Inspiration Valley is home to the Novel Idea Literary Agency, where Lila Wilkins works as an agent. Lila's normal duties are being put on the back burner while the area prepares for the Taste of the Town festival, which is bringing in celebrity chefs for a week-long event that will also feature cooking demonstrations, cookbook giveaways, and a culinary writing contest. The agency has been coordinating this event for quite awhile, and since the celebrity chefs being featured are clients, it's important that this event run smoothly.

However, just before the event is scheduled to begin, there is an explosion in the demo kitchen that takes the life of chef Joel Lang. Joel was an Asian fusion chef whose work was often criticised by other chefs; in fact, just before the explosion, all of the guest chefs had been attending a meal where a war of words had broken out about whose techniques, meals, and palates were better. Unfortunately, Joel left the pre-event feeling that he had a lot to prove but would never have the opportunity to do so.

Lila begins to suspect that one of the Novel Idea clients is responsible for the kitchen accident, so she is determined to solve the mystery before the festival ends and all of her suspects scatter across the country again. Although her boyfriend Sean is a police officer on the local police department who is working the case, there is only so much he can share with her. As Lila tries to solve that mystery, her favourite barista is trying to solve another mystery -- one of her customers has been leaving "secret admirer" messages for her, and she's dying to know who her admirer is!

BOOKS, COOKS, AND CROOKS was the perfect combination of fun and suspense. Lila is a great heroine who balances work, being a single mother, and having a fulfilling social life. Although she relies on help from her boyfriend to solve mysteries, she's an independent woman with intelligence and wit. This book saw the evolution of Lila's relationship with her son, and it was nice to see more of her in this book than in the last instalment. Overall, BOOKS, COOKS, AND CROOKS delivers on all fronts, and is a pleasure to read.

Book Summary

The national bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries are back, as Lila Wilkins—literary agent and sleuth—is setting up a delicious cookbook fair. But the tension in the kitchen is about to boil over…

Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, is bubbling with excitement for the Taste of the Town festival, and Lila is right in the middle of it all. Along with her coworkers at the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila is organizing a grand celebrity chef event, featuring food television's biggest stars, complete with cooking demonstrations, cookbook giveaways, and even a culinary writing contest.

But just as the celebration is about to start, the demo kitchen blows up, taking one of the star cooks with it. With all the explosive egos of the cook’s colleagues, it’s hard to find someone who didn’t have a motive to eliminate the competition. Now Lila will have to scramble to figure out which of her clients is a killer—before someone else gets burned.