Name: Sarah Sammis's review of Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron
Item: Bayou Book Thief
Rating: 5
Author: Sarah Sammis

Ellen Byron

A fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron. Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt. The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki's teen mother disappeared from the hospital. Ricki's dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve "Vee" Charbonnet, the city's legendary restauranteur. Ricki is excited about turning her avocation - collecting vintage cookbooks - into a vocation by launching the museum's gift shop, Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware. Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief. The skills Ricky has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations. But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Ricki's past as curator of a billionaire's first edition collection comes back to haunt her. Will Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success ... or a recipe for disaster?

Bayou Book Thief

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Sarah Sammis

** spoiler alert **
           An excellent start to a new series. I am invested!

The mystery is set against the muggy summer heat. Ricki on her first day in her new home ends up with a broken AC. Coming from Los Angeles she has lived with out AC during heatwaves. But the mugginess that holds the heat even over night, combined with the frequent unexpected rain storms is a new adventure for her. As someone like Ricki who doesn't have AC, I found the horrified responses of her coworkers amusing and on point.

Petaco

The story is actually 3 stars but I gave it another star since I've never met another person alive that collects old cookbooks and doesn't use them for the recipes (mostly). And not just any old recipe book will do! I love the author for including that in the series. She totally gets me, and for that, I love her. 

As for the story, it was pretty much in tune with what you would expect from a cozy mystery. Would have loved more romance! Also, I have never been to New Orleans, and I feel like there were a lot of references to things that you would "get" of you were familiar with the place. I think a lot of things went over my head since I didn't get many references.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron

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Join the club

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron