Retro Reading: An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette
After visiting Florida once, I vowed never to return but thanks to author Lucy Burdette, I can now enjoy a mental trip to the Keys without leaving the house.
In the first installment of the Key West Food Critic series, Hayley Snow packed up and followed her now estranged boyfriend, Chad Lutz to begin a new life. She knew a couple of people living there and thought this would be a good change of pace.
It was. The relationship didn't work out and now her ex's new girlfriend is murdered and she's the prime suspect. Relationships just aren't worth it.
After being thrown out of Chad's condo and life, Hayley moves onto a houseboat owned by her former college roommate Connie and works for her on occasion. Hayley has been eyeing a food critic position at the start up magazine, Key Zest where Kristen Faulkner (Chad's deceased) was a partner. With Kristen out of the picture, it's revealed her replacement is her sister Ava which causes a few problems for Hayley later on.
As the prime suspect, Hayley has to find a way to prove her innocence and hope letting a little thing like Kristen's death doesn't put a damper on her job prospect. She really wants this position and is somewhat obsessed with going after it.
There are moments in which the story lags and Burdette does a terrific job with a chase scene about halfway through the book. While I've never been to Key West, I did get a sense of what it must be like being there and it seems like it would be a fun place to visit.
