Kirkus
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A food critic isn’t even the prime suspect when an obstreperous restaurateur is killed during a pizza bake-off. Moving from temporary to full-time writer on Southern Style magazine has its perks for food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. For example, her idea of organizing the Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off, the first pizza contest in Branson, Georgia, has been heralded with great fanfare. And her best friend Hilary Hanson’s sister, Arleen, has reached the semifinals, exciting Tiffany and redoubling her commitment to the event’s success. When gallstones force fellow food critic Pierre Dumont to withdraw from his judging duties, Tiffany is dismayed to hear that he’s being replaced by none other than Bartholomew Driscoll. Not only does Driscoll have a notoriously short temper, but Tiffany recently panned his restaurant, Ambrosia, and he didn’t take the news well. At the contest, the two are at odds almost immediately, with Driscoll working his usual routine of baiting Tiffany into arguments she’s determined not to fall for. But Tiffany may not be the only one who has an issue with Driscoll, she learns, and when he’s killed midway through the contest, possible suspects range far and wide. Tiffany has a bit of an in with the investigation through her rather personal connection to Det. Philip Bartell, so she’s ready to leap into action when suspicion seems to be settling on Arleen. There should be something more to warrant this series’ second helping. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.