Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Hummus and Homicide is the debut of the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series set in the small town of Ocean Crest, NJ and featuring patent attorney Lucy Berberian. Having been passed over twice in two years for a promotion to partner at her law firm, in favor of a man, Lucy quits her job and returns to her hometown.
Intending only to spend a little time in Ocean Crest until she can find a new job, Lucy quickly finds herself working back in her family restaurant, Kebab Kitchen, alongside her parents Angela and Raffi and sister, Emma. Lucy is shocked to discover that her parents are hoping to sell the restaurant and retire, and that the two people vying for the business are her ex boyfriend Azad Zakarian and Anthony Citteroni, the owner of the bike shop next door with reputed ties to the mob.
Things go downhill rapidly when high school nemesis and mean girl Heather Banks, now the town health inspector, makes a visit to Kebab Kitchen and dishes out a slew of health code violations. The Berberian's have never had one violation in their thirty plus years and Lucy is irate. When Heather turns up dead after dining on a meal of Angela's famed hummus, all fingers point to Lucy. Determined to clear her name and save her family reputation, Lucy sets out with the help of best friend Kate Watson to track down a killer.
A fine tuned plot that serves up a host of suspects, delightful characters, a touch of romance, mouthwatering food and an adorable stray cat. A twist at the conclusion will leave readers salivating for the next in the series.
Intending only to spend a little time in Ocean Crest until she can find a new job, Lucy quickly finds herself working back in her family restaurant, Kebab Kitchen, alongside her parents Angela and Raffi and sister, Emma. Lucy is shocked to discover that her parents are hoping to sell the restaurant and retire, and that the two people vying for the business are her ex boyfriend Azad Zakarian and Anthony Citteroni, the owner of the bike shop next door with reputed ties to the mob.
Things go downhill rapidly when high school nemesis and mean girl Heather Banks, now the town health inspector, makes a visit to Kebab Kitchen and dishes out a slew of health code violations. The Berberian's have never had one violation in their thirty plus years and Lucy is irate. When Heather turns up dead after dining on a meal of Angela's famed hummus, all fingers point to Lucy. Determined to clear her name and save her family reputation, Lucy sets out with the help of best friend Kate Watson to track down a killer.
A fine tuned plot that serves up a host of suspects, delightful characters, a touch of romance, mouthwatering food and an adorable stray cat. A twist at the conclusion will leave readers salivating for the next in the series.
Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian is the first story in A Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. Lucy Berberian is returning home to Ocean Crest, New Jersey after quitting her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia. Lucy's parents own Kebab Kitchen and can certainly use her help in the restaurant since they are down a waitress. Lucy is happy to reconnect with her friend Katie Watson. Lucy is staying with Katie and her police officer husband, Bill while she is in town. Lucy is surprised to learn that her parents are contemplating selling the restaurant. They already have three potential buyers that include Lucy's former boyfriend, Azad Zakarian. The one thing marring Lucy's enjoyment at being home is Heather Banks. Heather was the mean cheerleader girl in high school, and now she is the new health inspector. She quickly learns that Heather has not changed one iota since high school. Heather comes to do an inspection of the premises before the restaurant can be listed for sale and, despite the cleanliness of the facility, she lists nitpicky (and bogus) violations. The next day Heather returns to eat from the new hummus bar (which she criticized the day before). After Heather departs, Lucy takes the trash outside and finds Heather dead in the back-parking lot. Detective Clemmons is assigned the case, but he holds a grudge against the Berberian family (thanks to Lucy's sister). Raffi, Lucy's father, wants her to investigate Heather's death and find the culprit before their business is ruined. Lucy, with help from Katie, retraces Heather's steps the day she was killed and delves into Heather's life looking for suspects. Who disliked Heather enough to murder her? The bike shop owner, a restaurateur, the mob boss, the suspense author who was dating Heather, or the loan shark? Join Lucy in her investigation in Hummus and Homicide.
Hummus and Homicide is nicely written and has a steady pace. I like that the author sets the stage for the series by giving us Lucy's background and introducing us to her family and friends. The mystery was interesting, but the killer can easily be discerned early in the book (one detail is the key). There are some interesting suspects that Lucy questions. I just wish that there had been more action. If Lucy is going to continue to be a sleuth, she needs to work on her questioning technique. Her queries sounded more like accusations. Lucy also has a temper (triggers easily) and loose lips. You can tell that Tina Kashian (aka Tina Gabrielle) has written romance novels. We have Lucy's ogling her romantic interests. She admires the attractive and handsome Azad (many times) and appreciates Michael Citteroni's physique. The family kept pushing Lucy and Azad together trying to rekindle their romance. I prefer romances that progress slowly over the course of a series and for it not to overshadow the mystery element. As usual, there was repetitive information (Cooking Kurt's show was mentioned five times for example). Hummus and Homicide was a typical cozy mystery where the main character returns home, someone dies, she investigates and solves the crime, there are love interests, potential sidekick, the amateur detective is inept in her questioning, and the main character realizes she likes being home and is going to stay. There are some nice cozy moments in the book. You can tell that Lucy's family loves her and the mother is especially happy that her daughter has returned to Ocean Crest. My rating for Hummus and Homicide is 3 out of 5 stars. I will check out Stabbed in the Baklava when it releases in August. Hummus and Homicide is just the first book in the series, and I hope Tina Kashian ups her game in the next book in A Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. There are recipes (hummus) at the end of Hummus and Homicide.
Hummus and Homicide is nicely written and has a steady pace. I like that the author sets the stage for the series by giving us Lucy's background and introducing us to her family and friends. The mystery was interesting, but the killer can easily be discerned early in the book (one detail is the key). There are some interesting suspects that Lucy questions. I just wish that there had been more action. If Lucy is going to continue to be a sleuth, she needs to work on her questioning technique. Her queries sounded more like accusations. Lucy also has a temper (triggers easily) and loose lips. You can tell that Tina Kashian (aka Tina Gabrielle) has written romance novels. We have Lucy's ogling her romantic interests. She admires the attractive and handsome Azad (many times) and appreciates Michael Citteroni's physique. The family kept pushing Lucy and Azad together trying to rekindle their romance. I prefer romances that progress slowly over the course of a series and for it not to overshadow the mystery element. As usual, there was repetitive information (Cooking Kurt's show was mentioned five times for example). Hummus and Homicide was a typical cozy mystery where the main character returns home, someone dies, she investigates and solves the crime, there are love interests, potential sidekick, the amateur detective is inept in her questioning, and the main character realizes she likes being home and is going to stay. There are some nice cozy moments in the book. You can tell that Lucy's family loves her and the mother is especially happy that her daughter has returned to Ocean Crest. My rating for Hummus and Homicide is 3 out of 5 stars. I will check out Stabbed in the Baklava when it releases in August. Hummus and Homicide is just the first book in the series, and I hope Tina Kashian ups her game in the next book in A Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. There are recipes (hummus) at the end of Hummus and Homicide.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Hummus with a side of Homicide. That is what Lucy Berberian has to deal with shortly after returning home to Ocean Crest. When she quit her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia she hoped to come home, lick her wounds, and decide what her next career move would be. But now she is the prime suspect in the murder of Heather Banks, one of the high school in-crowd from when she and Lucy were in high school. She was now the local health inspector who had just written up a ton of violations for Lucy's parent's restaurant, The Kebab Kitchen. She also had loud words with Lucy soon after she arrived in town, in front of several witnesses. Those reasons, plus the victim happened to eat a whole lot of hummus at the family eatery right before she died means Lucy and her parents could lose everything.
The Berberian family had Lucy's life all planned for her, work at the restaurant, marry the dishwasher soon to be chef, and take over the family business when her parents were ready to retire. She had other plans, she went to college and law school and took a job with a Philadelphia firm hoping to make partner. When her law career didn't go as planned they welcomed her home with open arms. This theme is real, believable, and traditional of many families in the restaurant and other family businesses. These characters have depth and their dialogues are delightful. I was drawn into the story immediately by them as soon as they were introduced.
From the title I knew the method of death would be poison and it would be in the hummus, but beyond that, the entire investigation was a surprise. The suspect pool was pretty limited by who was in the restaurant or had access to the restaurant, most being family. I enjoyed following along with Lucy and her BFF Katie as they tried to find the actual killer. Twist after twist made this a tough mystery to solve. It was very well plotted by the author to lead this reader off the right track. I was totally blown away when the killer was revealed.
The story had a steady pace that picked up as we got closer to the big reveal.
Ms. Kashian has introduced us to some very captivating characters. I am excited to get to know them better in future stories. I love the romantic triangle that is just starting to evolve for Lucy. I also enjoyed her friendship with Katie, whose husband happens to be a police officer. Together they make a nice team and you know they have each other's back no matter what.
This is an excellent start for this series. Stabbed in the Baklava will be released August 28, 2018. I can hardly wait.
Hummus with a side of Homicide. That is what Lucy Berberian has to deal with shortly after returning home to Ocean Crest. When she quit her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia she hoped to come home, lick her wounds, and decide what her next career move would be. But now she is the prime suspect in the murder of Heather Banks, one of the high school in-crowd from when she and Lucy were in high school. She was now the local health inspector who had just written up a ton of violations for Lucy's parent's restaurant, The Kebab Kitchen. She also had loud words with Lucy soon after she arrived in town, in front of several witnesses. Those reasons, plus the victim happened to eat a whole lot of hummus at the family eatery right before she died means Lucy and her parents could lose everything.
The Berberian family had Lucy's life all planned for her, work at the restaurant, marry the dishwasher soon to be chef, and take over the family business when her parents were ready to retire. She had other plans, she went to college and law school and took a job with a Philadelphia firm hoping to make partner. When her law career didn't go as planned they welcomed her home with open arms. This theme is real, believable, and traditional of many families in the restaurant and other family businesses. These characters have depth and their dialogues are delightful. I was drawn into the story immediately by them as soon as they were introduced.
From the title I knew the method of death would be poison and it would be in the hummus, but beyond that, the entire investigation was a surprise. The suspect pool was pretty limited by who was in the restaurant or had access to the restaurant, most being family. I enjoyed following along with Lucy and her BFF Katie as they tried to find the actual killer. Twist after twist made this a tough mystery to solve. It was very well plotted by the author to lead this reader off the right track. I was totally blown away when the killer was revealed.
The story had a steady pace that picked up as we got closer to the big reveal.
Ms. Kashian has introduced us to some very captivating characters. I am excited to get to know them better in future stories. I love the romantic triangle that is just starting to evolve for Lucy. I also enjoyed her friendship with Katie, whose husband happens to be a police officer. Together they make a nice team and you know they have each other's back no matter what.
This is an excellent start for this series. Stabbed in the Baklava will be released August 28, 2018. I can hardly wait.
Carole J. (PianoLady357) reviewed Hummus and Homicide (Kebab Kitchen, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
With Hummus and Homicide debut author Tina Kashian begins a delightful culinary cozy mystery series set on New Jersey's coast. It's character depth that makes or breaks a story for me, rather than food or a similar theme â and this story delivered. Kashian uses an ethnic family restaurant as the backdrop for an engaging family and supporting cast that makes me want to read more. But I will say that fans of culinary mysteries will absolutely adore this story.
One of the things I liked most is that, at its heart, this is a story about family. Thinking back to why she left her family and the restaurant eight years earlier, Lucy reflected that âthe smothering could be as thick as the sugar syrup on her mother's baklava â sticky, sweet, and as effective as superglue.â But Lucy came to realize where her passion truly lay and the bottom line is that âfamily helps family.â I liked Lucy's parents, but would like to see them fleshed out more in future stories.
The mystery itself is well-crafted and the murder's identity was a complete surprise. There's also a couple of romantic interests for Lucy â Azad, her first love who is a chef, and Michael, a bad-boy type whose father owns the bicycle shop next door. It's too early to have a clear favorite, but I'm leaning toward #Team Azad.
Hummus and Homicide is a clean book, with the exception of a little mild profanity that I wish had been omitted. Tina Kashian is a fresh voice in the cozy mystery genre and I hope this series goes on for a good while. Book #2, Stabbed in the Backlava, releases in August 2018. Recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
One of the things I liked most is that, at its heart, this is a story about family. Thinking back to why she left her family and the restaurant eight years earlier, Lucy reflected that âthe smothering could be as thick as the sugar syrup on her mother's baklava â sticky, sweet, and as effective as superglue.â But Lucy came to realize where her passion truly lay and the bottom line is that âfamily helps family.â I liked Lucy's parents, but would like to see them fleshed out more in future stories.
The mystery itself is well-crafted and the murder's identity was a complete surprise. There's also a couple of romantic interests for Lucy â Azad, her first love who is a chef, and Michael, a bad-boy type whose father owns the bicycle shop next door. It's too early to have a clear favorite, but I'm leaning toward #Team Azad.
Hummus and Homicide is a clean book, with the exception of a little mild profanity that I wish had been omitted. Tina Kashian is a fresh voice in the cozy mystery genre and I hope this series goes on for a good while. Book #2, Stabbed in the Backlava, releases in August 2018. Recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
