Friday, March 12, 2010

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme - Krista Davis

Book summary:

Some dishes are best served cold. . .

Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple. . .real simple. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight—and Sophie's husband—but Sophie is determined to take home the prize at the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredients. . .

However, Sophie's search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim's car, they think she has some explaining to do. Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder or she'll be serving up prison grub—and that definitely wouldn't be a good thing.

My thoughts:
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is book one of the Domestic Diva Mystery series. Sophie Winston is down-to-earth and very likable. She's recently divorced from Mars, who is now dating her high school rival Natasha. The story opens with Sophie preparing Thanksgiving dinner. She makes a last minute run to the store to purchase a few items, when a man approaches her to ask if she wants to adopt a kitten. Sophie has dog and declines, but remains concerned about the welfare of the kitten. When she finishes shopping, she decides to find the man to say she will take the kitten to her friend who will help find the kitten a good home. Sophie discovers the man dead instead.

Bodies start to pile up when Sophie finds another dead body at the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. The main witness for two deadly crimes, make Sophie the prime suspect in both murders. Sophie has to act quickly to prove her innocence and decides to do some amateur sleuthing and solicits the help of her best friend (and neighbor) Nina.

Finding the killer isn't as easy as Sophie thinks. She's also distracted by the neighborhood's Peeping Tom and her's sister's upcoming wedding. Hannah recently introduced Craig to the family and Sophie thinks he's, well, a bit. . .off! What exactly is he hiding? And how well does Hannah know him?

As Sophie gets more and more involved in solving the crimes, she thinks Natasha may not be so innocent. Is Natasha the killer? And why is someone following her? Sophie is determined to find out and host her family's Thanksgiving dinner.

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is a great start to what appears to be a promising new series.

Book details:
Series: The Domestic Diva Mystery #1
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22426-7
Pages: 286
Year Published: 2008
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Purchased from Barnes & Noble

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