Review: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis

First line: “My very favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.”

From the back cover: Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple…real simple. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight – and Sophie’s husband – but Sophie is determined to take home the prize at the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredients…

However, Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim’s car, they think she has some explaining to do. Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder or she’ll be serving up prison grub – and that definitely wouldn’t be a good thing.

My thoughts: This is the first in the Domestic Diva Mystery series and it was a quick read. The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is great fun, with an engaging heroine, Sophie, her sometimes annoying and sometimes adorable extended family, her best friend Nina from across the street, a few neighbors, and a handsome detective with his own mysterious past. To make matters worse, she is thrown face-to-face with her childhood rival, Natasha, more times than she would care to. This cozy mystery delivers a plethora of useful household tips and mouth-watering recipes immersed within a plot that keeps you guessing right up to the very end. Plenty of suspects and red herrings are thrown into the mix and each chapter leaves you wanting to know more, ending with mini-cliff hangers. As for the household tips, it’s comical reading Natasha’s tips compared to Sophie’s – high end vs. practical. While most things are tied up at the end of the book, there are a few that are left hanging to make you want to go right out and get the second book.

(I borrowed this book from the library.)