Bread of the Dead (Santa Fe Cafe Mystery #1) by Ann Myers

 

Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers
My Rating: ★★★

Rita is starting her life over as a single parent and chef working at the Tres Amigas Café under her friend and snoopy boss, Flori. Life is good when the main mystery in her sight is Flori’s obsession with a potential cheater in the Day of the Dead bread-baking contest when her daughter discovers her landlord dead. Shaken to the core, Rita becomes convinced that her landlord was murdered while her bitter ex complains about the imaginary crime and her amateur investigating.

I decided to pick up this series opener because it seemed like a good cozy to read given Halloween is coming up. The more I read it, the more I was glad that I picked it up because it was so funny. Between Rita’s shenanigans and Flori’s fun personality in addition to her own shenanigans, I was having a good time laughing while reading. Myers brings such a great cast of characters to the table that it is the real selling point of the book. There are very few unlikable characters, and trust me, you’ll know who they are when you see them. I could honestly follow this entire series for however long it goes on for just for the characters and their hilarious antics. It’s truly what we all need, especially right now when we’re all having such a bleak year.

Plus, the food descriptions had me ready to eat. I was surprised that there wasn’t a recipe at the back of the book like there usually is with books following bakers and chefs, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I can make much of the food that was described, and I love to bake on top of that. However, if you look forward to making a recipe the characters in these types of cozies were making, be aware that there isn’t one featured in the book.

That said, I do think the mystery itself was lacking. All suspects were obviously red herrings, but the buildup on the actual killer was lacking so they seemed like a red herring as well. I wish there was some foreshadowing or a lead that pointed in this character’s direction earlier on. By the time the character seems like they might be suspicious, everything is revealed and then we’re suddenly at the final chapter wrapping up the book.

As much as it hurts me to give a book I loved three stars, this is a cozy mystery and mystery is something that this book lacked. I will be checking out the next book, but I hope the mystery aspect is something that improves over time because I think that Myers has something good going here.