Wined and Died in New Orleans

Vintage Cookbook Mystery, #2

by

Ellen Byron

Another fun and delightful cozy mystery from the pen of Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico!

Wined and Died in New Orleans is the second book in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, and it is a fitting follow-up to the fantastic debut novel, Bayou Book Thief. After only two books, I've become an ardent fan of this series and know I will be recommending it to friends and family while waiting for the next in line to be born. 

Ricki James-Diaz is such an engaging and relatable character; you can't help but like her and become invested in her success, both with her shop, Miss Vee's, and in her amateur sleuthing. She's endured some hard knocks in her life, starting with her birth. She consciously must work to overcome her anxiety, using positive affirmations, yoga, and calming mantras. I love how she's loyal and protective of her friends and coworkers, and I enjoy the descriptions of her vintage household business, old cookbooks, and kitchenware of times past. In real life, we would probably be bidding competitively against each other! 

The plot is solid, exciting, and flavored by the New Orleans setting, a massive number of recurring and new characters (Don't worry! The author provides a handy cast list at the beginning of the book), and the unrelenting presence of avarice. Jean-Louis, a newly discovered Charbonnet cousin, is a creepily oily and smarmy antagonist that you won't mind disliking and makes for a great antagonist in the story.  He is not the only one, as there are a couple of new faces that will attract a "Dislike" as well. As the plot progresses, there are several good suspects, each with a motive for killing the victim. There are twists in the story that really make things interesting. Additionally, some of the dialogue was so deliciously good that I laughed out loud. 

With its iconic Big Easy setting, an engaging amateur sleuth, vintage kitchen tools, and a puzzle of a murder mystery to resolve, I recommend WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS to cozy mystery readers who would enjoy a culinary-themed story with a vintage flair and those who enjoyed the first book in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.