It Cannoli Be Murder

by Catherine Bruns

Isn’t this book’s title just too punny? I have to smile when I read it! Let me introduce its two main characters. Tess loves to cook. Food is her love language; she loves to see people enjoying the food she made. When It Cannoli Be Murder opens, Tess is in the restaurant she and her deceased husband dreamed of opening. She is cooking up fresh, from scratch foods. She enjoys making  her own pasta. Can’t you just smell the aromas in her kitchen? Opening day is in two weeks, but she has no reservations booked so far. Will it be a flop before it even opens?

Gabby is Tess’ best friend and the owner of a new bookstore. Gabby has her own business crisis to deal with, but the two ladies try to help each other. Gabby is depending on a book signing to perk up her failing shop. She is in a “make or break” situation when Preston, the famous author, enters her bookstore with his entourage. They all treat Gabby as a servant, but there is clearly conflict among his helpers. When a murder occurs in the bookshop, Gabby and Tess are both implicated, and Gabby’s detective brother is not allowed to investigate the case because  of their relationship.

Gabby and Tess predictably, for a cozy mystery, take it upon themselves to find the real murderer. They are warned off by the police because their actions are dangerous; they also receive warnings from an anonymous person who may have been involved in the crime. I enjoyed their antics and relationship, but they really did go over the line into illegality several times. There are any number of people who might want to kill the victim as she was a “mean girl” in high school (especially to Gabby and Tess) and hasn’t mended her ways as she grew older.  Generally self-centered and narcissistic, she does have a good side which Tess discovers in the process of interviewing those who knew the victim. The murderer and the motive are a surprise, but the ending is satisfying. 

You will certainly want to see Gabby and Tess succeed in their business ventures. There is a tad bit of romance along the way, but Tess’ husband died only 6 months prior to this story, so she is not ready to have a new relationship. Her priority is her restaurant. I enjoyed this cozy mystery and would love to have Tess, a trained chef with an Italian family background, cook some of her delicious Italian dishes for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery 

Notes: 1. #3 in the Italian Chef Mystery Series but can be read as a standalone as the author backfills information as needed. I had read #1, but not #2. Except for one event that I had forgotten from the first book in the series, there were no story gaps for me.

    2. This book contains some delicious sounding recipes that Tess makes. Only one of them would be in the easy category, but they are all satisfying to read if you love food. 

Publication: July 28,2020—Poisoned Pen Press

Memorable Lines: 

A wave of anxiety passed over me. Sure, police weren’t supposed to be fuzzy and warm, but this guy’s demeanor was colder than a New York icicle in January.

The room was so quiet that you could have heard a chocolate chip drop.

“I’m an only child, and I wasn’t sheltered,” I reminded her. “You don’t count,” Gabby said. “In Italian families, it doesn’t matter whether there’s one kid or ten. Everyone gets suffocated equally.”