Sunday Salon: Finger Lickin' Dead by RIley Adams

The week is gone and it’s time to start a new one with Sunday Salon.

So get comfortable, reach for a cup of your favorite brew and let us discuss books. My morning cup (or two) of coffee is a must. But as the sizzling summer heat blankets our area, my taste turns to sweet tea during the day. No one makes a better glass of cold, sweet ice tea than Lulu Taylor, the owner of Aunt Pat’s Barbecue Restaurant. You ask who that is. Well, a perfect reading companion to a relaxing summer day is the soon-to-be released second installment in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series by Riley Adams featuring Lulu Taylor in FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD.

FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD by Riley Adams

Aunt Pat’s Barbecue Restaurant in the heart of Memphis (Tenn.) feels a bit of a hit when an anonymous food critic gives it a bad review. Famous for its ribs and spicy cornbread, Aunt Pat’s takes the bad press much better than another restaurant that closes its doors after a bad review.

Lulu Taylor, owner of Aunt Pat’s, is more worried about one of her close friends and loyal customers, Evelyn. It seems Evelyn is blinded by the love of her former husband who has cheating ways and always looking for money.

When it’s learned that Evelyn’s ex, Adam, is the anonymous food critic, things heat up hotter than the Fourth of July. Before long Adam is found dead and the list of suspects begins to grow. Was it his ex-soon-to-be again wife, was it his soon-to-be ex-wife, one of the restaurant owners he blasted in a review, or maybe it was just a loyal restaurant customer upset over his take on the delicious food?

When a second person turns up dead, the situation gets as sticky as the sauce on Aunt Pat’s lip-smackin BBQ ribs. As Lulu tries to sort through the list of suspects, she gets a little too close to the killer. Meanwhile, the gang pulls together to help out one of their own with a most unusual wedding at Graceland.

Author Riley Adams has created a group of characters that will have you laughing, crying and shaking your head. If you live in the South, her take on Southern charm will remind you why you love it so. This is a story about family, friendship, loyalty, and Southern charm, not to mention murder, mystery, mayhem and intrigue.

FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD is the second installment in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series, but is a stand alone book. An added bonus is several of the delicious recipes mentioned throughout the story are included in the back of the book.

Once you pick up FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD, you won’t be able to put it down until you find out whodunit and how the wedding turned out.

Riley Adams is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Spann Craig, who blogs daily at Mystery Writing Is Murder and blogs on Wednesdays at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD is scheduled to be released June 7, but can be pre-order now.

Finger Lickin’ Dead by Riley Adams, A Memphis BBQ Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2011, ISBN: 978-0-425-24191-2, Paperback, 264 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Do you enjoy mysteries with a Southern fare? Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.