A Caterer's Guide to Valentines and Violence

Caterer's Guide to Crime #1

by Jessica Thompson, Jamie Bates (editor)

Feel the love … with a caterer, a captain, and a criminal.“Hey, gorgeous!”As Violet waffles over whether to stick with her cheating fiancé, she and her friends must cater his formal military dinner. When an officer is found beaten, and not with a whisk, her fiancé is the prime suspect and temperatures rise in and out of the kitchen. Can Violet and the handsome investigator crack the criminal before the tension boils over?
A Caterer’s Guide to Valentines and Violence is a culinary mystery you'll fall in love with!

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2024

About the author

Jessica Thompson is the author of the Amazon best-selling mystery novels “A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide” and “A Caterer’s Guide to Love and Murder" which was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards. She also curated and featured her own short stories in a family friendly anthology of campfire stories, "Beyond the Woods: A Supernatural Anthology." Active in her local writing community, she volunteers as the Assistant Communications Chair for the Storymakers Guild.

Jessica lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. When not writing, she’s getting her boots dirty at her parents' nearby longhorn cattle ranch. Whether ranching, cooking, or gardening, she sees it all as plot-inspiring material for her next mystery.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet cozy mystery kept me guessing with plenty of twists and turns. As a long-time reader of the series, it was fun to see how Violet and Jake get together. I enjoyed reading about San Antonio landmarks and I can't wait to try the recipes!

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violet is catering a formal military dinner for her cheating fiancé. Unfortunately, a murder occurs during the dinner and her fiancé becomes a prime suspect. She decides to investigate to clear his name.

The story is very good, but I do have to admit that Violet's indecision was very frustrating at times. She does show some growth towards the end of the story. The killer was not easy to guess, and I enjoyed the challenge. I also loved the fact that a number of recipes were included at the end. Cara Firestone does a great job narrating.

[Jessica Brimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great start to a cozy series!

Violet starts her catering business at her fiance’s military dinner. The event quickly falls apart, leading Violet to questioning some of her life choices. Mainly her fiance, who got drunk and may or may not be involved with his boss’s assault.

To help clear her sort-of finance’s name, Violet must unravel her mixed emotions, which is no easy task, especially when the assault turns to murder.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

[Siobhan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant narration from Cara Firestone, who brings the characters, humour and mystery to your ears.

Violet starts her catering business at her fiancé’s military dinner. One night her fiancé got drunk and it looks like he assault, which turns into a murder of his own boss. Violet had been wondering about her own choices and he had been one. But she must put aside her thoughts and emotions to clear his name.

This is a great cozy mystery.

[Amber Breinholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun cozy mystery with some great recipes. Loved this introduction to these classic characters!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer strong feminine leads. I felt this character waffles with her decisions to stand up for herself. The storyline was okay. The book dragged at times. Narrator Cara Firestone did a good job.

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3++. Enjoyed it, but hope the main character keeps developing her spine!

[Lisa Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book!! This is a must read!! Pick this up today!! You will not be disappointed!!

[Katherine Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won an audible code of this and really enjoyed it. I like the cozy setting that was tied into the military. That was a new o”one for me. I’ll gladly continue the series.

[Jessica Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent beginning to a fun series of culinary cozy mysteries with recipes, if I do say so myself

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good cozy mystery. I loved all the references to food and all the characters made for an engaging and entertaining story. The main character Violet had me rolling my eyes sometimes, but I really did like her. I would like to read more books in this series. I definitely recommend this book if you love a clean and cozy mystery.

**One instance of language where a character calls another character a d-bag.

**The author gave me a copy of this book to listen to. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.