Carole J. (PianoLady357) reviewed on 6/17/2018 + 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.

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