by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a copy of Diners, Drive-ins, and Death. There is also a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and a link to KRL’s fun food column How I Met My Dinner, for more food related fun.

When Antoinette Chloe Brownelli – known as ACB or Antoinette Chloe, never just Antoinette – comes to her friend, Trixie Matkowski, about building a drive-in, Trixie fears it means more competition for her Silver Bullet vintage diner in Sandy Harbor. Although Trixie is relieved Antoinette Chloe only wants an authentic old-school drive-in, that comfort is short-lived. At the groundbreaking ceremony, an authentic corpse is uncovered. Antoinette Chloe was last seen stabbing a sausage in anger about her Harley-riding boyfriend. It doesn’t look good for the muumuu, flip-flopped, sartorial eccentric Antoinette Chloe since it’s his body in the dirt. In addition to being her boyfriend, the very late Nick Brownelli also was her ex-brother-in-law.

Tracking down Nick Brownelli’s murderer and clearing Antoinette Chloe of suspicion might be one of the easier tasks on Trixie’s to-do list. Antoinette Chloe also manipulated Trixie into housing the dozen contestants for Sandy Harbor’s Miss Salmon beauty pageant. Where Trixie will find the time to chaperone the giggly girls, work her shifts at the diner, and investigate the life of Nick is the question. How did Nick go from being a Michelin-starred chef to a backwater cook? There’s additional distraction from the good-looking Sheriff Ty Brisco, not that she would notice. After her divorce, Trixie swore off law enforcement officers. Right.

In this third Comfort Food Mystery author Christine Wenger explores diner-style cooking as well as the competitive world of top chefs. Nick’s membership in a chef biker gang is a delightful twist that brings a fun tone to match the outrageous Antoinette Chloe. She manages to lead Trixie further and further down a rabbit hole of adventures. One wonders how boring Trixie’s life would be without her.

Sandy Harbor delights with its unique characters, all of whom seem to be employed in at least two unrelated occupations. Readers will enjoy ample amounts of humor, indulgent cooking and the often shady side of the restaurant business.

To enter to win a copy of Diners, Drive-ins, and Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Diners,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 31, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

And for more food related fun check out our How I Met My Dinner column, which includes recipes!

Click on this link to purchase this book and you will be supporting an indie bookstore & a portion goes to help support KRL.

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Death: A Comfort Food Mystery

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).