Food Trucks and a Side of Murder: Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra

A cozy mystery filled with the best food, the coolest of friends, and plenty of suspects to write down in your notebooks! This book brings us back with Beth and Seth, the best chicken-making twins that run their family’s food truck and now they’re taking on a food festival filled with exciting charm and a side of murder.

Check out my full review below and see if this is a book you might like to read as well!

You can also check out my review for Book 1 in this series: A Murder Most Fowl

Title: Hot Wings and Homicide

Author: Carmela Dutra

Series: A Food Truck Mystery

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐

Disclaimer

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I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:

In book 1 we met the twins as they participated in a televised food truck competition and found themselves smack in the middle of a murder investigation! Now they’re back and attending an exciting weekend of food trucks and foodies galore. But Beth’s ex-boyfriend shows up at the event and his rotten behavior hasn’t changed much. A fiery confrontation takes place for everyone to see and Seth, Beth’s twin, gets into it with Brad.

Not long afterwards, Brad’s body is found and Beth was nearby when it happened. She saw a little and heard a little, but ultimately all of the evidence makes Seth and Beth look like the guilty parties here. As she does it best, Beth decides to investigate the weekend away and question as many festival patrons and participants as she can to determine who might have had it out for Brad and why they might have made her look like the one whodunnit.

These books are so much fun and Carmela Dutra has created a loveable cast of characters from the twins Beth and Seth, to their best friend Rylie (she’s the chicken mascot) and even the main Detective who seems to be romantically interested in Beth but still hasn’t made his move yet. We even have a flashy new sidekick for Beth names Teriyaki! Her glamorous, yet flamboyant Silkie chicken friend, that makes many appearances you won’t want to miss!

I love the way the clues slowly trickle out and the focus is much more on the personalities of everyone involved and allowing us the reader, the honor of trying to figure it out. Nothing is given away until the very end so you have the entire book to evaluate all of your evidence before you know the truth.

For all my cozy mystery fans that also love food-focused humor, this is one you won’t want to miss and a series I highly recommend for an entertaining weekend of reading and sleuthing!

Publisher’s Blurb:

Twins Beth and Seth Lloyd are on the chopping block in the follow-up to A Murder Most Fowl, where a perfect recipe for murder is stirred up.

Business at Kluckin’ Good is smoking hot. To keep momentum going, Beth and her twin brother, Seth, just scored a prime spot at the Flavors of the Bay Food Festival. For three and a half days, food lovers will flock to the Bay Area’s biggest culinary event to enjoy gourmet food trucks, cook-offs, and live music, but this recipe for success is also the perfect setup for murder.

When the infamous food critic Brad Dawson—also Beth’s ex—turns up dead, the only clue at the scene of the crime is a Kluckin’ Good tumbler mug. The timing couldn’t be worse. Beth and Brad were seen in a heated altercation, and days prior, witnesses saw Seth punch Brad. Suspicion naturally falls on the twins. With the cops hot on their trail, Beth will have to avoid the flames to clear their names and save her food truck’s reputation.

But the chickens are out of the coop, and as Beth digs into Brad’s final hours, she will uncover rivalries, grudges, and a different side of Brad she never knew. If she doesn’t crack the case soon, she might be the next one to get cooked. Best of cluck!

A mouthwatering mystery for fans of Joanne Fluke that will leave you peckish for more.