A decent book, but I won't go tracking down the others in this series. The murder didn't start until halfway in (and the book is only 211 pages) and there were way too many characters (there is even a character cheat sheet in the front of the book to help you keep them all straight.) I liked Meg and Quill (the main characters) but I would have liked a little more focus on them and less on all the other people floating about for no reason. It's been a while since I read a Hemlock Falls mystery, and I realized that I'd missed Quill and Meg like old friends I hadn't seen in a long time. The previous book in the series (#15, A Carol for a Corpse) was published in 2007.Since then, Quill has become a parent to Jackson Myles McHale, almost two. Her husband, Myles, is overseas on an extended assignment for the government, so she and Jack have moved back into her rooms in the Inn. A culinary school (the Bonne Goute Culinary Academy) has opened nearby and the Inn at Hemlock Falls, though filled with guests, is not serving many meals. Most of the people registered at the Inn are there to tour and dine at the Academy.Meg, the head chef at the Inn, is understandably upset. But when the owner of the Academy, well-known chef Bernard LeVasque, begins to harass her by spreading rumours of deadly viruses at the Inn, and advertising that the Inn is serving free food, she is also extremely confused. Is it because she took in the pastry chef he fired?When, a few days later, LeVasque is found in his wine cellar with a knife in his throat, pastry chef Clarissa is the prime suspect. Certain that the Hemlock Falls sheriff is not going to look any further, Meg and Quill begin investigating again.Welcome back to the Quilliam sisters. Here's hoping we see you again soon!
What do You think about Toast Mortem (2010)?
I'm so glad to have Quill and Meg back! And Jack is adorable! Very entertaining read.
—slwarren
