
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by Berkley Prime Crime
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Number of Pages: 296
BRAND NEW SERIES
Synopsis
Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships . . . well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her dad, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia,to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown.
Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships . . . well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her dad, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia,to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown.
But when Maxie discovers Roberto’s body in a chef’s trailer–only hours after publicly breaking up with him–she suddenly finds she’s the one in the spotlight as the police pepper her with questions. Now this Chili Chick needs to kick up the search to catch the real killer and get back to finding her father.
My Review:
Another great cozy. I love cozies because they don't have a lot of sexual content and there is some language, but nothing bad, they are how people really are. This one was no exception. I really enjoyed it. A great start to a great series. Maxie was determined to prove that her "half" sister was innocent, and her journey to that discovery was sometimes pretty funny. She had a lot of people to suspect and she also had to fend off a jealous woman who wanted to tear her apart. This book was very well written, and kept my attention the whole way through. I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Great job Kylie. I look forward to more in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.
About Kylie Logan
Kylie Logan has loved mysteries since she was a kid. Her dad was a Cleveland Police detective and he introduced her to Sherlock Holmes stories and gave her investigating experience when on his days off, they’d pile into the car and hit the streets to look for stolen cars. When he retired from the force, Dad became head of security for the Cleveland Public Library.
Crooks and books! Kylie comes by her love of mysteries honestly.
Kylie began her career writing historical romance and her book, “Devil’s Diamond,
” was nominated for a RITA award as historical romance of the year by Romance Writers of America. She’s also written contemporary romance (as Connie Lane
), young adult horror (as Zoe Daniels
and Connie Laux
) and she writes the popular Pepper Martin Mysteries
as Casey Daniels.
Kylie is currently writing three different mystery series: the Button Box Mysteries
(newest book is “Panic Button”), the League of Literary Ladies mysteries (“Mayhem at the Orient Express
“) and now, the Chili Cook-Off mysteries. She can’t pass up an antique shop…there might be buttons in there! She can’t put down a classic book . . . even if she already knows the story. And she can’t say no to a good bowl of chili. Luckily, her husband is the world’s greatest chili maker.
When she’s not writing, she’s usually with her family and their two dogs, Ernie, an adorable Airedale, and Oscar, a rescued Jack Russell who came for a short-term stay and ten years later, is still around. Kylie says that those of you who have ever met/lived with/had dealings with a Russell will certainly understand how knowing him has increased her propensity for murder.
Links:Webpage: www.kylielogan.com Also, www.caseydaniels.com
Guest Post by Kylie Logan
What’s Your Chili IQ?
Chili...whether you like it hot or mild,
with beans or without, heavy on the grease or light on things like ground turkey
and tofu, chili is everyone’s favorite cold-weather dish.
That goes double for Maxie Pierce, heroine
of my new Chili Cook-Off mystery series. The first book, "Chili Con Carnage"
hits store shelves on October 1 and follows Maxie’s adventures as she tries to
solve the murder of a Chili Showdown roadie. There are plenty of plot twists and
turns, plenty of craziness what with Maxie spending her days at the Showdown as
the Chili Chick, dressed as a giant red chili pepper (complete with fishnet
stockings and stilettoes) and enough suspects to keep the pot boiling! There’s
plenty of information about chili, chili spices and cooking, too, and that got
me to thinking . . .
How much do you know about chili? Take the
quiz and find out! Answers are the end, but no cheating! See if you’re a Chili
Chick!
1. Which city has
three times as many chili parlors as McDonald’s restaurants?
A. Tulsa
B. Cincinnati
C. Taos
2. Which famous outlaw refused to rob a bank in
McKinney, Texas, because his favorite chili parlor was there?
A. Jesse
James
B. Al Capone
C. Billy the Kid
3. Where was the
first chili cook-off held?
A. Houston, Texas
B. Phoenix,
Arizona
C. Terlingua,
Texas
4. What unit measures the heat of a chili
pepper?
A. Scoville Unit
B. Thermal
Unit
C. Capsaicin
Unit
5. What’s the best way to cool off your mouth after
you heat a too-spicy chili pepper?
A. A big glass of
cold water
B. Eating a slice
of bread
C. Drinking
milk
Answers:
1. B. Cincinnati. Skyline Chili is famous there, and
it’s served over spaghetti.
2. A. Jesse James, who once said, "any place that
has a chili joint like this ought to be treated better."
3. C. Terlingua, Texas in 1967. Every year on the
first of November, the Chili Appreciation Society International holds a cook-off
there.
4. A. Scoville Heat Units measure the heat of chili
peppers. To give you an idea, the Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) contains 1 million
SHU. A bell pepper has 0.
5. C. Mouth on
fire? Drink a glass of milk. Dairy products help cool down the capsaicin, the
ingredient that makes peppers hot.