#severnhouse

It is my pleasure to shine the spotlight on A Sense for Murder (A Sally Solari Mystery) by Leslie Karst today!

The Kielbasa Killer (A Kielbasa Queen Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - New York Severn House (July 4, 2023) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448311187 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448311187 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BVR2N7TK

Lydia Wienewski can't wait to open her dream Polish-American cafe and bakery in Cheektowaga. But while her father recovers from a stroke, Lydia helps manage the family business, Wienewski's Weiners & Meats, over the busy Easter holiday. She's soon preparing a huge amount of their famous kielbasa - and dealing with her father's rogue meat supplier, Louie McDaniel. When Lydia finds Louie dead next to the kielbasa in the family's private smoker, her great-great-grandpa's antique sausage pricker sticking out of his neck, her problems are about to get much worse - especially as she seems to be the police's prime suspect! Who would commit such a terrible act? Lydia quickly enlists the help of her irrepressible Grandma Mary to find out. Can the sleuthing duo catch the killer and prove Lydia's innocence before more grisly deaths occur? Dollycas's Thoughts Set in New York in 1982 right before Easter, Lydia Wienewski puts her dreams of opening a Polish-American cafe and bakery on hold to run the family business, Wienewski's Weiners & Meats, while her father recovers from a stroke. Easter is a big holiday for kielbasa and Lydia has prepared plenty. But when she goes to get the meat that she prepared in the family's private smoker she finds her father's meat supplier, Louie McDaniel, dead with family heirloom sausage picker stuck in his neck. A man who had been shaking her down for money just hours earlier. Lydia and the rest of her family top the list of suspects so Lydia and her Grandma Mary decide they must catch the killer on their own to save themselves and the family business. I thought the theme of the book was unique so I was excited to read it but it just didn't really work for me. The characters felt flat. This Polish family needed a lot more development so that I could find someone to root for. Lydia and her grandmother live together in a flat over her parent's garage. Her grandmother was very supportive of her dream and even invested so she could get the property she wanted but apparently, the family meat business was in the red. This just felt strange to me. Why use the money to start a new business when a current business is failing? The failure did play a part in solving the mystery but it still felt off. Also, Lydia is a worrier, big time. I was assuming she is in her twenties but at times she came across as much older. I thought the grandmother would be a character I could get behind and of all the characters she was my favorite but she lacked depth. The murder mystery was a very easy solve. I pegged the killer early in the story. Lydia and her grandma's investigation was all over the place, more than almost any other amateur sleuth I have read in their first go at searching out a killer. There was also one huge clue that someone should have caught immediately especially a family immersed in a butchering business for as long as the people in this family. Heck, I knew it from biology classes in school. I found the Polish theme interesting and I did enjoy learning more about Polish culture and the food, but I just wanted more. Now, this book could be hindered by what I call "first-book-itus". This is when the author has to introduce a whole slate of characters and encase them in a mystery that will keep the pages turning all in a certain number of pages. With this book coming in at just over 200 pages there isn't a lot of room to do that. I think if the author had come closer to the 300-page mark the mystery could have been more complex and the characters could have been more fleshed out. The Kielbasa Killer was okay. I would be open to reading another book in this series in hopes that the characters would be more fully developed and that mystery was more complicated.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent About the Author

From Amazon Geri Krotow is the award-winning author of over thirty novels, including the Whidbey Island contemporary romance series and the Silver Valley, PD romantic suspense series. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Intelligence Officer, Geri left her Navy career after nine years to follow her heart and focus on her dream of becoming an author. When not writing or reading, Geri loves to knit and go on long walks with her beloved dogs. A native of Buffalo, New York, she relishes frequent return visits. Website  Facebook   Pinterest   GoodReads   Instagram

Welcome to My Reading Itinerary Monday!  Where are your books taking you this week? I will be traveling to Kentucky and Connecticut! Here’s what I read and what I have planned for this week. Escapes Completed

Flat White Fatality (A Ground Rules Mystery) by Emmeline Duncan Release Date - May 23, 2023 Setting - Oregon I will feature this book this week on Cozy Wednesday!

The Kielbasa Killer (A Kielbasa Queen Mystery) by Geri Krotow Release Date - July 4, 2023 Setting - New York My Review will be up Thursday!

Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man: A Girl Friday Mystery by Emily J. Edwards Release Date - November 8, 2022 Setting - New York My #FlashbackFriday Read

Hiss Me Deadly (Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Mississippi My Review will be up on July 11, 2023

Scheduled Escapes

Macarons Can Be Murder (A Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery) by Rose Betancourt Release Date - July 11, 2023 Setting - Kentucky I will feature this book next week on Cozy Wednesday!

Death Steals the Spotlight (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries) by T. C. LoTempio Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Connecticut The Great Escapes Book Tour stops here next Thursday!

I will need to choose my #FlashbackFriday Read. Several books are screaming from the shelves. Future Escapes July 2 - 8, 2022

Click Here to check out my Current Giveaways! Please Share Your Reading Itinerary in the Comments below! Happy Reading!!

Welcome to My Reading Itinerary Monday!  Where are your books taking you this week? I will be traveling to Kentucky and Connecticut! Here’s what I read and what I have planned for this week. Escapes Completed

Flat White Fatality (A Ground Rules Mystery) by Emmeline Duncan Release Date - May 23, 2023 Setting - Oregon I will feature this book this week on Cozy Wednesday!

The Kielbasa Killer (A Kielbasa Queen Mystery) by Geri Krotow Release Date - July 4, 2023 Setting - New York My Review will be up Thursday!

Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man: A Girl Friday Mystery by Emily J. Edwards Release Date - November 8, 2022 Setting - New York My #FlashbackFriday Read

Hiss Me Deadly (Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Mississippi My Review will be up on July 11, 2023

Scheduled Escapes

Macarons Can Be Murder (A Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery) by Rose Betancourt Release Date - July 11, 2023 Setting - Kentucky I will feature this book next week on Cozy Wednesday!

Death Steals the Spotlight (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries) by T. C. LoTempio Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Connecticut The Great Escapes Book Tour stops here next Thursday!

I will need to choose my #FlashbackFriday Read. Several books are screaming from the shelves. Future Escapes July 2 - 8, 2022

Click Here to check out my Current Giveaways! Please Share Your Reading Itinerary in the Comments below! Happy Reading!!

Welcome to My Reading Itinerary Monday!  Where are your books taking you this week? I will be traveling to Oregon and New York! Here’s what I read and what I have planned for this week. Escapes Completed

Misfortune Cookie: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Ohio I will post my review tomorrow!

Hidden Beneath (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - Maine I will feature this book this week for Cozy Wednesday!

Kidnapped in the Woods by Deena Alexander Release Date - June 27, 2023 Setting - New York The Great Escapes Tour stops here this Thursday!

Murder To My Ears (Octavia Fields Mysteries) by Rebecca McKinnon Release Date - June 30, 2023 Setting - ?? The Great Escapes Tour stops here this Friday!

Scheduled Escapes

Flat White Fatality (A Ground Rules Mystery) by Emmeline Duncan Release Date - May 23, 2023 Setting - Oregon I will feature this book next week on Cozy Wednesday!

The Kielbasa Killer (A Kielbasa Queen Mystery) by Geri Krotow Release Date - July 4, 2023 Setting - New York For Review

I need to select a book for #FlashbackFriday. Yes, it is returning! With the holiday next week, I may post a review on Saturday too. Future Escapes June 25 - July 1, 2023

Find More June Mysteries, Cozies, and Thrillers Here.

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!  I am happy to share my thoughts about Eat, Drink and Drop Dead by Toni LoTempio today!

Eat, Drink and Drop Dead (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery) by Toni LoTempio

Welcome to My Reading Itinerary Monday! Where are your books taking you this week? I will be traveling to New York, Georgia, and Vermont!! Here’s what I read and what I have planned for this week. Escapes Completed

Fateful Words: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery by Paige Shelton Release Date - April 4, 2023 Setting - Scotland My review will be up tomorrow!

Murder in Postscript (A Lady of Letters Mystery) by Mary Winters Release Date - March 28, 2023 Setting - London, England The Great Escapes Book Tour stops here this week for Cozy Wednesday!

Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery) by Sherry Lynn Release Date - April 4, 2023 Setting - Maine The Great Escapes Tour stops here this Thursday!

Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain Release Date April 1, 2014 Setting - Hawaii My #FlashbackFriday Read and for the Literary Escapes Challenge

Scheduled Escapes

Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico Release Date March 28, 2023 Setting - New York The Great Escapes Tour stops here next Tuesday!

Eat, Drink and Drop Dead (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery) by Toni LoTempio Release Date - April 4, 2023 The Great Escapes Tour stops here next week for Cozy Wednesday!

A Wealth of Deception (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery) by Trish Esden Release Date - April 18, 2023 Setting - Vermont The Great Escapes Tour stops here next Thursday!

I want to be more interactive with you. I tried posting this question on the Escape With Dollycas Facebook Page but didn't get much of a response so I am hoping that posting here works better. Help me decide which #FlashbackFriday Book I should read next. Quiz Maker Future Escapes April 2 - 8, 2023

Click Here to check out my Current Giveaways! Please Share Your Reading Itinerary in the Comments below! Happy Reading!!