Review by Booklist Review
In Byron's latest Vintage Cookbook Mystery (after French Quarter Fright Night, 2024), Ricki only wants to discover her birth mother's identity but instead accidentally reconnects her beloved adoptive mother to a blackmailer. When the highly disagreeable criminal is found dead, Ricki's parents are high on the long suspect list. Having solved three prior murders, Ricki isn't about to sit back and wait for the overburdened New Orleans Police Department to prove her parents' innocence. Byron balances the pacing perfectly, adding breaks from the mystery for Ricki to contend with the Christmas rush at her cookbook shop, overenthusiastic carolling tour guides, and the needs of her tight-knit community. Unlike many series, where later volumes can make readers feel like outsiders in the face of established relationships, the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series welcomes them. Fans of other culinary cozies as well as Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mysteries will definitely enjoy this, but the strong characterization may also entice fans of community-focused mysteries such as Sherry Thomas' The Librarians (2025). The mystery's solution is entirely satisfying, and Byron ensures that even red herrings are dealt with in a gratifying way.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A parental visit, a catfight among holiday parade royalty, a string of thefts, and of course a murder add spice to Miracle "Ricki" Fleur de Lis James-Diaz's New Orleans Christmas. Tending to Miss Vee's vintage shop inside the historic Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is a congenial gig, especially since Ricki, adopted as a child, learned she's a cousin to Bon Vee's blue-blooded owner, Eugenia Charbonnet Felice. She's happy to have Eugenia's granddaughter Olivia as a helper, and she's thrilled when Olivia's chosen to lead the Krewe of Gaia as its queen in the annual holiday parade. Life gets a little more complicated when Ricki's adopted parents turn up to help her boyfriend, chef Virgil Morel, film a holiday cooking show. Ricki's mom reveals a grudge against former co-worker Phyllis Gibbs, who terrorizes her neighbors in fancy Peony Place, and who's universally hated by her colleagues at high-priced Crescent City Concierge Care. Phyllis is promptly murdered, leaving a slew of suspects. But Det. Nina Rodriguez is too busy tracking a robber dressed as Mr. Bongle (a knockoff version of NOLA's legendary mascot, Mr. Bingle) to focus on finding Phyllis' killer. So Ricki takes on that chore herself. The maids in Olivia's krewe start bickering. Ricki's dad gets into it with the director of Virgil's film. Byron spins so many plot threads that getting them all squared away before Christmas proves to be quite a stretch. Life in the Big Easy shouldn't be this tough. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
