Friday, March 9, 2018

Hummus and Homicide (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
by Tina Kashian

What a charming debut for the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series. I immediately adored Lucy and her family.
~Socrates’ Book Reviews…
Hummus and Homicide is charming and well-written . . . The murder plot is nicely paced and full of twists and turns and red herrings, and the characters are layered and endearing.
~Reading is My SuperPower! 
HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE is a story about coming home and discovering yourself. It’s a story about finding happiness where you least expect it. And a story about accepting your family for who they are and not for who you’d like them to be.
~Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder
Hummus and Homicide was a delightful mystery and I love culinary whodunits. This book was well-written, fun and definitely had a few laugh out loud moments for me.
~Moonlight Rendezvous
The mystery was great moving at a nice pace keeping me guessing until the killer finally revealed himself. This is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries with a culinary flair to them.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Kashian uses an ethnic family restaurant as the backdrop for an engaging family and supporting cast that makes me want to read more.
~The Power of Words
This story flowed quite well and it was hard to put down. I enjoyed getting to know Lucy and her crazy family. . .
~Storeybook Reviews
The recipes and the story of Hummus and Homicide both had my mouth watering!
~Back Porchervations
Tina Kashian has does an outstanding job with this first novel.
Her characters are developed and the mystery is not overly simplified. It is not predictable or trite.
~Laura’s Interests
Lucy and her family felt like very real people, and I enjoyed following along in Lucy’s footsteps as she searched for a killer.
~The Book’s the Thing
A Kabob Kitchen Mystery Series promises to be a series that will delight and keep the reader guessing.
~My Reading Journeys
The fact that this series was inspired by the author’s own experiences shows in the details and makes the story that much more believable. Definitely, a must-read for cozy fans.
~Book Babble
Overall this book was just delicious and left my mouth watering for more of Lucy and the entire Berberian family.
~The Montana Bookaholic

About the Book 



Hummus and Homicide (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (February 27, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496713476
Digital ASIN: B071FLH733
 When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu . . .
Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.
She could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect . . .
Recipes included!

About the Author

Tina Kashian spent her childhood summers at the New Jersey shore, building sand castles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business where her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. She worked almost every job—rolling silverware and wiping down tables as a tween, to hosting and waitressing as a teenager.
After college, Tina worked as a NJ Deputy Attorney General, a patent attorney, and a mechanical engineer. Her law cases inspired an inquiring mind of crime, and since then, Tina has been hooked on mysteries. The Kebab Kitchen Cozy Mystery series launches with Hummus and Homicide, followed by Stabbed in the Baklava and One Feta in the Grave by Kensington Books. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two young daughters. Please visit www.tinakashian.com and join her Newsletter to enter free contests to win books, get delicious recipes, and to learn when her books will be released.
Author Links

Purchase Links


Review.jpg

There are so many wonderful things I liked about this book, I'm not sure I contain my excitement. This is my first book I've read by the author and oh my is it delectable, delicious and down right amazing. I want to move to Ocean Crest and hang out at the Jersey Shore. The description of the place was so realistic I had no problem visualizing it. I could hear the screams coming from people on the roller coaster and smell the delicious aroma of food as I dashed off to the  Kebab Kitchen. I am a huge fan of hummus and just reading about the different varieties made me want to run to the store. I confess I did have hummus and crackers while reading the book. The author has convinced me that I need to find a Mediterranean restaurant and take in the rich flavors and exception dishes they have to offer. 

Lucy is one great character. I loved that she came home to her parents when things didn't work out for her as a lawyer. It felt comfortable for her to be back home and be surrounded by an amazing family. Her parents were so sweet and gracious that I wanted them to adopt me. Rumors start to swirl that the family business is being put up for sale. I think that kind of shocked Lucy and made her start thinking of how important the restaurant is to the family. 

As in every cozy mystery there is always a murder and I try to figure out who the victim will be. The hints are there in the story but it sure does start an avalanche of trouble for Lucy and her family. I know if I had an inspection coming up, I would make sure everything was so clean you could eat off the floor. The inspection should be no worries for the Kebab Kitchen since they always pass with flying colors. What they  are not prepared for is someone dying after eating at the restaurant. Lucy is determined to get her name off the suspect list and keep the restaurant open.

I wont go into more details because you need to read the book to see how gifted the author is.I do want to mention one thing. The details of a poison in the story was like hearing it from an expert. The author's research is profound and I learned a lot about the subject. It was extremely fascinating and valuable to the story line. Her writing is outstanding as the murder investigation heats up. I really thought I knew who did it, but  was so surprised when the guilty person was revealed. It is an adventure that takes you behind the scenes of how a restaurant works to the different shops in town that made the town so quaint. Is someone trying to give Kebab Kitchen a bad name? Will Lucy escape harm as her life is put in danger? I did really enjoy the hint of several interested men that have taken a shine to Lucy. It is a bit of a cliffhanger for me which I will be anxiously awaiting to be answered in the next book. I leave you with a high recommendation to grab this book, settle down with some snacks and get ready for an exciting journey. Don't miss the recipes at the end of the story. 

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 26 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 27 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 27 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
February 28 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
February 28 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
February 28 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
March 1 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
March 2 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
March 2 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
March 3 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
March 3 – La libreria di Beppe – SPOTLIGHT
March 4 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
March 5 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
March 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
March 5 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – GUEST POST
March 6 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
March 6 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
March 6 – Mysteries with Character – INTERVIEW
March 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
March 7 – Book Babble – REVIEW
March 7 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
March 8 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
March 8 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 9 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
March 9 – Varietats – REVIEW
March 10 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
March 10 – Bibliophile Reviews –  REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
March 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
March 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
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1 comment:

  1. Tina KashianMarch 9, 2018 at 1:10 PM

    Thank you for hosting me and for the wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete