Thursday, May 14, 2015

Book Review & Giveaway: Fillet of Murder by Linda Reilly


From the publisher: Talia Marby serves up delectable English deep fried fare in the heart of the Berkshires—but she soon discovers there’s something fishy going on… 

Sometimes in this life, you have to fish or cut bait. After walking away from a miserable job and an even worse boyfriend, Talia Marby has no regrets. She’s returned to her hometown and is happy to help her dear friend Bea Lambert by working at Lambert’s Fish & Chips, a cornerstone of a charming shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English village.

But not all the shop owners are charming. Phil Turnbull has been pestering Bea to sign a petition against a new store opening up, and his constant badgering is enough to make her want to boil him in oil. When Talia and Bea stumble upon Turnbull murdered in his shop, the police suspect Bea. Now it’s up to Talia to fish around for clues and hook the real killer before her friend has to trade serving food for serving time…


It's not uncommon over the course of a long-running mystery series to feel as though the characters have become friends. It's pretty rare to feel that way about the characters in a debut novel, though, but that is exactly what happened as I read the first book in Linda Reilly's Deep Fried mystery series, Fillet of Murder.

Talia Marby is starting over and temporarily working at Lambert’s Fish & Chips, an important part of her childhood that is owned by her dear friend Bea. The restaurant is located in a shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English village. There is conflict among the shop owners however, as a petition is being circulated to stop the opening of a comic book store, instigated by vintage lighting store owner Phil Turnbull. Before long Talia and Bea find Phil dead in his shop, and Bea is the prime suspect because the fillet knife buried in his neck had whitefish on it and she had recently been overheard threatening to boil him in oil. As the two ladies begin questioning their fellow shop owners, they end up discovering that more than one of them had reason to want him dead.

I enjoyed every single moment of this fast-paced mystery which kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to watching Talia adjust to her new role as restaurant owner, and hope to see her relationship with new friend Ryan and his sweet father Arthur flourish. Every character is memorable and unique, right down to the precious cover star, calico kitty Bojangles. The food descriptions are downright mouth-watering, and since we're talking deep fried deliciousness, reading about them is much more heart healthy too!

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Wednesday, May 20th for your chance to win a paperback copy of Fillet of Murder *and* this adorable tote bag!!! US entries only, and don't forget your email address.

(Sorry, Truffles not included.)

41 comments:

Angel Prancer Pie said...

We love this title! Our Mommy often becomes "attached" to the people in her books. We thought she was just weird. MOL!
Happy Thursday, sweet furriends.
XOXO

Anonymous said...

This cover is so cute and I am all over fillet of fish and chips. Purrfect post..
Marilyn Watson ewatvess@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Great cover and looks like a fun read; thanks for the chance to win :)
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

Awe... I was hoping Truffles was included. ;-) Thank you for the chance. Nice tote and would love to read this book. :D lady.janel@hotmail.com

Teresa Kander said...

Love the tote bag....and can't wait to read this book.
eeyoregirl2009@aol.com

skkorman said...

Sounds like a fun read—thanks for the chance to win a copy!

skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

Candace knight said...

I can't wait to read this book. The cover is cute. Thank you for the chance.
Moonbay7399@gmail.com

Unknown said...

What more could you want, a kitty, food, and a mystery! Can't wait to read :)

Unknown said...

I agree with Penny. This sounds like a winning trifecta.
libbydodd at comcast dot net

Witchy Woman said...

I want to know how Talia helps Bea and solves the whodunnit. And the cover kitty is sooo adorable! The expression seems to say, yes, it's my fish, and there's "nothing" you can do about it. :)
witchywoman064 at yahoo dot com
* Forgive me if there are duplicate comments; I was having trouble submitting.

Unknown said...

Cozy mysteries are my weakness. I'd love to have a copy to read. robeader53@yahoo.com

betty6931 said...

Thanks so much for a chance to win a copy! betty6931@fuse.net

Chris said...

I've read some great reviews of this book and am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy. cking78503@aol.com

kiki w said...

Looks like a great cozy mystery. Love the cover on the book.

xzjh04@gmail.com

Donna Gantt said...

Sounds like a great new series. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy. jr_dj_gantt@juno.com

jawdance said...

Love the cover and the bag is so cute. The book sounds great!!
jawdance@yahoo.com

Shannon M. said...

Thanks for the giveaway! The book sounds great and the tote is so cute. smmolloy1105@yahoo.com

Daniele K said...

This looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for the giveaway! dmskrug3 at hotmail dot com

Linda R said...

Thanks so much to all of you who entered the giveaway! I love reading everyone's comments ~
LInda Reilly

traveler said...

Thanks for this captivating giveaway. So unique and special. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

This book is a delight. Love the cover. Many thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Mary Holshouser said...

I've been wanting to read this book - hopefully I'll win this copy and the tote bag.
Bear is happy that Truffles won't be coming with. She likes being "dog of the house".
thanks.
txmlhl@yahoo.com

Margo said...

Looking forward to reading this soon! cheers@marjimmanor.com

Brooke Showalter said...

I have been waiting for this to come out. Can't wait to read it! Thank you so much for the chance.

brookeb811 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

This sounds like a great series.

Robin said...

I don't get my very own copy of Truffles? Darn. She is so cute :) This sounds like a really fun mystery to read. I love it when the characters are hard to let go of! It makes you feel kind of insane, but in a good way.
-Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

Carol M said...

Sounds like a good mystery! I'm looking forward to reading it! Thank you for the giveaway!

mittens0831 at aol dot com

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Melissa. I am so looking forward to reading Fillet of Murder. Since Truffles is not included, give her a hug for me! :)

Mama Cat said...

Thanks for the great review - I am looking forward to starting this new series! Would SO love to win it! Truffles, my babies would share the gorgeous tote bag with you if I win! You can all go for rides in it! jeaniedannheim (at) ymail (dot) com

Quinn and Angel brandi said...

Mommy loves mysteries and I love being read to with them! Ladycristant at aol dot com

holdenj said...

Sounds like such a great debut and I love the title! In fact, the whole cover cracks me up! Thanks for the chance to win!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Debbie S said...

I love the cover, this sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance to win.
momzillasteel at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Sounds like my kind of book, looking forward to it.

pilch92 said...

That looks great, I want to enter pilch92@aol.com . Are you sure Truffles isn't included? :)

Sue said...

A super cute cover and a super cute tote. I'd love to win.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

servedogmom said...

Sounds like a delightful new series (with an eye catching cover). servedogmom@yahoo.com

Sharon Forrest said...

Kind of reminds me of my cat Sami. skforrest1957@gmail.com

Kaye Killgore said...

Great cover, nice review.

kaye dot killgore at comcast dot net

Jeanetta said...

I adore cozy mysteries, and this one sounds like a winner! What a cute cover. :) I am looking forward to reading it.
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

jnalpath said...

Looking forward to this title zeta(at)iwon(dot)com

ceblain said...

First off, Congratulations to Linda on her first book being released. Has to be very exciting. This sounds like a really interesting and fun book and we will all be waiting for the next one. Not rushing you of course, Linda. :) I would love to become the recipient of Linda's book; thank you for that chance.

Cynthia

ceblain(AT)tmlponline(DOT)net