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A Cooking Class Mystery #2
Murder on the Menu
Annie, Eve, and their former cooking teacher, while trying to keep their new restaurant afloat, investigate the apparent suicide of their friend Sarah, a staffer for a powerful congressman, but when they get too close to the truth, a series of mysterious "accidents" befalls them. Original.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 5, 2007
9 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Bliss
6Ìýbooks134ÌýfollowersAlso writes as Casey Daniels, Zoe Daniels, Connie Deka, Mimi Granger, Anastasia Hastings, Connie Lane, Connie Laux, Constance Laux, Kylie Logan, Lucy Ness.
Casey Daniels, it can now be revealed, is also Miranda Bliss. As Casey, she once applied for a job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery. She didn't get the job, but she did get the idea for the Pepper Martin Mystery Series about a cemetery tour guide who finds she can communicate with the permanent residents. The fifth in the series, Dead Man Talking, came out earlier this year. As Miranda Bliss, she is the author of five books that feature best friends Annie and Eve who give cooking classes. Most recent is Murder Has a Sweet Tooth. Casey learned to love mysteries early thanks to her dad, a Cleveland Police detective, who enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars--with Casey along for the ride. Casey has a degree in English and a background in journalism and teaching. Casey lives in northeast Ohio.
Casey Daniels, it can now be revealed, is also Miranda Bliss. As Casey, she once applied for a job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery. She didn't get the job, but she did get the idea for the Pepper Martin Mystery Series about a cemetery tour guide who finds she can communicate with the permanent residents. The fifth in the series, Dead Man Talking, came out earlier this year. As Miranda Bliss, she is the author of five books that feature best friends Annie and Eve who give cooking classes. Most recent is Murder Has a Sweet Tooth. Casey learned to love mysteries early thanks to her dad, a Cleveland Police detective, who enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars--with Casey along for the ride. Casey has a degree in English and a background in journalism and teaching. Casey lives in northeast Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
May 30, 2011
This was a well-written light hearted romantic murder mystery. Well done. I will admit that I came into the series in the latest books and liked them so much I ordered the beginning ones to catch up with the characters.
I was not disappointed. Annie Capshaw and her best friend, Eve have gone to work in a restaurant with their former cooking instructor. This gave the book a fresh location and path to wonderful storylines. The murder is set away from the restaurant at a friends' apartment.
Eve gains a dog and Annie helps solve another murder.
I really enjoyed the banter and action.
I was not disappointed. Annie Capshaw and her best friend, Eve have gone to work in a restaurant with their former cooking instructor. This gave the book a fresh location and path to wonderful storylines. The murder is set away from the restaurant at a friends' apartment.
Eve gains a dog and Annie helps solve another murder.
I really enjoyed the banter and action.
January 28, 2011
Again, like this series. I like the plots and characters, and there are just enough twists to keep you guessing. Nice easy read.
May 20, 2011
A very fun, light read. I didn't have the mystery figured out until the very last chapter. Book 2 made me like the series even more.
July 25, 2016
I love this series. Annie and Eve always somehow find a murder.
April 26, 2010
Annie Capshaw is working both full-time at a bank and at nights helping her on and off again boyfriend Jim MacDonald get his restaurant "Bellywashers" up and running. The last thing she needs is to discover the dead body of a friend. The police say it was suicide but Annie and her friend Eve aren't so sure and begin to look into Sarah's death. They soon discover that there are any number of people that wanted Sarah dead. The more Annie and Eve investigate, the more they become targets.
"Murder on the Menu" is the well-done second book in Miranda Bliss's Cooking Class cozy mystery series (the first was Cooking Up Murder). The characters are all developing nicely, especially Annie. She is still dealing with the consequences of a divorce that left her with such low self-esteem that she is afraid to get seriously involved with Jim. By the end of the book she took a major and welcome step forward in her life that made her a deeper character. Eve is another great character - blonde, beautiful, a bit ditzy, but a major asset to Annie when solving the mystery. Jim wasn't as major a character in this book, but he's there when Annie needs him. The restaurant elements are extremely well done and believable. The murder elements are well written and well plotted, with just a handful of suspects, but a few red herrings set up some nice plot twists to keep readers guessing.
"Murder on the Menu" is a delicious cozy mystery
"Murder on the Menu" is the well-done second book in Miranda Bliss's Cooking Class cozy mystery series (the first was Cooking Up Murder). The characters are all developing nicely, especially Annie. She is still dealing with the consequences of a divorce that left her with such low self-esteem that she is afraid to get seriously involved with Jim. By the end of the book she took a major and welcome step forward in her life that made her a deeper character. Eve is another great character - blonde, beautiful, a bit ditzy, but a major asset to Annie when solving the mystery. Jim wasn't as major a character in this book, but he's there when Annie needs him. The restaurant elements are extremely well done and believable. The murder elements are well written and well plotted, with just a handful of suspects, but a few red herrings set up some nice plot twists to keep readers guessing.
"Murder on the Menu" is a delicious cozy mystery
March 29, 2020
2 Stars. The series must be an acquired taste because I failed to catch the flavour in this entry. There's an over-riding impression that maybe, as a male, I shouldn't be permitted to read this type of cozy mystery, that the insight it provides into the female gender as not the most capable, is a secret I should not know. I enjoy murder mysteries and feel it's only fair to give every author at least one try. The premise isn't bad. Our narrator, Annie Capshaw, and her ditsy but gorgeous friend Eve DeCateur are working in a new restaurant, Bellywasher's, owned and chefed by Annie's sometime boyfriend Jim MacDonald. A friend drops in and invites the two over to meet her new Japanese puppy, "Doctor Masakazu!" When they visit one evening they find her dead of an apparent suicide. Sarah was a staffer for a U.S. Senator but her clothes and apartment ooze money, well above her pay scale. Where did it come from? If she has a new and rich boyfriend, who is he? In the future, should I conclude that murder mysteries that come with recipes in the back are to be avoided? (December 2018)
November 11, 2013
Book #92 Read in 2013
Murder on the Menu by Miranda Bliss
This is the second book in a cozy mystery series. In this book, Annie and Eve had opened up a restaurant with their former cooking teacher, Jim. As business begins to pick up, the girls reconnect with a former school pal, Sarah. Shortly after, Sarah is found dead in her bath tub from an apparent suicide. This does not sit well with Eve and Annie and the two begin their own investigation. This does not happen without danger and bumps in the road. Will they find the murderer in time, before he/she finds them?
I enjoy this series. The characters are interesting--I like the friendship between Annie and Eve and their rapport. Annie's relationship with Jim is interesting. In this book, I enjoyed Doc, the dog with style.
Murder on the Menu by Miranda Bliss
This is the second book in a cozy mystery series. In this book, Annie and Eve had opened up a restaurant with their former cooking teacher, Jim. As business begins to pick up, the girls reconnect with a former school pal, Sarah. Shortly after, Sarah is found dead in her bath tub from an apparent suicide. This does not sit well with Eve and Annie and the two begin their own investigation. This does not happen without danger and bumps in the road. Will they find the murderer in time, before he/she finds them?
I enjoy this series. The characters are interesting--I like the friendship between Annie and Eve and their rapport. Annie's relationship with Jim is interesting. In this book, I enjoyed Doc, the dog with style.
October 27, 2019
This book was a lot better than Book 3 was. I don't know why book 3 didn't care the same strength of storyline and genre as Book 1 and 2 but I do want to finish this series sometime to see if it finishes on a high note or a semi high note.
Annie is still my fave in this series and Eve still gets on my nerves but they have a great friendship in this book which I love.
If you love a funny Cozy Mystery than this book and series is for you!!
Annie is still my fave in this series and Eve still gets on my nerves but they have a great friendship in this book which I love.
If you love a funny Cozy Mystery than this book and series is for you!!
June 3, 2010
This was a cutie-pie of a cozy. I could be friends with these two girls, probably Eve more so than Annie. Eve is sweet and funny and goofy, even being a hottie and all. Annie is wound a little too tight with her organizational skills and worries, but still is a good person at heart and wants to help Eve figure out who killed their friend Sarah. Yes, the police had deemed it a suicide after seeing the scene and finding a note, but Eve and Annie find little clues that lead them to believe something else happened. That led smoothly into their investigation, which I always appreciate in an amateur sleuth mystery.
I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant scenery and the characters are nicely drawn. Sometimes the action happened a little too co-ink-ee-dink-a-lee, like making kitchen-phobic Annie work one night helping the chef when one of the assistants was out of commission with a bad reaction to putting green dye in his hair, but the story moved along and all was accomplished in a timely manner.
I liked the ending with the 'whoa, did not see that one coming' tweak.
All in all, I look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing what happens to my buds, Annie, Eve and Jim and Bellywashers the restaurant.
Four sparkly kitchen diamonds......
I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant scenery and the characters are nicely drawn. Sometimes the action happened a little too co-ink-ee-dink-a-lee, like making kitchen-phobic Annie work one night helping the chef when one of the assistants was out of commission with a bad reaction to putting green dye in his hair, but the story moved along and all was accomplished in a timely manner.
I liked the ending with the 'whoa, did not see that one coming' tweak.
All in all, I look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing what happens to my buds, Annie, Eve and Jim and Bellywashers the restaurant.
Four sparkly kitchen diamonds......
November 26, 2014
A light heart-ed tale of dogs, restaurants, and murder. I picked this up at the library out of curiosity,with no real knowledge of the series. In fact, I still have not read the first book in the series as the author does a fairly good job of making reference to past murder mysteries, with enough information to be interesting, but not overly much as to rewrite the first story as some authors do. In this book, best friends Annie and Eve find a mutual acquaintance murdered in her bath tub, apparent suicide. But Annie and Eve decide that it is actually a homicide and when no one will investigate their friend's suspicious death, they investigate murder themselves. In the middle of all of this, they are both trying to help their previous cooking instructor open up a new restaurant in a seedier part of Northern Virginia. A good murder mystery with plenty of intrigue and light on the dark side, this tale is a good rainy Sunday afternoon read when you still want to be able to go to sleep at night.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2015
Not a series I want to read more of. The main character and her friend just weren't very likable.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Read
November 19, 2012I like this series. I am actually re-reading it! I just finished this yesturday and am almost done with the second. I like cooking mysteries especially when they have recipes! Miranda Bliss has a bunch of different personalities in this book that keep you wondering who to hate and who to like. I get very frustrated with Annie for not taking chances and always trying to be safe. If I had a hot scottish guy after me I would definitely take chances. It is a good read. Give it a try.
Sorry I meant this review for the first book! I just realized I wrote this for the second book in the series!
Sorry I meant this review for the first book! I just realized I wrote this for the second book in the series!
April 23, 2008
Book 2 in the Cooking Class Mysteries. In this book, Annie and Eve are not taking a cooking class. However, they are helping their old instructor, Jim, open up a restaurant named Bellywasher's. The girls find themselves investigating a murder, taking care of a very expensive dog and one of them even dates a Senator. Great twist and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Also includes many laugh out loud moments!
September 25, 2008
Second in the Cooking Class mysteries by Miranda Bliss. Not the best mystery, of course, but that's not what I look for in a cozy. I really like cozies, though, and this one was on par with others I've read. Considering how much I like food and cooking, I really enjoy these. I looked on Amazon and noticed she has a couple of new ones since I purchased this one, so I'll have to pursue those sometime. Good, easy, fluffy, light read.
December 8, 2013
You know, I can usually whip through a paperback cozy in 1-3 days (three days being a long time), this book took me over a week to get through. It was an okay story, not great. I haven't read the first book in the series but I had bought this and have been reading a lot of romance so I decided to change it up with a mystery. I guess I am luke-warm at this point but I would read another one to see if I warm up to the characters.
April 14, 2014
I felt meh about the first book. Found the second one in a used bookstore and decided to give the serious another chance. The characters really annoy me, more so in this one than book 1. Annie says really dumb things and she's just blah as a character. She's also kind of rude. Eve is her gorgeous best friend, and Annie is constantly making comments like Eve is stupid or can't figure something out or that she is just smarter than Eve.
January 20, 2009
This is a good quick read. The only problem I have is that she uses unnecessary language. (kind of like an uncessary sex scene in a movie.) I did like the funness (Is that a word?) of the two girls who just happen to solve the murder and there was a twist at the end because I guessed who did it but wasn't expecting the twist.) All in all a good read.
October 26, 2010
This was a light read. The fact that it took me to long to finish it says something, but I'm glad for an intro to the series (although it's #2 in the Cooking Class series.) Two stars here isn't a bad "okay," but an okay "okay." I guess I was looking for a little more about actual cooking classes. :)
January 5, 2012
This is a fun series, IMO. I can identify with the sarcastic Annie although I can cook and she can't. :) These are definitely fluff books but sometimes you need fluff. I love how Miranda Bliss incorporates food and cooking (and a little romance) in her stories - adding the recipes at the end. Sometime I'll have to try them. Looking forward to the next in the series.
January 17, 2011
Much different from what I remembered of the first book. And I'm not sure how they could classify this as A Cooking Class Mystery except it's all the same characters, as there's not a class in site! It was well done and funny though.
September 18, 2009
This is a nice, light cozy mystery. Not too much thinking involved but enough of a plot to keep the reader interested. The main characters are not in Cooking Class in this one though so it really shouldn't be called a Cooking Class Mystery...
December 2, 2011
This one had me guessing until the very end. I loved how she threw in some little surprises that lead you from one conclusion to a completely different conclusion and the end was even a surprise. I enjoyed this book.
October 2, 2011
I enjoyed this one better than the first. NO, it is not a great literary, but it was a good read. You really feel like you know the characters in this book. I'm glad I have the next one in the series to read
October 17, 2011
There were a few parts of this book that had me laughing. Annie and Eve are helping Jim with his restaurant. Annie handles the accounting, Eve the front of the house and Jim cooks/bartends. A like this light food mystery, a quick read.
September 3, 2012
Annie and Eve are once again involved in a murder investigation after their friend Sarah is found dead. The police brush it off as a suicide, but the girls know something is wrong. Fine dining, a pricey dog and politics. What's not to like? 3.5 stars
February 18, 2018
Another simply fun mystery! There was even some character development, which I was pleasantly surprised about. This book series is fun, the characters are still believable, and any thing that includes cooking makes me happy! Looking forward to book 3!
April 21, 2009
guilty pleasure murder mystery read. nothing complicated.
June 25, 2009
This fun cozy mystery was as entertaining as the first. I kept guessing whodunit until the very end, changing my mind several times. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!
September 15, 2013
Fun mystery read! Was hard to know the tru killer until the end... Can't wait for the next one. And I do wish it had more cooking in it.
May 13, 2011
Entertaining...a good pool / beach read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
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