On the Lamb

by Tina Kashian

There is a lot of fun to be had in Tina Kashian’s latest cozy mystery, On the Lamb. Lucy Berberian, who manages her family’s Mediterranean restaurant, Kebab Kitchen, in the small Jersey tourist town of Ocean Crest has a reputation for solving mysteries with the help of a sidekick. Her best friend Katie fills the bill, only this time Katie’s husband Bill, an Ocean Crest police officer, is not assigned to the case so they are on their own in their informal investigations.

There are many suspects in the murder case as no one seems to have positive feelings about the victim Gilbert, not even his wife. You’ll want to read On the Lamb to find out what hold Gilbert had over various characters and watch the course of the duo’s inquiries that turn dangerous.

On the fun side is Eloisa Lubinski, a widow in her eighties who isn’t letting life pass her by. Lucy rents out Eloisa’s very pink upstairs apartment with an amazing oceanfront view and a sixties decor. Other interesting characters include Azad, chef at the Kabob Kitchen and Lucy’s former boyfriend, and Madame Vega, a longtime psychic on the boardwalk whose powers of observation and perception exceed any claimed clairvoyant  abilities. The boardwalk setting is a fantastic backdrop and critical to the events of the story.

This cozy mystery checks off all the boxes for a fun afternoon read. My one issue is that Lucy, a former patent attorney, and Katie, the wife of a police officer, clearly break the law on several occasions. They were more concerned about how to safely share their criminally obtained information with the police than with their committing the crime. Cozies often have the main character walk in grey areas or put their own lives in danger; this one went a little too far. I still enjoyed the story very much for its interesting plot, characters, and setting and recommend it as well as the whole Kitchen Kabob Mystery Series.

I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #4 in the Kitchen Kebab Mystery Series, it will be fine as a standalone as the author gives lots of background as she begins the plot.

  2. The book is wrapped up with some delicious sounding Mediterranean recipes.

Publication:   February 25, 2020—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

It was old lady décor. Sixties kitchen with a limegreen refrigerator, tiered curtains, wallpaper with roosters and matching decorative wall plates displaying more roosters. One of the cabinet doors had been left open to reveal a shelf liner with a print of—she could have guessed it by now—roosters. It smelled like old lady, too. A combination of Jean Naté and BENGAY.

As she gazed at the delights behind the glass counter, she could almost feel the added extra inches on her waist and hips. The candy store took temptation to a different level.

The creamy chocolate and peanut butter combo danced like a ballet on her tongue.