I received this just last week as part of Librarything's Early Review.
Goodreads Summary:
Sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons have handled plenty of catering challenges with grace and aplomb. But this Thanksgiving, they're cooking a feast for felons. . .
Whipping up Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings can be stressful for anyone, but that goes double for the Field family. They know that every family get-together has to be picture perfect, or they risk getting cut out of dominating patriarch Monty's extremely lucrative will.
That's where A Little Taste of Heaven, Bernie and Libby's catering company, comes in. Surely with their lumpless mashed potatoes and to-die-for gravy on the table, even the super-dysfunctional Fields can pretend to get along for one meal. But no one can dress up the disaster when the cover-worthy turkey goes boom right in Monty Field's scowling face, sending him to that great dining room in the sky.
With every member of the Field family harboring their own cornucopia of secrets, figuring out who wanted to carve up Monty isn't going to be easy. And to make matters worse, the Field Mansion is draped under a freak November snowstorm, making any hope of escape--or getting outside help--vanish faster than the Simmons' famous stuffing.
Now, trapped with a killer determined to get more than his fair share of the pumpkin pie, Bernie and Libby are going to have to convince the Fields that they aren't to blame--and find out who really is, fast. Because it won't be long before the leftovers--and the Simmons sisters' chances of surviving this real turkey of a day--run out for good
This is the first book I have read by Crawford. Though it is books seven in her culinary mystery series, Crawford has created a story that can easily stand on it's own. Though I hope to go back and read the other six books, I did not feel lost in this story by not having read the previous books.
I have to be honest and say that I hated the Field family. I think that was Crawford's intent. None of them were likable characters, making it easy to suspect them all of murder. At times the banter between Bernie and Libby was a little irritating - sort of like being on the outside looking in - which is how it sometimes is with really close siblings. I found the plot to be rather like an Agatha Christie novel. (I love Agatha Christie) and I'm pleased to say that I was caught off guard by who turned out to be the killer. It was a quick read, one that I finished in a day.
Culinary mysteries are very popular right now. While I would not rate A Catered Thanksgiving among the top culinary mysteries, I did find it an enjoyable enough read that I will read other books in the series.
My rating: 3 of 5.
