Literary Dining #2
In the second outing of Daryl Wood Gerber’s literary dining series, we find Allie Catt, who runs Feast for the Eyes catering in Asheville, North Carolina, as well as working at her best friend Tegan Potts’ bookshop. The two of them have taken up throwing literary themed parties at the bookshop as well as solving mysteries. Her cat, Darcy, is always ready to point out a clue or two as well. Business is really taking off and, while Allie is pleased, she is also grateful for the help of her new partner Vanna Harding – Tegan’s half-sister with a rather abrasive personality. Surprisingly, though, the two are getting along rather well, and Vanna isn’t just railroading Allie into all of her own catering ideas.
This time around Feast for the Eyes is hosting another literary themed party at the bookshop with a focus on The Great Gatsby. The town is thrilled, and copies of the book are flying off the shelves almost faster than they can order them. Everyone is raving about the prospects of a night of glitz and glam. The return of Jason Gardner, a developer, comes as a shock to most of the community, especially after he announces his plan to buy some historical buildings and turn them into a mall. Allie isn’t the only one upset by this news, but she is the most vocal about it in the bookstore. Jason isn’t one to give up, however, and persists in trying to win everyone over. This includes hiring Allie for his own party, which cools her temper considerably. However, when she meets to talk about it in depth one night, it turns out they are safe from the mall developer. She finds him dead, herself in a crime scene, and now the prime suspect for murder.
Zach Armstrong is the detective on scene, which complicates things a bit more for Allie. The two of them had started to explore possible romantic feelings for one another, but things aren’t going as smoothly as they had hoped. Throw suspicion of murder into the mix and the feelings of amore tend to grow a little cold. It really doesn’t help things that there is some physical evidence to possibly link her to the murder as well, although how it got there is a mystery itself. Allie and her investigative friends can’t leave things to the police this time, or else it looks like Allie might be catering meals from the local prison.
For those who enjoyed the first book in the Literary Dining Mystery series, Murder by the Millions is a welcome continuation of Allie’s adventures. Any new readers will easily pick up on the characters, plot, and setting. There is also a lovely list of characters and their roles in town at the start of the book, which I found supremely helpful. I suggest Murder by the Millions for any reader who enjoys reading a mystery with plenty of anticipation and a focus on a love of literary classics. Wondering how Allie will be able to get out from under a cloud of suspicion will have readers unable to put the book down. Allie’s love for food and books shines throughput, too. Also, the idea of a literary themed party is truly enticing for any bookworm. Each book describes the party in such loving detail that through the build up in the book, readers cannot help but feel the excitement themselves. – Carla Schantz