Cinco de Murder

Broken Boot's First Annual Charity Chili Cook-off is
off and cooking plus the Cinco de Mayo festivities
are in full swing.
It is a busy time for Tex-Mex waitress, Josie Callahan.
Beside waitress, she is helping her uncle with the
cook-off, practicing dancing for their traditional
dance, the folklorico with her long haired Chihuahua,
Lenny . They will be dancing on a float in the Saturday
parade. She is also gathering information for their
local newspaper as a part time reporter.
So she really didn’t need to discover one of the well
known chili contestants dead in his tent.
The cast consists of slew of cleverly crafted characters,
well defined, quirky and interesting characters. Murder,
danger, intrigue, politics, colorful costumes, music, lots
of good eats, bright and festive costumes, elaborate
town decor, fireworks. coyotes and suspense add to the
fast paced adventures.
The plot was well cooked with delicious tidbits. The book
had humor and a touch of romance added to the mix.
Recipes are included at the finale of the book.
A delicious, mouthwatering story everyone will enjoy.
I volunteered to read a Cinco de Murder. Thanks to the
author and publisher via the Facebook Cozy Mystery
Review Crew. My opinion is my own.

Cinco de Murder by Rebecca Adler is the third book in A Taste of Texas Mystery series. Josie Callahan is busy rehearsing the folklorico dances for the Cinco de Mayo parade in Broken Boot, Texas. Her dog, Lenny (a long-haired Chihuahua) will also be participating in the dance wearing an adorable costume. Uncle Eddie is busy organizing the First Annual Broken Boot’s Charity Chili Cook-Off. He needs to ensure that this event goes off without a hitch or he could lose his seat on the town council. The next day Josie finds contestant Lucky Straw dead in his tent (this does not bode well for Uncle Eddie). Lucky was not well-liked on the cook-off circuit and had managed to anger several people since his arrival. Detective Quinton Lightfoot, Josie and Lenny work to find the killer and restore Uncle Eddie’s reputation.

Cinco de Murder is a fun cozy mystery with a small Texan town that is filled with unique characters. I felt the author captured the small town feel and the competitiveness of a cook-off. Cinco de Murder can be read alone. The cases from the other books are rehashed in Cinco de Murder along with Josie’s background. I did feel that the novel needed some work. There were several continuity issues that needed fixing (Lenny cannot be in two places at once). The beginning of the book is disjointed and stilted (it gets better after several chapters). There is also a great deal of repetition (I lost track of how many times Josie’s Prius is mentioned or that Hillary Sloan Rawlings is called a nemesis). Plus, do we really need to know every single time the dog has to use the restroom or about the horse poop in the road (not needed). The mystery felt incomplete (details are missing). Josie does ask questions (she is bad at it), but the solution lands in her lap. I was left with several unanswered questions at the end of the book. There are numerous quirky characters in Cinco de Murder along with plenty of activities (which dominate the book). It sounds like Broken Boot goes all out for Cinco de Mayo. Josie had a busy two and half days and I bet Lenny was ready for a nap (and to ditch the costume). Readers who enjoy light cozy mysteries (prefer more cozy than mystery) will delight in visiting Broken Boot for the Cinco de Mayo festival in Cinco de Murder.