Sherry Olivieri is just returning from Florida where she won the trophy for creating the winning recipe in America's Good Taste Cook-Off, and while she's exhausted, she still agrees to go on a radio program to talk about it. While she and the host, Kayson Bradshaw, have a difficult beginning, she figures it's only temporary and answers his questions. But when they're interrupted with the news that a board member for the community garden has been murdered - Poppy Robinson - Sherry is stunned. But more so when the calls start coming in and no one has anything good to say about her. Sherry is even more stunned when Kayson asks her out to dinner, and she doesn't know what to say...

But then Poppy's sister Tessa Yates calls Sherry and asks her to investigate Poppy's murder. While Sherry tries her best to dissuade her, she finally agrees to let her know if she hears of any information that will help in the investigation, while also promising Detective Ray Bease that she'll stay out of the investigation.

To make matters worse, she's been roped into organizing the Fourth of July town cook-off by the mayor. At least she'll have help from a local attorney who's husband is a celebrity cookbook writer, but with all her other duties, she's definitely swamped. Then she receives a package of poison seeds that can injure or kill by just touching them, and suddenly she has to wonder who wants to warn her away from the investigation. If they knew Sherry, they'd know this would only make her more curious, and now she's trying to find a murderer who might just have her on their radar...

This is the third book in the series, and for the most part I enjoyed it. I did believe that the beginning was slow, and it almost lost me, especially when not once, but twice, the word peak should have been pique. You don't "peak one's interest," you "pique one's interest." I pay attention to details and was surprised an editor didn't catch the misuse of the word. But I digress...

The plot was done nicely, and the writing was very good. I still think Sherry has a bit of a bland personality, but hopefully she'll get a little "oomph" in later books. I'm not sure exactly what, but she needs to put a little more life into herself. I also do like the character of Kayson. He seems to be what Sherry needs, and I hope they give it another chance. (I like Ray, but he's as bland as Sherry in the personality department).

It was fun trying to figure out who the murderer was, and even with plenty of suspects, not a single one stood out, so you really had to think about it, which is a good thing. There are clues leading to it, but they aren't overt, and it's almost when Sherry figures it out that you do at the same time. This is a bonus.

I did like the ending of the book, and the fact that it gives us a little something to look forward to in the next one. All in all, it was an enjoyable book and can be read in one evening. A nice cozy with a good feel to it, and I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended. ( )

America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest end with Sherry Oliveri bringing home the trophy but now she has to deal with her other activities regarding the community garden. Poppy Robinson, owner of the land for the community garden and fellow board member, is found on the property dead from a shovel to the head. The mayor asks Sherry to find the murderer so that the plans for the 4th of July Cook-off aren't disrupted.

There were numerous twists and turns and the red herrings were interesting,
Glad to see the regular characters continuing to become more 3 dimensional. ( )

Sherry Oliveri has attained celebrity status after winning the America’s Good Taste Recipe Contest with her delectable New England Crab Cake Sliders. But now that she’s back home in Connecticut, she’s got to deal with something else fishy . . .

Sherry’s making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town’s community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt.

Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn’t anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head. There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level. Now while Sherry’s organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she’s also got a murder investigation on her plate .

It was fun to read about a New England based mystery, though Connecticut is one I'm less familiar with.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ( )

While Guilty as Charred is the third installment in A Cook-Off Mystery series, it can be read alone. What has happened to Poppy in the first two books is summarized for new readers. Guilty as Charred is nicely written, has a good flow, and proceeds at a steady pace. Sherry Olivieri enjoys cooking and comes up with creative recipes for the amateur cook-off contests she enters. After winning America’s Good Taste Cook-off, Sherry is the town’s local celebrity. Augustin decides to take advantage of Sherry’s fame by having her organize a cook-off for Augustin’s Fourth of July celebration. They are hoping to attract more tourists to Augustin. Then Poppy Robinson is found dead in the Augustin’s Community Garden and Sherry is asked to quickly solve the case by various parties. There are multiple suspects along with a red herring or two. There are good clues to aid reads in solving the crime. The whodunit was multifaceted, and Sherry had to do a little digging to find the information she needed. There were some deadly threats and one was very unique. I wish it had been more of a challenge identifying the guilty party. Detective Ray Bease has a shadow in the form of Detective Cody Diamond. Detective Bease is forced to learn how to use a tablet and give up his ever ready paper pad. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions regarding the mystery at the end of the book. I prefer it when everything is wrapped up neatly to satisfy my curiosity. Sherry whips up some delicious dishes and needs to come up with a bacon focused recipe for an upcoming contest. She is also busy working at the Ruggery, taking care on the town’s newsletter, cataloguing seeds that are being mailed to her for use communal garden, planning the Fourth of July cook-off (patties are the theme), spending time with her friends, and going on dates with a new fellow. Guilty as Charred has appetizing cuisine, a technologically challenged detective, a panicked populace, toxic threats, a canine named Chutney, and one prying protagonist. ( )

cozy-mystery, cooking, recipes, amateur-sleuth, murder

Cooking contests, recipes, small town, community gardens, and murder, what's not to like? Everyone in town expects contest celebrity Sherry to solve the murder of an irritating woman found in the community garden. How she goes about it and who she calls on for help makes this an interesting read.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. ( )