.

*** Thank you to the publisher, Severn House, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley