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Death Du Jour #1
Crime Chowder
She’s serving up soup—with a side of gunpowder.
Aspiring chef Bethany Bradstreet dreams of opening her own restaurant, but she knows she has to work her way up from her current job as a fry cook. So when her real estate developer boyfriend offers her a sweet catering gig, she jumps at the chance to cook for his gala and rub elbows with the town’s elite.
The problem? That fancy gala is only happening because her best friend’s home was burned down by an arsonist. And the more Bethany learns about her boyfriend’s planned development, the more she suspects that he might have had something to do with it.
Determined to uncover the arsonist’s identity, Bethany cooks her way through the gala, listening to the secrets, lies, and gossip swirling around Hosanna Street.
But when someone close to her is killed during the party—and the murder weapon is found in her pot of clam chowder—Bethany finds herself in more than a little hot water.
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If you like smart culinary mysteries with quirky characters and quaint seaside towns, you’ll love the Death du Jour series that follows Bethany Bradstreet as she builds her career and solves crimes with the help of her friends.
Crime Chowder is the first book in the Death du Jour series.
This book has clean language and mild suspense with no cliffhangers. It contains depictions of an LGBT relationship.
P.S. – There’s a dog in it.
Aspiring chef Bethany Bradstreet dreams of opening her own restaurant, but she knows she has to work her way up from her current job as a fry cook. So when her real estate developer boyfriend offers her a sweet catering gig, she jumps at the chance to cook for his gala and rub elbows with the town’s elite.
The problem? That fancy gala is only happening because her best friend’s home was burned down by an arsonist. And the more Bethany learns about her boyfriend’s planned development, the more she suspects that he might have had something to do with it.
Determined to uncover the arsonist’s identity, Bethany cooks her way through the gala, listening to the secrets, lies, and gossip swirling around Hosanna Street.
But when someone close to her is killed during the party—and the murder weapon is found in her pot of clam chowder—Bethany finds herself in more than a little hot water.
---------------------------------------
If you like smart culinary mysteries with quirky characters and quaint seaside towns, you’ll love the Death du Jour series that follows Bethany Bradstreet as she builds her career and solves crimes with the help of her friends.
Crime Chowder is the first book in the Death du Jour series.
This book has clean language and mild suspense with no cliffhangers. It contains depictions of an LGBT relationship.
P.S. – There’s a dog in it.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2018
456 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 20, 2018
Bethany Bradstreet wants to open her own restaurant, but right now she is a fry cook for someone else. When her boyfriend offers her a chance to cater a fancy gala, she finds out that the only reason she got the job is because her best friend's home was burnt down by an arsonist. Big problem is that the arsonist just might be her boyfriend! The someone is killed and the murder weapon is found in a pot of her clam chowder.....now Bethany is really in hot water!!! Can she prove she is not the killer? You will need to read the book to see how this story unfolds. I voluntarily reviewed a free ARC of this book.
September 18, 2021
Bethany Bradstreet is a fry cook at the Seafood
Grotto. Bethany’s roommate since Culinary school,
Kimmy Caldwell works as a cook at another
restaurant.
Kimmy’s Aunt Amara lives in a historic house that
a local real estate developer gave her money to
build a porch. One night the house, the house goes
up in flames. Arson!! Luckily Aunt Amara and her
fur baby, Sharky escaped the fire. The destruction
of the house made the way for the approval of
a new condo development.
Bethany is asked to cater a gala celebrating the
development. When things go sideways, Bethany
presents a clam chowder soup demonstration.
Beside her food ingredients, a pistol is found in the
bottom of the soup!! How did it get into the soup?
The developer is found dead in the Bell Tower. Shot.
Now it is up to Bethany & Kimmy to clear her aunt’s
name and to find the culprit who turn her clam
chowder into “Crime Chower” as the newspaper is
called it.
A well written, well plotted murder mystery with a
few subplots involved.
I felt right at home with all the characters within the
story. They were all well described both the good
ones and their nemesis.
A nice, quick good read.
Grotto. Bethany’s roommate since Culinary school,
Kimmy Caldwell works as a cook at another
restaurant.
Kimmy’s Aunt Amara lives in a historic house that
a local real estate developer gave her money to
build a porch. One night the house, the house goes
up in flames. Arson!! Luckily Aunt Amara and her
fur baby, Sharky escaped the fire. The destruction
of the house made the way for the approval of
a new condo development.
Bethany is asked to cater a gala celebrating the
development. When things go sideways, Bethany
presents a clam chowder soup demonstration.
Beside her food ingredients, a pistol is found in the
bottom of the soup!! How did it get into the soup?
The developer is found dead in the Bell Tower. Shot.
Now it is up to Bethany & Kimmy to clear her aunt’s
name and to find the culprit who turn her clam
chowder into “Crime Chower” as the newspaper is
called it.
A well written, well plotted murder mystery with a
few subplots involved.
I felt right at home with all the characters within the
story. They were all well described both the good
ones and their nemesis.
A nice, quick good read.
March 25, 2021
Bethany is a chef looking to advance from her current fry cook position. She gets a chance to do catering for a gala. Unfortunately, a gun is found at the bottom of her pot of clam chowder and the body of her ex-boyfriend is found nearby. This mystery was good, but I was annoyed by the changing names. Ex-boyfriend Todd goes from Todd Luna to Todd Vega, and his secretary is sometimes Shirley, sometimes Sylvia. I may have been reading the ARC, though, so I hope the names get fixed. I would like to read the rest of the series.
October 8, 2019
This was an interesting story. Light on read herrings but otherwise a solid mystery with a nice little character driven subplot that should arc through the series.
December 9, 2018
This first book in a new series was a wonderful surprise and I can't wait to read more books in this series! Bethany and her best friend and roommate, Kimmie went to culinary school together. Kimmie works as a sous chef for a nice restaurant, while Bethany dreams of owning her own restaurant works as a fry cook in a local eatery as a stop gap measure to get experience and confidence to go the next step. When Kimmie and Bethany look out their apartment window, they see a house on fire in Kimmie's aunt's historic neighborhood where Kimmie had grown up. So they have to deal with the tragedy since the fire was considered arson. When Bethany's boyfriend, a very ambitious real estate developer gets town permission to demolish a historic church and build up-scale condos in the historic district, and he has Bethany cater the ribbon cutting celebration, crazy things start to happen including a food fight between Kimmie's aunt and Bethany's boyfriend, a gun found in Bethany's chowder and a murder in the bell tower. All the threads and twists and turns keep you turning pages until you are at the surprise ending! A wonderful first book in a very promising series. I received and ARC from the author but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
December 17, 2018
Crime Chowder is the first book in the new Death du Jour mystery series. This book is a great start and I am eager to read more books in this series. Bethany Bradstreet is a great cook and crime solver. The plot contains arson as well as murder. The characters are all well written. The reader is treated to some Connecticut history, recipes and a good mystery. I highly recommend Crime Chowder.
December 13, 2018
Entertaining Cozy Mystery!
Cute entry for Hillary Avis’ new series. Her characters are warm, funny and believable, especially Sharky’s antics. A quick, easy read. The story is well written and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in the future. I was given an arc copy and am happy to leave my honest review.
Cute entry for Hillary Avis’ new series. Her characters are warm, funny and believable, especially Sharky’s antics. A quick, easy read. The story is well written and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in the future. I was given an arc copy and am happy to leave my honest review.
December 13, 2018
Cozy Murder in Connecticut
This cozy murder mystery takes place in Connecticut. It features French-influenced cooking and baking with recipes. The plot is intriguing with plenty of historical color. The characters are just quirky enough to be believable. This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the entire series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
This cozy murder mystery takes place in Connecticut. It features French-influenced cooking and baking with recipes. The plot is intriguing with plenty of historical color. The characters are just quirky enough to be believable. This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the entire series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
November 1, 2023
A lovely cosy mystery based on the escapades of a couple of chefs. This is light, funny and credible. Yes, you can imagine people acting this way. This might not be a top recommendation, but it would be for sheer entertainment.!
January 29, 2021
Good book lots of love
December 5, 2019
Bethany Bradstreet has a dream of opening her own restaurant. She currently works as a fry cook at the Seafood Grotto, while her room mate, Kimmy Caldwell, is a cook at the Cafe Sabine. Kimmy is very upset when her aunt Amara Caldwell's historic home is destroyed by arson. Fortunately, Amara and her dog, Sparky, were able to escape the fire unharmed. The destruction of the historic home led to the approval of a new condo development in the historic area of town. One of the people supporting the development is Bethany's boyfriend, Todd Lund, a local real estate developer.
Todd asks Bethany to cater the gala celebrating the condo project. Unfortunately, when she mentions catering gig to her boss, Alex Vadecki, and asks to use the Grotto's facilities to do some of the prep work, he is not only upset, he fires her! As a result, Bethany really needs the gala to be a success or she will be out of work. At the gala, Todd goes to the bell tower of the old church to ring the bell to start the festivities, but is not seen again all afternoon. Matters go from bad to worse, when a gun is found in Bethany's chowder pot and then Todd is discovered dead in the bell tower!
Who started the fire at Amara's house? Who killed Todd? How did the gun get into the chowder pot? Are the arson and the murder connected? Can Bethany find a new job? How will the mysteries be solved?
This is a great start to a new series from Hillary Avis. As with many first-in-series books, this one starts a little slower to allow for background information and character development. All of the characters, nice and not-so-nice, are very realistic and the situations believable. There are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep a reader guessing clear to the end.
Todd asks Bethany to cater the gala celebrating the condo project. Unfortunately, when she mentions catering gig to her boss, Alex Vadecki, and asks to use the Grotto's facilities to do some of the prep work, he is not only upset, he fires her! As a result, Bethany really needs the gala to be a success or she will be out of work. At the gala, Todd goes to the bell tower of the old church to ring the bell to start the festivities, but is not seen again all afternoon. Matters go from bad to worse, when a gun is found in Bethany's chowder pot and then Todd is discovered dead in the bell tower!
Who started the fire at Amara's house? Who killed Todd? How did the gun get into the chowder pot? Are the arson and the murder connected? Can Bethany find a new job? How will the mysteries be solved?
This is a great start to a new series from Hillary Avis. As with many first-in-series books, this one starts a little slower to allow for background information and character development. All of the characters, nice and not-so-nice, are very realistic and the situations believable. There are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep a reader guessing clear to the end.
December 13, 2018
Arson and murder do not make a healthy meal
A good start to a new series. I did guess the culprit quite early on even though a few looked guilty. The characters are still a bit shallow but should improve. Although I was surprised that they let the dog destroy their furniture and took no action. Regardless of what state it is in, it's still something you don't want to have to replace.
An early morning fire has her and her roommate speeding to the scene. As it is a fire at her BFF's aunt's house. When it is discovered that it was arson, it seems unlikely that the insurer's cheque will be coming quickly. Now the two young women have two house guests. Plus her boyfriend is pushing to develop the site of the old church and has organised a do to kick things off. When will she find time to work, investigate and cook for the do. When he ends up dead and the gun is found in her chowder not only is she a suspect but so is the aunt. Can they clear their names? Can they find out why everything happened? Will she find a new job (after being let go from her old one)?
A good start to a new series. I did guess the culprit quite early on even though a few looked guilty. The characters are still a bit shallow but should improve. Although I was surprised that they let the dog destroy their furniture and took no action. Regardless of what state it is in, it's still something you don't want to have to replace.
An early morning fire has her and her roommate speeding to the scene. As it is a fire at her BFF's aunt's house. When it is discovered that it was arson, it seems unlikely that the insurer's cheque will be coming quickly. Now the two young women have two house guests. Plus her boyfriend is pushing to develop the site of the old church and has organised a do to kick things off. When will she find time to work, investigate and cook for the do. When he ends up dead and the gun is found in her chowder not only is she a suspect but so is the aunt. Can they clear their names? Can they find out why everything happened? Will she find a new job (after being let go from her old one)?
December 11, 2018
CRIME CHOWDER is Book 1 in the new DEATH DU JOUR series, starring a feckless but endearing protagonist, who for a change is female (in the sense that feckless protagonists are in my experience usually male). Bethany Bradstreet aspires to be a chef, with her own establishment. That shouldn't be a problem; but it does require a certain number of years of experience, preferably as a sous chef rather than as a fry cook in a chain seafood restaurant. But Bethany is determined to be patient, at least until unforeseen circumstances throw her straight into the figurative lobster pot. Her roommate/best friend's aunt's house is burned down, leaving the lady and her (in this case, really aggravating) dog homeless for safety's sake, so they move in with Bethany and company. Even more unfortunately, the house-burning was no accident, but arson, and as all too often happens, one crime escalates, and soon there is a murder--and guess who is the suspect?
October 11, 2022
Fitting
The strange thing is Bethany truly comes across as someone who is stumbling through trying to find answers. She isn't unaware she has no idea what she is doing but she is intelligent enough to think through the facts and information she does manage to get her hands on. The police on the other hand are a little too accommodating. Most would be concerned about citizens sleuthing and potentially putting themselves in danger, or just ignoring what they say as they are not trained for the job, or angry they are interfering. The romantic aspect might explain away some off that or keeping close to your suspect pool, but...
Altogether, a good story. A little twist but with a somewhat limited pool of suspects means the fun was in watching Kimmy and Bethany break a few laws gathering information that nearly gets one killed.
The strange thing is Bethany truly comes across as someone who is stumbling through trying to find answers. She isn't unaware she has no idea what she is doing but she is intelligent enough to think through the facts and information she does manage to get her hands on. The police on the other hand are a little too accommodating. Most would be concerned about citizens sleuthing and potentially putting themselves in danger, or just ignoring what they say as they are not trained for the job, or angry they are interfering. The romantic aspect might explain away some off that or keeping close to your suspect pool, but...
Altogether, a good story. A little twist but with a somewhat limited pool of suspects means the fun was in watching Kimmy and Bethany break a few laws gathering information that nearly gets one killed.
March 29, 2021
First in a series and a good start. Beth always wanted to open her own restaurant but until that
happens she is learning the ropes by being a fry cook. When her boyfriend offers her a catering
job for an event he is having, she thinks this might be a start until someone is found dead at
the gala and the weapon is found in her chowder soup. The police immediately think Beth's friend Kimmey's aunt is the killer because she thinks the victim burned her house down. So to clear everything up and get on with her life, Beth decides to investigate. But did she get to close to the truth? Is she in danger? Great mystery with several suspects and wonderful characters with their
own personalities. The writing just lets the book move along. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
happens she is learning the ropes by being a fry cook. When her boyfriend offers her a catering
job for an event he is having, she thinks this might be a start until someone is found dead at
the gala and the weapon is found in her chowder soup. The police immediately think Beth's friend Kimmey's aunt is the killer because she thinks the victim burned her house down. So to clear everything up and get on with her life, Beth decides to investigate. But did she get to close to the truth? Is she in danger? Great mystery with several suspects and wonderful characters with their
own personalities. The writing just lets the book move along. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
December 2, 2024
Crime Chowder has a book cover the is very appealing to the eye. It introduces Bethany Bradstreet and her bff/roommate Kimmy Caldwell. They live and work in Newbridge, CT. When Kimmy's Great Aunt Amara is left homeless from a house fire, she moves in with the girls and brings along her dog. Both are a little hard to take for long periods of time! Bethany is hired to cater her boyfriend Todd Luna's big gala. He is a junior real estate developer who has just closed a big deal. Shockingly, someone is murdered at the event and the murder weapon was left in Bethany's corn chowder! Bethany and Kimmy must use their sleuthing skills to solve the arson and murder. This is a fun cozy mystery. The main characters are likable and the book had a good flow to it.
February 25, 2019
Crime Chowder
This is a story about two best friends who went to culinary school together and are room mates. Kimmy is a souce chef in a French restaurant while Bethany is a fry cook at a fast food place. Bethany is going with Todd Luna,a real estate owner who is up and coming in their town. There are shady business dealings,greed and jealousy in the works. There is arson and then murder. Who is the arsonist? Who killed Todd? I recommend this book to everyone who likes cozy mysteries.
This is a story about two best friends who went to culinary school together and are room mates. Kimmy is a souce chef in a French restaurant while Bethany is a fry cook at a fast food place. Bethany is going with Todd Luna,a real estate owner who is up and coming in their town. There are shady business dealings,greed and jealousy in the works. There is arson and then murder. Who is the arsonist? Who killed Todd? I recommend this book to everyone who likes cozy mysteries.
March 22, 2019
Bethany Bradstreet and Kimmie met in culinary school and have been roommates ever since. When Kimmie's aunt's house is burned (with her in it), the aunt and her dog move in with the roommates, making for close quarters. Bethany and Kimmie pursue the arsonist, hoping to clear the aunt's name and get her the insurance money so she can rebuild. When the clues lead to Bethany's boyfriend and his real estate dealings, she calls him out and loses her job all in the same day. A bit of history gets thrown in, rounding out the mystery.
October 24, 2019
Fun start to the series
I thoroughly enjoyed Crime Chowder. The town is cute and the characters colorful, although I found the dog to be a bit over the top at times, but I am sure there are dogs out there just like him (I'm a cat person). Bethany and Kimmy make a great duo, and I can't wait to see more of the detectives, especially Charley. It took me a while to figure out the killer, so that's always a plus in my book. It could have been several people, and I appreciated bouncing between a few before deciding who it was. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
I thoroughly enjoyed Crime Chowder. The town is cute and the characters colorful, although I found the dog to be a bit over the top at times, but I am sure there are dogs out there just like him (I'm a cat person). Bethany and Kimmy make a great duo, and I can't wait to see more of the detectives, especially Charley. It took me a while to figure out the killer, so that's always a plus in my book. It could have been several people, and I appreciated bouncing between a few before deciding who it was. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
March 22, 2019
Crime Chowder is the first book in the new Death du Jour mystery series. Bethany Bradstreet is a fry cook who wants to open her own restaurant someday but first must deal with arson and murder. The characters and plot are believable and the story is well written. I especially liked Amara's dog who eats furniture. I imagine she'll get involved in a lot of other interesting situations on her way to chef-dom. I look forward to more books in the series.
June 16, 2023
This author reminded me of Agatha Christie’s style of writing . Every time I thought I know who the murdered was, she had my guessing another person and in the end I was stumped about the murdered .It was the last person I expected it to be. There were such quirky characters that I felt like that she was welcoming me into her home. I don’t cook so the recipes didn’t do anything for me. It was a very charming, light read. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 8, 2024
Arson, murder and cooking
Bethany and Kimmy are roommates and both are chefs. Kimmy's aunt's home burned down. She barely made it out alive. First the girls were trying to find out the cause of the fire so Aunt Amara can collect the insurance money and rebuild her home. Bethany's ex-boyfriend ends up being murdered at the party he was hosting. Of course it was the last person who you would think would do it too. Good story and interesting characters.
Bethany and Kimmy are roommates and both are chefs. Kimmy's aunt's home burned down. She barely made it out alive. First the girls were trying to find out the cause of the fire so Aunt Amara can collect the insurance money and rebuild her home. Bethany's ex-boyfriend ends up being murdered at the party he was hosting. Of course it was the last person who you would think would do it too. Good story and interesting characters.
December 22, 2018
I received an ARC copy and this is my honest review. This the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it. I know that Todd was kind of off and snobbish, but I liked him as a character. Alex deserves everything he gets and Bethany is growing on me. Amara is very eccentric but I like her with George for some reason. Can’t wait for book 2.
January 8, 2019
This is the first in the series and the first time reading this author. The main character is Bethany and her boyfriend Todd, who is trying to build condos. He ends up being murdered. The murder weapon is found in a pot of chowder that Bethany made, throwing her name into the suspect pile. Bethany has to figure out who did what and fast. Great book.
January 13, 2019
Bethany has dreams and a boyfriend she isn’t sure he is on the up and up.
Asking her to cook for a gala event of his, she enjoys the chance, listening to the people. Until murder happens, and it was a dish of hers. Arson of her aunts and now this. It is funny and she has a quirky aunt, good flowing plot.
Asking her to cook for a gala event of his, she enjoys the chance, listening to the people. Until murder happens, and it was a dish of hers. Arson of her aunts and now this. It is funny and she has a quirky aunt, good flowing plot.
February 26, 2019
A chili cook off TV show is coming to town and the competition is fierce especially because of the $100,000 prize. But someone is out to sabotage the cook off. Quickly characters, a great group of friends, murder with more than one suspect make this a great book.
I received an ARC for my honest review.
I received an ARC for my honest review.
September 26, 2020
Not my cup of soup
While the plot was good, it could have been better executed if the author had taken more time and developed the relationships between the characters more deeply. For example, I didn’t see the justification for the tears and sadness when Bethany’s ex-boyfriend dies, as that relationship seemed kind of empty prior to that. Just one example.
While the plot was good, it could have been better executed if the author had taken more time and developed the relationships between the characters more deeply. For example, I didn’t see the justification for the tears and sadness when Bethany’s ex-boyfriend dies, as that relationship seemed kind of empty prior to that. Just one example.
January 9, 2021
Can corn chowder really have something to do with a murder? The story's heroine, a chef, was involved with a case of arson. Someone sets fire to her best friend's aunt's house. Lots of suspects and a crazy little dog, named Sharky, who destroys everything he comes into contact with. A fun read with lots of twists in the plot.
December 28, 2018
Very cute!
I really enjoyed this! It’s more of a prequel to the short story, as we learn just how Bethany got so good at her sleuthing, but this was a delightful read. I enjoyed the recipes at the end as well. Definitely going to try that chowder!!
I really enjoyed this! It’s more of a prequel to the short story, as we learn just how Bethany got so good at her sleuthing, but this was a delightful read. I enjoyed the recipes at the end as well. Definitely going to try that chowder!!
June 11, 2019
Great story! Foodie mystery and recipes!
I'm happy to say that this is a very good book! I love the characters, and the plot was lots of fun. I am looking forward to seeing more of this series. Well done!
I'm happy to say that this is a very good book! I love the characters, and the plot was lots of fun. I am looking forward to seeing more of this series. Well done!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews