Death On Eat Street by JJ Cook has an awesome cover. I looked at it and felt that it would be a fun read and I was not wrong. The chuckles and laughter are free.
It takes place in Mobile, Alabama. I lived in Mobile some time ago, so I am able to walk the streets with Zoe. It brought back some great memories and books that do that for me make them even more enjoyable.
The cover alone is enough to draw me in. How about you?
Death on Eat Street (Biscuit Bowl Food Truck)
BRAND NEW SERIES
COZY MYSTERY
Series: Biscuit Bowl Food Truck (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (April 1, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-0425263457
E-Book ASIN: B00F9EZAUW
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SYNOPSIS
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Zoe Chase always wanted to own her own restaurant—but first, she’ll have to serve up a heaping helping of meals on wheels, with a side of mystery. When she’s once again passed over for a promotion at work, Zoe decides to take the big leap and go for her dream. She quits, gives up her fancy digs, and buys a fixer-upper diner in a shady part of town. To keep above water during the renovation, she buys a used food truck to serve the downtown and waterfront of Mobile, Alabama. Zoe starts to dish out classic Southern food—but her specialty is her deep-fried biscuit bowls that blow traditional bread bowls away. After a promising start, things start to go downhill faster than a food truck without brakes. First, someone tries to rob the cash register. Next, Zoe is threatened by the owner of a competing food truck for taking their spot. And when the owner ends up dead inside Zoe’s rolling restaurant, Zoe and her sole employee, Ollie, find themselves hopping out of the frying pan into the fryer. They need to find the real killer, before both of them get burned.
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My Review of Death on Eat Street by J J Cook
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Death on Eat Street has all the elements for a top notch beach read or just a book to relax with and enjoy. Full of plenty of mystery that kept me guessing who is the killer.
Zoe’s passion for cooking drives her, regardless of whatever her rich family and friends think. She doesn’t want the easy life that comes with money. She is determined to follow her dream.
When Terry is found dead in her food truck, she feels it’s her duty to follow proper procedure and do the right thing. Sooo, she calls the cops, because that’s the kind of girl she is.
The colorful cast of characters is fantastic, covering all classes. Her snooty controlling mother, her father who just wants to get along, her eccentric Uncle Saul, who they called in to help them with Zoe and he sure did. LOL Tommy lee, her jerk boyfriend, who doesn’t live in the real world. Ollie, from the homeless shelter, is a fantastic and tragic character that I am sure has a story to be told. He seemed to adopt her and was fast becoming her greatest ally. She would take the leftover food from the day to the guys at the homeless shelter, so they were always happy to lend her a hand. Miguel became her lawyer, when she was accused of the murder, but would he become more than that? Delia is her employee and friend and I can’t forget Creme Brulee, a sassy cat with a superior attitude. He snores and takes no guff from anybody. the I love them all, even the rich snobby ones.
JJ talks about Wintzell’s and I couldn’t help but smile. Wintzell’s is a seafood restaurant that is a staple of downtown Mobile, Alabama. Oliver Wintzell opened the restaurant in 1938 and the walls are covered with his sayings. I must confess, I have a couple.
4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others
“Don’t worry. It will never happen again,” says Zoe.
I burst out laughing. This is the first book in the series and I feel she will be getting in much more trouble in the future. I am ready for the adventure.
I received a paperback copy of Death on Eat Street by JJ Cook for tour review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
About J.J. Cook
J.J. Cook writes award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, Joyce and Jim Lavene, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family. Visit them at www.jjcook.net.
Blog / Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase Links.
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EXCERPT
It hadn’t been more than thirty minutes or so since I’d climbed out of the food truck. How did Terry get there after me? And what was he doing here? Had he followed me back to give me more grief over parking in “his spot” on Dauphin Street?
“What’s up out here, young ’un?” Ollie came out of the diner, still holding the sword.
“I don’t know. This is Terry.”
He nodded. “From the infamous tacky taco truck?”
“Yes. I don’t know what he’s doing here. I think he may be drunk or something.”
Ollie bent down and put his hand on Terry’s neck. “I don’t know either, but he ain’t goin’ no place else.”
“What do you mean? I can call him a taxi or something.”
“No, Zoe. You don’t get it. The man’s dead. A taxi won’t do him any good now.”
Dead? That made even less sense to me. Maybe I was too tired to think straight.
Why was Terry—alive or dead—in my food truck?
“We gotta hide him somewhere.” Ollie glanced around. “We gotta get rid of him before someone sees him here.”
“We can’t do that. We should call the police. That’s what you do when you find a dead body.”
“Oh? ’Cause you’ve got so much experience finding dead people?” He chuckled. “You better believe me, Zoe. You think you got trouble now, tell the police there’s a dead man in your food truck. You’ll be in for a heap more trouble.”
I knew he was wrong. If something had happened to Terry, regardless of how he got into the Biscuit Bowl, the police needed to be informed. If there was one thing I knew besides cooking, it was the law.
My mother was one of the most prominent attorneys in Mobile. There was even some talk of her getting a judgeship. She’d fed me the law with my pureed carrots and pears when I was a baby. She’d hoped I was going to follow in her footsteps someday.
I was kind of a disappointment in that area.
I took out my cell phone. “I’m sorry, Ollie. I have to call. If you’re worried about being here, you should go to back to the shelter. I can handle this.”
“I ain’t worried about me, Zoe. It’s you I’m concerned for. What do you think the police will make of you having a dead man in your vehicle?”
I thought about it. “What can they make of it? I didn’t do anything. Someone must have put him here. Or he climbed in and died. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Famous last words.
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GIVEAWAY
JJ Cook is giving away 1 (one) print copy. Just leave your email and answer the question:
What is your favorite tasty treat from a food truck?
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To get your copy of Death on Eat Street by J J Cook, click on the cover below.
John Besh is a chef and native son dedicated to the culinary riches of southern Louisiana. In his restaurants, entrepreneurial pursuits, and public activities, he aims to preserve and promote ingredients, techniques, and heritage. John’s cookbooks, My New Orleans and My Family Table, were each recognized with an IACP Award. His third cookbook, “Cooking from the Heart,” was released on October 29th, 2013. He hosts two national public television cooking shows based on the books.
