A Dash of Death (A Cocktails and Catering Mystery)

A Dash of Death is the perfect beach or waiting for the bus read. It reads like a small town mystery even though it takes place in Houston, Texas. Main character Samantha is just getting over a bad break-up with her ex-fiance Greg. Her best friends Marisa and Beth convince her to take the homemade cherry bitters she made for the wedding to a benefit being thrown by the Highlands Historic Commission. A few hours into the event, however, a man named Mark gets sick. His girlfriend, Darcy, takes him home but Mark ends up going to the hospital and then passing away. Samantha and her friends later find a glass in the bathroom with a poisonous oleander flower in it. Those were not the flowers Sam had used for the drinks. Sam gets blamed for the murder but then goes on her own investigation to find the real killer.

This book is an easy-to-read pageturner with delightful characters and a wonderful setting. Although a bit predictable, the mystery bounces from theory to theory as Sam tries to figure out who could want to kill the dead man. There’s nothing like great food, great cocktails, and a good old fashioned town murder.