A Taste of Death by Howard Coombs

My Rating: 4 Stars

A tasty cosy mystery with a murder dessert coming right up! A great story!

Becoming the chef of a cafe in the quiet town of Hampden Green is the next best thing to Ben Hunter, who is in need to of a quiet place to learn how to control his temper. As he struggles to adjust to the little town and its people, he receives the visit of Detective Inspector Slaterry. There has been a murder and the suspicion falls on the new guy in town. As Ben investigates, he discovers that the journey to the truth has more layers than a wedding cake.

A tasty mystery that I enjoyed greatly! The storyline is solid and engaging; the mystery is well thought and developed with a great ending with twists and spikes of action. The style of writing is fresh, simple and it appeals to the attention of the reader.

The descriptions are so well-made that I got hungry with the descriptions of the dishes, I really felt like I was right there beside Ben watching him cook. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author has a background in gastronomy due to all the juicy details of the art of cooking. The geographic setting was a good choice: the quiet little town where nothing ever happens until it does. The description of it though is the perfect picture; it's colourful and the people a bit reserved but altogether nice and full of secrets.

The characters are very well-developed and they all play a part in the storyline. Ben is a great main character. I was surprised to read a cosy mystery with a male lead, it’s a different and refreshing approach. Francis is very entertaining and I do feel for him when his good intentions come up short.

As a debut novel, it was quite good and I will keep a look out for the sequels to come and follow more of Ben’s adventures.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Maze. and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

---