BUTTER OFF DEAD by Leslie Budewitz

"Scrumptious cozy mystery, filled with food, family, and an intriguing mystery"

Butter Off Dead

Posted: October 21, 2015

It's the First Annual Food Lovers' Film Festival and organizers Erin Murphy and Christine Vandenberg are scrambling to deal with the last minute decisions and problems. Unfortunately, Christine is found dead and now Erin has a new problem as her brother, Nick, is the most likely suspect. Can Erin keep the festival going while discovering who Christine's murderer is?

BUTTER OFF DEAD is the third book in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series but can be read as a standalone. Leslie Budewitz quickly immerses readers into the village of Jewel Bay, Montana, while providing new readers a handy list of characters to keep track of who's who. Erin is a great main character and her love for her family and the town of Jewel Bay shines through so clearly in all her actions.

And oh how I love the town of Jewel Bay and the various specialty shops! Erin manages the Merc, a store filled with locally made food, and I wish I could browse the shelves to see all the yummy sounding treats the Merc offers. I particularly like that Leslie Budewitz doesn't ignore the difficulties in running specialty stores in an area where the tourist season is quite small.

BUTTER OFF DEAD is a scrumptious cozy mystery filled with food, family, and an intriguing mystery. I've only read one other book by Leslie Budewitz, but I definitely intend to read more by her, including the first two books in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series, as I love her characters and settings. BUTTER OFF DEAD is easily recommended!

Book Summary

As the national bestselling Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries continue, the merchants of Jewel Bay, Montana, try to heat up chilly winter business with a new film festival. But their plans are sent reeling when a dangerous killer dims the lights on a local vendor...

In an attempt to woo tourists to Jewel Bay and cheer up the townies, Erin Murphy, manager of the specialty local foods market known as the Merc, is organizing the First Annual Food Lovers’ Film Festival, filled with classic foodie flicks and local twists on favorite movie treats. But when her partner in planning, painter Christine Vandeberg, is found dead only days before the curtain rises, Erin suspects someone is attempting to stop the films from rolling.

To make matters worse, Nick—Erin’s brother and Christine’s beau—has top billing on the suspect list. Convinced her brother is innocent and determined that the show must go on, Erin has to find who’s really to blame before Nick gets arrested or the festival gets shut down. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more likely it becomes that she’ll be the next person cut from the program...