Death on the Menu: A Key West Food Critic Mystery

Hayley Snow has agreed to help her mother cater the Cuban/American Conference, despite her boyfriend’s insistence they should cancel. Everything is going according to plan until Ernest Hemingway’s Nobel Prize medal disappears and the busboy Gabriel goes missing. Gabriel’s sister fears he’ll get the blame for the theft, but when his body is discovered in the closet, they’re no longer looking for a thief. They’re looking for a murderer. Hayley is determined to solve the murder and find the medal before anyone she cares about ends up in the middle, but her sleuthing will catch the attention of a killer.

Lucy Burdette focuses on immigration and Cuban relations through the Cuban/American Conference, which is in the center of the mystery. While sleuthing and attempting to keep the conference going, Hayley is coming to terms with her own relationship. They feel a slight strain, as she’s iffy on the idea of marriage and commitment with Nathan. But their scenes are sweet and charming and add a touch of romance to the mystery. Hayley often seeks help from an assortment of friends, including psychologist Eric and his husband, Bill, Lorenzo the tarot card reader, and her roommate, Miss Gloria. The characters fit the tone of the story and make up Hayley’s tight-knit group. Death on the Menu is a delightful read with a paradise setting and a cast of charming characters.

Death on the Menu is the eighth book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series.