Holiday Buzz

Coffeehouse Mystery #12

by Cleo Coyle

Holiday time is party time
in New York City, but the celebration is over at The Great NYC Cookie Swap when Clare discovers the battered body of a young baker’s assistant. To catch the girl’s killer, Clare must investigate “Saint Nick,” crash a pro-hockey party, and dodge a pair of reality TV divas. Includes
delicious holiday and Christmas cookie recipes.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Holiday

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2012

About the author

Don't miss the newest title in Cleo's long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series (with more to come), NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY, a National Mystery Bestseller and triple #1 Amazon Category Bestseller. Join Cleo's Coffee Club for bonus recipes and giveaways: Click Here to Subscribe to Cleo’s Free Newsletter

CLEO COYLE is the New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. With more than 1 million books sold, they have gained an enthusiastic following. Cleo's "relenlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech. Their books have earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus, Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers, and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections.

When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or wrangling their rescued stray cats, Alice and Marc are New York Times bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. One of those projects (ghostwritten by Alice Alfonsi) was named by Entertainment Weekly as the best media tie-in book written that year.

CONNECT WITH CLEO at CleoCoyle.com and CoffeehouseMystery.com

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CLEO'S TWO BESTSELLING SERIES:

Cleo’s Coffeehouse Mystery series, celebrated for pioneering both the “urban cozy" and “coffee cozy” mystery genres, follows the adventures of amateur sleuth Clare Cosi, a single mom with a complicated love life who manages a Greenwich Village coffeehouse and a crew of quirky baristas who helps her solve perplexing crimes.

Cleo’s Haunted Bookshop Mystery series, hailed as a highly original and "utterly charming" (Mystery Scene) blend of cozy and hardboiled genres, features an earnest young New England widow who catches criminals with the help of a gumshoe ghost, the irrepressible spirit of a tough private detective who’d been gunned down in her bookshop decades before.

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LATEST BOOK NEWS:

The newest title in Cleo's long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series is NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY, on sale April 1st and already a national mystery bestseller and triple #1 Amazon category bestseller. Cleo's previous release, BULLETPROOF BARISTA, was a "wildly entertaining" (Criminal Elment) national mystery bestseller; a #1 category best seller for Amazon; and honored with 2 Best of Year list selections by reviewers. It is now availalbe in a new paperback reprint edition along with the previous bestselling book in the series, HONEY ROASTED, "A honey of a tale" (Kirkus Reviews).

Cleo's latest Haunted Bookshop Mystery releases include THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS, praised by Kirkus as "a gem of a story." And THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS, a #1 category best seller for Amazon, which Fresh Fiction called "amazing and unique." Cleo is now writing the next Haunted Bookshop Mystery. Subscribe to Cleo’s Free Newsletter for updates on the pub date!

Reviews

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genuinely surprised how much I did not hate this book. The mystery was actually mysterious. There were even multiple mysterious mysteries. I actually enjoyed reading this, believe it or not. I mean, Clare is still a dumbass who has literally no idea who the killer is until she is being actively murdered by them, but (as I mentioned in my review of the previous installment) that is par for the course at this point.

I think it's important to note that in this book there is a moment where Matteo understands consent and boundaries and that had been my biggest beef with this series so far. Coyle is pretty explicit about the fact that this is A Moment Of Personal Growth for Matt, and I honestly do not think men should get a pat on the back for being decent human beings, but at I do look forward to him being a slightly less repulsive character in future books.

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for Book #12 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series

Other than the fact that there was not nearly enough of the ex-husband Matteo Allegro, or of Detective Mike Quinn. the boyfriend, in this book, Clare was there to solve yet another murder. This one involved a hockey star, a chef, a couple of socialites, and closer to home, Clares' baristas'.

Soon on to Book #13 Billionaire Blend

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, my new theory is that the Mark and Alice must take turns writing because after 12 books that could be the only explanation for the changes in Clare's personality and the dialogue from book to book. Not to mention Clare's views and the word choices. I don't know who does what but I will admit that I'm partial to the less stuffy Clare.

This is one of the stuffier Clare books. The one where she has no idea who Adele is (Girl, you live in NYC. You know Adele), where she is more religious, a bit of a prude (some of the secondary characters even do a bit of slut-shaming), and she doesn't use too much common sense. So, you know, not one of my favorites.

I did like the domestic side of Clare's life (I'm a sucker for Mike) and the mystery was pretty good but I figured out who did it before Clare and I thought it was fairly obvious once you examined all the clues. I would like to see more of Mike and Clare talking and maybe even a scene with the kids. I'm a romance fan but even I get a little numb when the characters just seem to do the same things over and over (in this case, murder, food, shirtsleeves, sex).

In this book, Clare didn't seem to use her deductive reasoning too well. She went hunch-hopping which led her in the wrong direction a few times - which is par for the course when you're investigating - but in this case she put her life in danger a few times. Which she sort of promised she wouldn't do anymore.

In some books, her hunches are pretty solid and she looks for clues, in this one she went off on a few wild hairs and didn't keep her cool when she usually would. She did manage to lose a tail though and that was pretty damn cool.

I don't know who writes this stuffy, religious, and judgy Clare but I don't like it lol. The dialogue seems dated and stunted at times and it doesn't have the same flow as the previous book.

I also would really like Nancy to go because I can't forget the fact that she pretty much tried to date-rape Dante.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could be better being over the beverage service at the New York Cookie Swap? Clare trying to solve two murders before she will be next. Holiday Buzz like the others in the series, has a lot of humorous situations to keep the reader laughing. We also have several leads to keep us on track for the mystery as well. With both you are in for a treat of a read.

As we have the Cookie swap going on, we have Clare fitting herself in a dumbwaiter pulling herself up to the kitchen of a baker whom she thinks is the serial killer. If that is not funny enough, we have Madame going undercover at the Evergreen Recreation Center. As soon as I started reading about the set up I started laughing out loud as to what to expect. We all know the scene was bound to be good.

Along with the usual characters we are introduced to some new ones as well that I hope to see again. It was nice to see some of the "old" characters and learn a bit more about them as the series moves along. I am very fond of this series as the Cleo and her husband always have the right amount of suspense and romance intertwined for Clare. I look forward to each new release to see what Clare will find herself involved in.

**I was given a free copy by the author for an honest review. Hope you read the story and decide for yourself how you like it.**

[Ronna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clare Cozy and almost all of our favorite Village Blend Coffeehouse characters are back in a holiday mystery while they are celebrating with cookie events with cookies from around the world. Moirin is a new young Irish employee that everyone enjoys. She bakes the cookies for the coffeehouse, but actually works at the bakery that developed the cookies. She's a music lover too, but sadly, she's bludgeoned to death at a cookie festival event. Clare found her body and is determined to find her killer with a little help from her boyfriend, family, and her baristas.

I love this series for so many reasons. The Cleo Coyle writing team always adds numerous interesting facts, local information, and yummy sounding recipes to their mysteries. In this one, there are added characters that are a take off from reality TV that are a laugh and a half. The mystery is compelling with clues on every page. We also hear more and more about Clare's love life with her, Detective Mike Quinn, who is on a secret duty in Washington, DC. One of my very favorite cozies done in audio. The spoken accents add so much to my enjoyment of this series. Looking forward to the new one in this series coming in November 2014.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my very favorite series. I love the characters and the setting. Of course I crave coffee during the whole book, and with this being a Christmas setting hot chocolate and a warm blanket were a must in the evenings while I visited with these old friends.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Christmas holiday cozy mystery to entertain and delight you! This is another coffeehouse mystery that is well plotted and supported with great character development to make for a quality read.

[Toni (T.C.) LoTempio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable cozy from this suberbly talented writing team! I do enjoy the holiday mysteries, and Clare is in rare form. Puts herself in more danger than Nancy Drew! A keeper.

[Cindy Hardy-pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finish a Cleo Coyle book, I am anxiously awaiting the next one! Not only are the stories great, the recipes and the information about coffee blow me away! Read this entire series! You won't be sorry!

[Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely 3 stars. I don’t know why I keep reading these. The lead character is so annoying.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least these have gotten slightly better now that Mateo isn’t trying to bed her at every turn. Claire is still running her coffee shop but now one of her part time workers has been murdered. Between missed connections, wanna be tv stars, a Christmas stalker bashing in heads, and Mike living in DC, cClaire has a lot on her plate.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this series brings me so much joy and extra joy at Christmastime. Okay yes there is a lot of danger and drama, but Christmas time at a cozy NYC cafe just cannot be beat in terms of atmosphere. I love Claire and her Cosi crew (lol). These characters with their NY accents and big personalities have become near and dear to me and this humor and sometimes even crude jokes always keep a smile on my face. I was thoroughly stumped by this mystery and loved all the shocking twists and terns. Claire and Mike make me sooo happy and I love seeing them together.

Note: I LOVE the audiobooks so I can hear all the wonderful accents from the ecclectic cast of characters and you can always hear the smile in Claire's voice, especially when she's up to something.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is in New York at Christmas. Mike is still mostly in Washington, and Joy is in Paris. This story involves a bakery, cookie swaps, music, a retirement community, blackmail, theft, stalking, and murder. There are several mysteries in this story. The way some of them were connected was interesting. I was surprised by some of the endings.

[Jacquie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but the story line with the hockey player and the attempted assault was not necessary and all the different attempts to kill someone in one story was too much. Maybe the next one will be great!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Christmas time, and our sleuth is working a charity event. At some point, one of her shared employees disappears, and a little while later, her body is found. It seems a Christmas Stalker is on the prowl. Meanwhile, there's a huge storm, and her paramour is trying to make it to NYC.

Pretty good Christmas cozy.

[D.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

You are in for a freshly pulled, candy cane sprinkled steaming cup of java fun. This mystery is a real treat for a cozy night. Cleo Coyle’s Holiday Buzz whisks us back to the Village Blend, a welcoming coffee house inviting us to order the daily special, munch off the head of a gingerbread cookie, and take part in a cleverly devised murder mystery. I have read this entire series and each new release is surprising, well paced, and filled with scrumptious delights. Sure, there is a murder mystery to solve. Yes, there are clues cleverly planted in strategic places. (How does Coyle do that so well?) We are also gifted with holiday bustle, warm friendships, baked cookie aromas, and freezing New York winds. The descriptions flow and blend so well that I was sure I felt snow on my face. Our main character, Clare Cosi, not only is smart, headstrong, and makes her own pancake syrup, but she can fit into a dumbwaiter, and can intentionally skate backwards right into a pile of hockey sticks. Mike is cuddly, strong, and rather fond of handcuffs, and their relationship is sweet without sending us into diabetes. The moment I read that Madame was going undercover at the Evergreen Recreation Center, I found myself grinning in anticipation. I love Madame. I wish there were more scenes with her. There are also new characters introduced, and returning friends are given enough scenes to add background and depth to their stories. As Clare gets deeper into trouble and uncovers more evidence, my chuckles turn to gasps and, once again, I am reviewing my list of suspects. Then it happened. I sadly realized that in a few more pages I have to leave the Village Blend. Although the murders are solved and the book closed, I am left with a warm chocolate brownie feeling sprinkled with crushed candy canes and holiday cheer. Hurry with the next one, Ms. Coyle!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOLIDAY BUZZ is the twelfth book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle and this one might be one of my favorites for many reasons. One, it’s a Christmas-themed novel so I’m already halfway in love with it already. And two, this one is written slightly different than the other books in the series.

It’s clear that Cleo Coyle are expert authors because each book is so vastly different from the previous one. In this one, Coyle kind of goes back and forth between what happened before the victim is discovered and them after when the investigation starts. I will say that if you’re not good with mysteries yet, this can be a little confusing and distracting because of the jumping timeline with chapters but that’s why I always say that Cleo Coyle’s mysteries are a little more advanced and are good for the avid readers of mystery. I personally really loved this style of writing. It can take a bit to adjust but it goes to show just how well Cleo Coyle writes. I would love to know how they come up with their cases and how they plot because they are really innovative when they come up with their twists and turns.

In this book, there’s a slight conflict with Mike Quinn, Clare’s boyfriend. I have mentioned that I really love this guy but would like to see more of him. I think we do get to see a bit of him more in this book but call me greedy, but I NEED MORE OF MIKE! I want to see them grow more and get married and have babies. I don’t know if that’s something Coyle would like to do in the future but I’m all for it. I need more Mike in the books because sometimes I do think he can be overshadowed by Clare’s ex-husband, Matt (who is also amazing by the way).

My binge read of this series has been going so well. I’m so glad I’ve found this series and am looking forward to reading more!

[Rachel Kramer Bussel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of the Coffeeshop Mystery series will not be disappointed as Clare Cosi gets up close and personal with various suspects after her seasonal unofficial employee Moirin "M" Faigan is found dead on the Bryant Park carousel, outside a party the Village Blend is catering. Clare's beloved police team of Soles and Bass have been split up and the new cop Cosi introduces is hilariously bumbling in his officialdom, leaving Clare to take on this very personal case and protect herself and her employees. THe cast of characters in this Christmas themed mystery, with a delightful nod to O. Henry's story "The Gift of the Magi," make this a treasure, from the reality TV stars knowns as the Double Ds to a womanizing professional hockey player. As a New Yorker, I always appreciate the bits of city history that are woven into these mysteries, but Coyle also keeps Clare and company current by visiting Brooklyn's Barclays Center. There's a sweetness to this story despite the sadness, especially the plotline about the retirement home, as well as a charming goofiness as Coyle skewers reality TV and the overly pompous. I also had quite the hankering to visit a certain gigantic famous toy store that plays a big role in this mystery, if only to see if the $25,000 Barbie foosball table really exists! As always, the plotting is perfect and Clare's loving heart, which extends to her ex-husband, employees and the newly dead, guides her sometimes dangerous decision-making. This is an excellent mystery to curl up with this winter, or to give as a holiday gift (there might be just as many cookies mentioned as coffee, plus there are lots of delicious holiday dessert recipes!).

[TriciaDea_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook on my daily commute, and it finally happened. I was actually listening to the epilogue and missed my exit off the interstate! haha I really enjoyed this book, and thought I'd figured out whodunit halfway through. I was wrong. Only problem I have with these books is I usually end up wanting to eat all the goodies Clare Cosi is either making or eating herself.

[Astrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story was really (!) bad, and again, there was a lost christmas gift. This time on the train instead of on the plane - are the authors really that unimaginative?

Also, what's up with her stupid nightmares?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 maybe?If compared to the rest of the series alone, I'd say 3.5.

Clare Cosi and her staff are hosting a table at the Great New York Cookie Swap. This time, the dead body is a temp employee of hers, so she's motivated as always to find the killer. Moirin, the victim, seems to have been leading a secret life, though, so Clare uncovers more and more with each page turn.

In pursuit of her killer, Clare goes all over NY...she even gets Madame to go undercover at Evergreen Recreation Center, an old folks' home, so Clare can have a look around and question one of her many suspects.

Clare squeezes herself into a dumbwaiter to break into her suspect's place...fascinating. I've been trying to picture Clare for a while now. When did Breanne get so mean? I know she and Clare aren't BFFs, but I thought she came across as extra harsh here. How many months left till Mike's gig in DC is up? Train trips up and down the east coast on alternate weekends sound strenuous...and how does Clare end up with all the weekends off for a whole year? Nice to be the boss. And Coyle still does the perspective back-and-forths from Clare to killer and back...not as much, though, which is refreshing.

Festive recipes accompany the book. I enjoy the recipes at the end, including the author's background notes on the food. And with half the Fish Squad biting heads off gingerbread men, I found myself making a batch, albeit out of season.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good holiday mystery. It all starts when a woman that has been helping out at the shop ends up dead. This one did have a lot going on. Which made it hard to figure out who was actually behind the murder. The important thing that by the end with Clare's help they were able to figure it out.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Fun. Apparently I'm just going to make my way through all of these mysteries. Interesting mystery, weird TMI, odd that everyone calls the main character by her first and last name. They're easy listening while cleaning or cooking or crashing, and that's about all I've been doing lately.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light read with diverse characters you care about and includes coffee, food, and a mystery. Part of a series.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a solid mystery. Great storytelling

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining! I just love this series!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Christmas themed mystery as the title suggests. I'm trying to catch up in this series. I think there are 21 books in the series. As usual I love all the coffee references and the recipes that Coyle includes.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle is book twelve of her Coffeehouse Mystery series set in modern-day New York City. Clare Cosi co-manages The Village Blend coffeehouse in Manhattan with her ex-husband Matteo Allegro. Matt is the Blend’s coffee buyer, traveling around the world for the best beans. Clare lives above the coffeehouse in a beautifully decorated townhouse, courtesy of her ex-mother-in-law and dear friend “Madame”. Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois owns The Village Blend, a family business started by her grandfather.

Familiar characters are back: Clare’s boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Mike Quinn, is on a special task force in Washington D.C., so Clare and Mike only see each other on weekends. Clare’s baristas Tucker “Tuck” Burton, Esther Best, Nancy Kelly and Dante Silva contribute their unique personalities to the Blend atmosphere. Franco, a young police detective in a long-distance relationship with Clare’s daughter Joy, appears briefly in the story (Joy is on a culinary apprenticeship in France).

In December the annual Great New York Cookie Swap features exclusive parties to showcase city bakers’ finest products and raise funds for charity. Clare attends the parties as the manager of the coffee service, naturally. Clare has a new part-time helper, Moirin “M” Fagan, a young Irishwoman who also works for a baker in the Cookie Swap. The Blend offers free holiday-themed cookies with coffee purchase during December. Moirin is teaching the Blend crew Irish slang: Craic (a fun time), Deadly (good), Tiz me berrys (you’re kidding me), Jax (bathroom), Guards (police officers), Daycent (decent), Nawful (terrible), Demented (drunk), Eejit (jerk).

The Blend is packed late at night in December; Clare calls it the annual Great Manhattan Sober-fest, stretching from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. The Blend is located near trendy restaurants hosting holiday parties for private companies. After their parties, drunken office workers stop at The Blend for coffee before heading home to their families.

The first party of the Great New York Cookie Swap is held at an ice skating rink and features a celebrity hockey player. Moirin and Clare are serving Village Blend coffee. Moirin goes out for a cigarette break and never returns. Clare later finds Moirin’s murdered body.

Since she knows the victim, Clare expects to be interviewed at length by the police. Instead, arrogant Detective Endicott dismisses Clare, convinced forensic evidence is all that matters. A political appointee, in his spare time he writes crime novels. He’s referred to as “Detective DNA”, and widely hated.

Clare feels guilty she didn’t search for Moirin when she first went missing, so Clare begins investigating Moirin’s life in hopes of uncovering clues to her killer. With Mike away in D.C., Clare recruits Matt and “Madame” to help her. Clare tracks down a musician who was very important to Moirin. Over a pizza lunch he shares a story of the fleeting nature of fame.

“New York City possessed the best water in the nation for making pizza crust; so perfect, in fact, that pizza-makers all over the country famously imported it to mix up their dough.”

The obnoxious “Double Ds” (nicknamed for their first names and cleavage) provide another lesson of fame lost because it was not based on genuine talent. As always, Clare takes dangerous risks to unmask the killer and survives to see justice done.

Recipes in the back of the book! Janelle’s Gingerbread Crackle Cookies, Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, Clare Cosi’s New York Cheesecake Cookies with Candied Strawberry Drizzle, Janelle’s Lemon Sugar Cookies, Clare’s Eggnog Crumb Muffins, Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles), Clare Cosi’s Easy Pumpkin Cake with Surprise Cream Cheese Swirl, Clare Cosi’s Pepper-Crusted Roast Beef, Clare’s Horsey Sauce, Clare’s Chicken Marsala for Mike, Clare’s Apple Crumb Pie with Mrs. Li’s Warm Custard Sauce, Clare’s Frozen Eggnog Latte for Mike, The Village Blend’s Gumdrop Spritzers, and Easy Candy Cane Latte with Homemade Peppermint Syrup. For more recipes, visit www. CoffeehouseMystery.com.

Next book in the series is Billionaire Blend.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like many of the secondary characters in these books, but Clare goes up and down for me. Sometimes she is open-minded and modern and an intelligent investigator, and sometimes she is a bit prudish and out of the loop and makes foolish choices. Unfortunately, we got out of the loop Clare in this book (she never heard of Adele? Really?) It also got a bit cheesy at times (you are my gift; we shared the most profound gift-- maybe I'm too cynical, but barf).

But, like I said, I love Tucker and Madame and the rest of the baristas (except for Nancy, who should have been arrested, or at least fired for what she did to Dante), so I keep reading.

[Vilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review from Backchatting Books

Clare Cossi, manager of Village Blend, ought be concentrating on the holiday season but she is pushed back into investigating when a part-time employee Moiren is murdered. She feels the police are ignoring key evidence by trying to link this murder with a serial stalker so with a little help from family and friends, Clare sets out to bring Moiren’s killer to justice.

Moiren or M as she liked to be called kept much of her private life hidden from her co-workers. It is only after she died that Clare realised just how little she knew about her. Moiren worked as a baker for Clare’s friend and sold the goods part time at Village Blend. This sounds a little callous but thankfully the body count rises as examining what Moiren and the new victim had in common points Clare in the right direction.

Clare as usual is fairly unflappable until someone threatens a person she cares about. She approaches her investigation in a fairly logical manner and uncovers a large number of clues that the cops failed to notice. Her loyalty to her staff is shown repeatedly and she even manages to be civil to her ex-husband. Clare’s biggest flaw would have to be pride as she fails to inform the police when she thinks she knows who the real killer is and decides to get definitive evidence herself.

There are suspects galore and I wouldn’t have minded if Coyle had reduced the pool a little and used that to flesh out their motives and backgrounds. As is the case with most cozies, interactions with other characters are key and Coyle gives us a blend of colourful regulars such as Madame (Clare’s ex-mother-in-law) and eccentric newcomers. The detective in charge of the case deserves special mention as he is a wannabe crime writer convinced that his investigation can only be solved through the use of forensics. Naturally he goes haring off in the wrong direction despite the protestations of Clare and his temporary side-kick.

There is an undercurrent of violence in this novel that doesn’t relate to the murders. Clare attacks several people and is grabbed a number of times in the novel so hard that she develops bruises. She rationalises or laughs off each instance. Frankly it made me a little uncomfortable that she was so blasé about it and I couldn’t understand why this violence was included because it didn’t further the plot.

This book can be read as a standalone if you want and there are recipes at the back of the book which might tempt you.