Snag Your Copy Cookin The Books (Tish Tarragon, #1) Illustrated By Amy Patricia Meade File Format Electronic Format

rounded up to Four Stars
Cooking' the Books is an acceptable start to the Tish Tarragon cozy mystery series.

Main character Tish Tarragon is likeable enough but by the end of this first book she is pretty much still a cipher.
What was her life back in Richmond like What happened in her marriage to cause her divorce, to flee back to her hometown of Hobson's Glen Is Amy Patricia Meade a nom de plume for a dude There was way too much info about what car each character was driving of which I couldn't care less.
Inane filler would have rather had much more detailed background information and descriptions of each character their actual age, physical particulars, etc.
Roberta Dutton was one of the of the few characters I could actually picture in my head her "sourpuss" face.

Best supporting character: Jules, of course! I read the second book in this series and loved it so much that I couldn't wait to go back and read the first book to get some backstory on the characters.
I love Tish Tarragon, the owner of Cookin' the Books Cafe, that is preparing to open in this book, the first in the series.
I also love the secondary characters, Mary Jo and Jules, and how they support Tish but also have their own personalities and their own skills that add to the story.
In this book a prominent woman in killed but there are so many suspects because she wasn't very nice to people and used their secrets against them.
Unfortunately for Tish this happens at her first catered event and the woman was poisoned, Will Tish's dream of the cafe die before she can even open Will the townspeople ever want to eat her food again This forces Tish to get involved in the murder and to save her reputation.
This was a great start to this series and I can't wait to read more books in this series.
Cookin' The Books by Amy Patricia Meade is a cozy mystery like no other !! The twist at the end will leave you with your mouth wide open and you completely in awe !! But that's getting way ahead of myself.


Cookin' The Books introduces you to Letitia Tarragon but everyone calls her Tish and her two best friends Mary Jo and Jules.
Tish moved to Hobson Glen after her divorce and is in the process of opening up a restaurant and catering business.
Unfortunately at her first catering gig, the person in charge of the fundraiser drops dead during the main course.
And to make matters even better, Tish feels that she has to "investigate" and find out who committed the crime in order to ensure that her business doesn't fail before it gets started.
And to make matters worse, if that is possible, another person ends up shot outside the church next to where Tish lives and works.


Two murders and free food will get Tish into everyone's house and personal business, some more than you could imagine.
But you don't have to imagine, just read Cookin' The Books and learn all about Hobson Glen, it's residents and history.
You will enjoy the stories !!! Letitia Tish Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen and opened a new restaurant and catering business, Cookin the Books Cafe.
So when her new landlord, Schulyer Thompson, recommends her to Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the local library, Tish is delighted.
Binnie needs a lastminute caterer to create a literary inspired threecourse dinner for the librarys annual fundraiser, one of the highlights of Hobson Glens social season.


But theres a problem: Binnie Broderick is a notoriously difficult woman to please, And when she chokes to death from arsenic poisoning after dousing her main course in hot sauce, Tish suddenly finds herself fighting to save her business and her reputation.
It seems that very few of Hobson Glens residents escaped Binnies disapproval, But who would want her dead, and why “Then, to answer your question,I worked in banking for twenty years bore giving it up to become a caterer.
In both professions, killing difficult clients would hardly be considered a viable career plan”

Letitia “Tish” Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen in hopes of opening a cafe/catering business.
Shes renting from Schulyer Thompson, who seems to want to be more than her landlord, Although Tish is intrigued, she is “taking it slow” since her divorce,

With friends Julian and Mary Jane in tow, the three take on a catering job for the local library fundraiser.
However, more than recipes are found out as the library director drops dead at the head table, leaving a confusing trail of questions and innuendo.
Whether she wants to be or not, Tish is seen as a suspect that needs to prove she's anything but.
. . all before Cooking the Books even opens!

This is the first in a series of cosy mysteries by Amy Patricia Meade.
Having already read/reviewed the second, I can see that the first was a great start, the second is certainly nothing to sneeze at, and, hopefully, any subsequent additions are a great find.
Highly recommended/

disclaimer: I received this book from the library and chose to read and voluntarily review it A delightful cozy mystery.
Several interesting characters. Lots of back stories and scandalous behavior from the likely suspects, The ending was a surprise or at least the culprit was, It was fun to care so much about characters that I was hoping it would not be them.
Even the sheriff is a charmer, A fun, quick read. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley, I have always loved cozies especially when paired with food/cooking and books and this new series wraps all those up into one tidy package.


This new series finds us in Hobson Glen with protagonist Tish and her two college friends, Jules and Mary Jo.
  They are the three musketeers and find themselves embroiled in discovering who killed the unlikable Binnie Broderick,   There is no shortage of possible suspects and because Binnie was killed at a dinner that Tish was catering, she is on the hunt to make sure she or her business is not implicated in the murder.
  In their quest for the truth,  there are many secrets revealed about various town citizens and Tish even finds a potential love interest.


I really enjoyed the characters, the town, the mystery, and the food!  I loved the names of the dishes that Tish comes up with for her cafe and while I'm notsure on some of those sandwiches, the creativity is unique and worth exploring.
  I wish there was a cafe like that in my town,

The mystery was cleverly disguised and I have to admit I didn't figure it out until near the end.
  Now that is my kind of book,

I think this is going to be a fantastic series and can't wait for the next book to come out.
  We give thispaws up and suggest picking it up next time you are looking for a new cozy series.
  Choosing a rating for this book was difficult, Just like reading the book went back and forth between “not sure I can force myself to read another page” to “cant wait to dive into the next chapter find out what happens.
”

The book didnt start out particularly slow, Main character, Tish, moves back to small town, Jules and Mary Jo, her former best friends, are able and willing to help her prepare a storefront location as her café.
A literary themed café with menu items using painful puns derived from book titles and character names,

The murder occurs early on, It happens at Tishs first catering job before the café even opens, Despite there being no indication the police arent completely capable, she feels its up to her to figure out who the murderer is to save her business.
The sleuthing is done under the guise of delivering baked goods to people she feels are potential suspects.
It seems Tish is one of those people who others just open up to and spill lifelong secrets that theyve never told anyone else.


There is, of course, a romantic interest but the author veers from the norm and it isn't the detective assigned to the case.
Felt it odd the story left me feeling I knew Jules and Mary Jo better than Tish, Guess that leaves us to look forward to learning more about her in future books, This was a great first book in a series, staring a caterer who accidentally stumbles into a mystery trying to prove that it wasn't her food that killed her first client.
It has a fun cast of small town characters, enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, and some great meal ideas that

will make you incredibly hungry while reading.
I had a few logistical complaints mostly around the catering business and it's menu items but I think overall for a first in a new series this book did a great job setting up for what is next to come.
I knew, from the synopsis of this book, that Tish Tarragon and I would be "book friends" and the latest mystery finds Tish and her friends deep in a mystery that may put an end to her dreams of owning a restaurant or worse put an end to her life.


What a great book! It had me from the start until the very end and no, I couldn't figure out whodunit! The mystery is wonderfully written with twists and turns and full of social graces and gossip.
I loved the lush descriptions of the town of Hobsons Glen, Virginia, Jules and Mary Jo, Tish's best friends, are relatable and are starting to do a little investigating themselves which is humorous and adds to the mystery.
It's the perfect cozy!

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and the author.
The opinions expressed in this review are my own, I fell in love with the cast of real characters from page one and just flew thru the story.
I'm looking forward to the next and the next and the next,ad infinitum, My wife's only issue was it was a cooking story with no recipes, LOL

I could care less about recipes, Amy Patricia Meade has penned an exciting mystery that will keep you riveted until the last page, COOKIN THE BOOKS, the first book in the brand new Tish Tarragon Mysteries by Amy Patricia Mead is a delightful start to a fun series! I love the premise of protagonist Tish Tarragons new business as owner of literarythemed Cookin the Books Café along with catering, in Hobson Glen, Virginia.
Her food revolves around puny titles pertaining to literary works such as Whos Afraid of Virginia Baked Ham, to give an example.
I was entertained by the cleverness of the titles and yummy sounding dishes, In addition, her café has shelves that showcase a variety of cookbooks and literary works from international destinations, along with a lending library.
Sounds like a great place to hang out!

Her very first catering job is for the local library fundraising dinner, hired at the last minute by Binnie Broderick, the Executive Director of the library.
Binnie is a very unpleasant woman and almost everyone in town hated her, When she dies after taking two bites of Tishs catered dinner, all eyes are on Tish and her friends helping her serve the dinner.
Tish must clear their names and save her fledgling business even though she hasnt even opened the café.
With just about everyone in town having disputes with the victim, Tish has plenty of suspects to sift through.
I enjoyed that most of her suspects understood and cooperated with her questions without getting uncomfortably upset, Tishs two friends, Mary Jo and Julian who is also the Channelweatherman, are great sidekicks, providing opportunities for fun interaction and dialog along with helping in her investigation.
As Tish narrows down the suspects, the reader is pulled in for the exciting reveal while the author effectively ties the subplots together.
This is a fun mystery with great characters and Im looking forward to future books in this new series!

I was provided an advance copy via NetGalley with the hopes I would review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, Cookin the Books has an interesting premise with a literary themed café, The author came up with some clever names for the food dishes with my favorite being The Prime Rib of Miss Jean Brodie.
Tish Tarragon is our main character, I liked Tish, but I wish we had learned more about her, There is an assortment of secondary characters including Enid Kemper who walks around with her bird, Langhorne on her shoulder she is banned from the library by Binnie.
Jules Jefferson Davis, Tishs friend and local weatherman, is a gregarious man who works hard to promote Tishs new endeavor along with Mary Jo Okensholt, Tishs friend.
The story had varied pacing, I found it a bit slow in the middle and could have done with less internal dialogue Tish thinking.
There is romance of course for Tish with her landlord, Schuyler Thompson, It is obvious from the beginning that Binnie will be the victim it is mentioned in the blurb as well.
Binnie is an unlikeable woman who goes out of her way to antagonize people, There are multiple suspects and good clues, I have a feeling many readers will not be surprised by the killers identity, There are literary puns that will delight book lovers, The town is beautifully described we get more on the town than on Tish, It is a small town where everyone knows your business and gossip spreads faster than butter on hot pancakes.
There are many lovely cozy moments in the book for readers to enjoy, Cookin the Books is a charming story and a positive way to begin A Tish Tarragon Mystery series.
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