The Kielbasa Killer

Kielbasa Queen Mystery #1

by Geri Krotow

Lydia Wienewski discovers that her family's ever-popular kielbasa isn't the only thing that's been pricked when she finds a body in this entertaining and smartly written cosy.A Woman's World Book Club Pick
Lydia Wienewski can't wait to open her dream Polish-American cafe and bakery in Cheektowaga. But while her father recovers from a stroke, Lydia helps manage the family business, Wienewski's Weiners & Meats, over the busy Easter holiday. She's soon preparing a huge amount of their famous kielbasa - and dealing with her father's rogue meat supplier, Louie McDaniel.
When Lydia finds Louie dead next to the kielbasa in the family's private smoker, her great-great-grandpa's antique sausage pricker sticking out of his neck, her problems are about to get much worse - especially as she seems to be the police's prime suspect! Who would commit such a terrible act? Lydia quickly enlists the help of her irrepressible grandma Mary to find out. Can the sleuthing duo catch the killer and prove Lydia's innocence before more grisly deaths occur?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Award winning, bestselling author of cozy mystery, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. Buffalo, NY native and proud of it. Navy veteran.

Reviews

[PlansWithTea Mikayla & Oliver the cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like magical little villages with scenic coastal views, you will not find these in this cozy mystery set in Buffalo,NY. But instead you will find that the nostalgia of this cozy little community in 1980s Buffalo more than makes up for the lack of scenic views with genuine realistic characters and a lot of heart.

In the Kielbasa Killer, Lydia is busy running her dad’s shop Wienewski’s Weiners and Meats over the busy Easter weekend when she finds the dead body of their meat supplier. Even worse, the body is found in the family smoker, making Lydia and her family the prime suspects. Inspired by their favorite detective shows, Lydia and her grandma, Mary, team up to catch the killer and clear the family’s name in this delightful cozy mystery.

I did not know anything about Cheektowaga or Buffalo before reading this book. I’m from Chicago with lithuanian and German ancestry, so a mystery involving polish American food immediately interested me. This book felt like I was stepping right into Lydia’s family and close community. The writing is so descriptive and immersive, that when I would take a break from reading this book I’d be surprised that it was summer in Illinois and not Easter in New York! It really transports you.

The plot itself was also really fun, and fast paced. Lydia and Grandma’s investigating skills were surprisingly good and more importantly laugh out loud hilarious! Grandma Mary was my favorite character for sure, she was so funny and feisty! Reminded me of my own grandma. There is a small amount of cursing/bad language in the story, which I found refreshing, but some people may not like. Also I really enjoyed Lydia leaning on her family and her high school best friends for help, it made me wonder who I would pick to solve a murder with me. This was a really well written cozy mystery and I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dollycas's Thoughts

Set in New York in 1982 right before Easter, Lydia Wienewski puts her dreams of opening a Polish-American cafe and bakery on hold to run the family business, Wienewski's Weiners & Meats, while her father recovers from a stroke. Easter is a big holiday for kielbasa and Lydia has prepared plenty. But when she goes to get the meat that she prepared in the family's private smoker she finds her father's meat supplier, Louie McDaniel, dead with family heirloom sausage picker stuck in his neck. A man who had been shaking her down for money just hours earlier. Lydia and the rest of her family top the list of suspects so Lydia and her Grandma Mary decide they must catch the killer on their own to save themselves and the family business.

_____

I thought the theme of the book was unique so I was excited to read it but it just didn't really work for me.

The characters felt flat. This Polish family needed a lot more development so that I could find someone to root for. Lydia and her grandmother live together in a flat over her parent's garage. Her grandmother was very supportive of her dream and even invested so she could get the property she wanted but apparently, the family meat business was in the red. This just felt strange to me. Why use the money to start a new business when a current business is failing? The failure did play a part in solving the mystery but it still felt off. Also, Lydia is a worrier, big time. I was assuming she is in her twenties but at times she came across as much older. I thought the grandmother would be a character I could get behind and of all the characters she was my favorite but she lacked depth.

The murder mystery was a very easy solve. I pegged the killer early in the story. Lydia and her grandma's investigation was all over the place, more than almost any other amateur sleuth I have read in their first go at searching out a killer. There was also one huge clue that someone should have caught immediately especially a family immersed in a butchering business for as long as the people in this family. Heck, I knew it from biology classes in school.

I found the Polish theme interesting and I did enjoy learning more about Polish culture and the food, but I just wanted more.

Now, this book could be hindered by what I call "first-book-itus". This is when the author has to introduce a whole slate of characters and encase them in a mystery that will keep the pages turning all in a certain number of pages. With this book coming in at just over 200 pages there isn't a lot of room to do that. I think if the author had come closer to the 300-page mark the mystery could have been more complex and the characters could have been more fleshed out.

The Kielbasa Killer was okay. I would be open to reading another book in this series in hopes that the characters would be more fully developed and that mystery was more complicated.

[kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book installment in a new series. I’m not sure how I came across it but I love the title & cover design! The family are Polish and this is Easter time with the typical Polish traditions. They also have a meat shop. My husband is Polish so I am familiar with some of the traditions, which were fun to see in the novel. Another thing I enjoyed about the novel was the time period was in the 1980s! That was fun as I am sure the author researched a few things to make it more authentic.

The mystery seems like a very difficult mystery to figure out, so there are some dead ends here and there, but eventually, you reach a satisfying ending… (without giving anything away!)Everything is not as it seems. I like the grandma who likes to tagalong sleuthing and play bingo! I could really picture everybody in the story, which was fun. I hope future books will be available.

I gave the book four stars because there were some slow parts. I know the author is getting her footing introducing different characters and how they’re going to fit together laying the foundation for future novels.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lydia wants to start her own cafe-bakery on the shores of Lake Erie, but with Pop having had a heart attack, she's running the family business, Wienewski Weiners and Fine Meats. It's all she can do to keep the business in the black, even at Easter, a real pork-centric holiday in Buffalo. When she finds their meat supplier Louie dead in the family smokehouse, she's afraid that the police will suspect one of her family members. Fortunately, the police detective is a high school beau of her lively grandmother, and one of his assistants is a cousin.. But Lydia sets out, with some help from her former boyfriend Stanley, whom she still loves, to find out who got rid of Louie... Even if your foodways don't include large amounts of pig, you'll find life in the butcher shop interesting.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really like this book. I’m not sure why, maybe the writing style. It didn’t seem to go anywhere throughout the story. The main character seemed stuck in these mode. #TheKielbasaKiller #NetGalley

[ShaeDuke | Upstate NY · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of my toughest cozy mysteries to rate this year. I veered from 2 -star to 4-star at different points in the book. And here's why it came down so low where it did:

I highly enjoyed that atmosphere and cozy vibes. I also enjoyed the characters. The Buffalo setting and Eastern European foods made me so happy as an upstate New Yorker.

But...there's always a but. I knew who dun-it right from the beginning. So there was no interest in unraveling anything. There were some interesting side stories with the characters...but no red herrings and the side stories I felt, while making me enjoy the characters...did not do anything for the "mystery" part. I felt it was very un-mysterious the whole way.

In fact, the main character is a horrible investigator. She drove me a little nutty second guessing herself and pushing things "off" that would have driven the plot forward. If it's important...get it done. Progress the plot and maybe give us some doubts on the culprit.

There is so much to build on here, this was a great intro to a new series...I just hope it builds up the mysteries a bit more in the future.

Thank you to Severn House publishing and NetGalley for this ARC

[Fremom3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, so I wanted to give it a good rating, but there were issues!

Things I liked:

Setting - the story is set in 1982 in a Buffalo, NY, suburb. (?) I enjoyed the references to TV shows, music, styles, etc. Grandma Mary does use the word “triggered” at one point, at which I raised an eyebrow.

Characters - likable, decently-developed. Would have liked more background on why Lydia had gone away to school & “washed out.” Also, how old is Lydia? And she has an older brother, but we never meet him. The secondary characters were nice. I wish we could have seen more of Lydia’s besties, who were introduced late in the book.

Mystery storyline - I suspected the culprit, but it was a decent mystery.

Problems:
The author needs to sit down and make a family tree and timeline. Frankly, I’m surprised most of this wasn’t caught in the editing process.

It clearly states that Grandma Mary is 65. Later, it implies that Pops (grandma’s son) is 5 years away from social security, which would make him 60. (In 1982, SS retirement age was 65.) Did grandma give birth to Pops at age 5?

Uncle Ray has been gone for “nearly two decades.” Uncle Ray is also Grandma Mary’s son. Late in the story it says that Uncle Ray was 40+ when he married. Again, Grandma Mary was apparently having babies as a toddler since Uncle Ray is Pops’ older brother.

Early in the story, we meet main character Lydia’s cousin Ned, who is the son of Aunt Dottie (Pops’ sister, therefore Grandma Mary’s daughter). Yet…cousin Ned calls grandma “Aunt Mary,” and is even corrected when he calls her just Mary. Kind of a “that’s Aunt to you, Sonny boy,” moment.

If anyone else read this and I’ve missed something, please correct me!

Overall, I liked the book. I will buy/read the next one, but I hope some of these mistakes (?) get fixed or explained.

[LittleRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I was drawn to this book because I love Kielbasa…and I’m glad I love it because this turned out to be a fun cozy!

Being the first in a new series, there are a few things that need to be fleshed out better, but I always let book two be the one that lets me fully decide on the overall love for a series. I’m hoping we’ll see a little more detail into Lydia and her life for us to get settled into visualizing the time and setting a little more. But either way, I am back for book two and can’t wait!

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of The Kielbasa Killer, the first novel to feature Lydia Wienewski, set in Cheektowaga, New York in 1982.

Lydia is about to realise her dream by opening a restaurant and bakery, but in the meantime she is managing her father’s sausage shop while he recovers from a stroke. She’s dealing with supplies for the Easter rush and one particularly problematic supplier, Louie McDaniel, when she finds him dead in the family’s smoker with an antique sausage pricier in his neck. Not only that she’s the prime suspect.

I’m always happy to try a new series so I picked the Kielbasa Killer to get in at the start. Unfortunately it isn’t quite to my taste, but I did finish it. It runs along the same lines as the Stephanie Plum novels with Lydia involving her man mad grandmother, Mary, in her investigations, but it’s not as inventive or funny.

The plot consists of Lydia and Mary running around trying to solve the murder and get the family off the hook as suspects. They aren’t particularly adept at investigating and tend to jump to conclusions while attempting some fairly silly field work. It’s chaotic and I think that many readers will enjoy their efforts at sleuthing, but it’s a bit twee for me. The solution is easily guessable and fairly predictable, given what goes before.

The novel is told from Lydia’s point of view and she’s a worrier. The whole novel is driven by her need to shed any suspicion attached to her family and get the business solvent - apparently being a murder suspect keeps the customers away.

The Kielbasa Killer is a light hearted read that will appeal to readers looking for some easy entertainment.

[Maria]

I really did enjoy the book, especially the setting, and the characters didn't seem as annoying or clichéd as the ones in many contemporary cozies, although perhaps I'm just slightly biased in favor of anything set in the '80s.

I did have some minor quibbles with consistency, though -- at first, the dog is "aging," but a few pages later, he's only 5. He also seems to vary between medium-sized and small. There were also a few timeline issues -- would a police department really have kept a 65 year old man on as a lead investigator? Not to mention, as another reviewer pointed out, the grandmother would need to be closer to 80 than 65, due to the stated or implied ages of her two sons. If she and the detective were classmates, you'd think he'd have been way past mandatory retirement age for any police department.

My biggest issue, which might seem petty but still irritated me, was when the narrator, who is said to be 29 in 1982, discovers her budding hormones in 7th grade via a David Cassidy record. Cassidy began his recording career in 1971, so unless she was held back for at least five years, the timing is very off here. Note to authors of historical fiction set less than 100 years ago: It's all the more important to do your research, since still-living people are likely to know if you get it wrong. Also, don't conflate your own past with your character's (if that was the case here) unless you're the exact same age.

Finally, there were a.few word usage errors, as well. The phrase is "take the rap," not "take the wrap" (unless it's a sandwich), and someone married to two spouses at the same time is committing bigamy, not bigotry.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the mystery wasn't that interesting, I really enjoyed the look into Polish-American life in Buffalo, NY in the early 80's over an Easter weekend. I had no idea that Buffalo had such a strong Polish community. Until now, I thought that was mostly a Chicago area thing. I also think it's the first time I read a book where Easter was featured prominently, so that was fun. It was really cute overall, but I could have done without the all the unnecessary crude remarks throughout - it really cheapened and degraded the book. I was maybe going to buy this book as a cute gift for others but not with all the innuendo that added nothing whatsoever. Would have given the book 4 stars otherwise. Hoping the next one in the series will be better.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband is Polish so I’m familiar with the food and the area of upstate New York Lydia lives in. While I loved the setting and the premise of the book, I had a difficult time getting through this one. There’s a lot of description about nothing and so much filler to wade through that I couldn’t find the actual story. I knew who was going to get killed and I knew early on who did it so rest was left to character development, which there wasn’t much of. It might just be because it’s the first in the series so I will try the next one.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kielbasa Killer by Geri Krowtow is the first book in the Kielbasa Queen Mystery series. This was a super fun who-dun-it! It sure kept me guessing. I really liked the characters, especially amateur sleuth Lydia Wienewski and her cohort Grandma Mary. I liked how they thoughtfully followed the clues they discovered. This is a great beginning to the series.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Marsi Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this was a miss for me and I DNF at 50%.

The premise sounded great and the book name is *chef's kiss* but I didn't warm to Lydia or her grandmother. And when Lydia didn't know that a dead body doesn't bleed, despite running the family butcher shop, I was done.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Severn House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Severn House.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lydia and her grandmother Mary find themselves hunting for the killer of Louie- because they're worried that their family will be the main suspect in the investigation. It's a classic cozy, I like the idea of a kielbasa shop and of the lead character working with her grandmother but this was just a tad too all over the place for me, Those who like boisterous characters will enjoy Mary, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious to see what the next installment will hold.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this first book in Geri's new series. I found the characters and the story entertaining. There were enough twists and turns to keep my interest. I quickly found myself rooting for Lydia and her family, especially Grandma Mary. The recipes at the end were an added bonus! I'm looking forward to the next book. Will Lydia's new bakery/ restaurant be open? Will grandma Mary start dating Detective Nowicki? What will happen next with Lydia and Stanley?

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new to me author and cozy series, a solid mystery i thoroughly enjoyed. There's not a lot of books set in the Polish world and this one was well done made me learn something new.
A solid mystery that kept me guessing, likeable and fleshed out characters.
I want to read other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively and amusing read. Published in 1988, it reflects the tone of the times and neighborhood life. It reads a bit like a sitcom but of course more smoothly than a script would. The author did a great job with the mystery and character development. I’m going to see if there is an audio version of the next in the series. I think it would be a fun listen.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia Wienewski has taken over her family business during her father’s recovery from a stroke. Easter is only days away and Lydia is making sure the community has all of the hams and kielbasa they will need to feed their families. She adds extra kielbasa to the smokehouse in the family's backyard. When she goes to pack up the meat Lydia trips over something on the floor, and unfortunately discovers her meat supplier dead.

This first in a series book by Geri Krotow follows Lydia’s snooping to clear her and her family of killing Lousie McDaniel. I loved this story. The characters were interesting and developed well. The plot moves at a steady pace and I was engaged from the first page. The setting of spring in Buffalo, NY is very similar to the area I live, including the large Polish population and is a part of the story. When I finished this book I was ready for more of Lydia and her family and friends. Her Grandmother is fabulous! I will definitely look for Book 2. I recommend this book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easter cozy mystery

Lydia takes over for her Dad after he has a stroke. They own a Polish meat store. There is a murder and the body is found in their smoker in their yard. There is no shortage of suspects. Lydia figures it out along with her Grandma.

[Camille Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this on display at my local library and thought it looked fun so I checked it out. It took me longer than I expected since it’s on the shorter side, it was just so cozy that I kept falling asleep! Still enjoyed overall, very wholesome and I adored the sassy grandma.

[Susie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries get a bad rap, but they can actually be really clever and well done. Such was not the case here. I thought it could be a fun read, but the protagonist was such an idiot and the plot was weak. Good title, though. But that’s about it.

[Karlynn Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute feel good read. :)

[Charl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was almost unreadable. I tried I really did-got to 40% & had enough. Not a fan of “ back story “ interludes & this book was nothing but.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful cozy mystery set in Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie. I can’t wait for the next one with “Pierogi” in the title. Bonus points for recipes at the end of the book!

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay.

[Lauri-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the setting, but I didn't find the story that compelling. 3.5/5

[Madilyn Etter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast paced mystery, with lovely character development and an ending I didn’t predict until a few pages before the big reveal! A great cozy read!

[Jessica Kobierski · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the nostalgia! As a Polish-American who grew up with family on Lake Erie, this hit home for me in the best possible way.

[Helena Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️: 3.75/5

“ ‘There aren’t any calories in Easter treats.’ “

➡️ linear timeline
👤POV: single first person
🐎 Pace: medium

💭 This was such a cozy feel. Set in 1980s Buffalo area as we follow Lydia trying to navigate life now that she’s moved back home.

What I liked:
- New York setting
- Polish FMC
- Set around Easter time
- Grandma Mary has more pull than a magnet in a paperclip factory
- 2 recipes at the end


What I wasn’t a fan of:
- Repetitive
- Underwhelming reveals that also didn’t entirely add up

Overall, I’d recommend this for a cozy mystery infused with some cuisine. I enjoyed this and thought it was fun. I feel like some of the misdirection was explained in a way that wasn’t entirely satisfactory.

⚠️ murder, gore, meat butchering