A Catered New Year’s Eve by Iris Crawford
Published on December 23, 2021
Reviewed by Marybeth Ginsberg
A Catered New Year’s Eve (2019), written by Iris Crawford, is a cozy mystery with recipes. When sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons take on the task of catering distant cousin Ada Sinclair’s New Year’s Eve party, bets are on that things could get messy. In fact, this is no ordinary New Year’s Eve party: It is a plan to expose a murderer.
Set in snowy Westchester County, Ada believes that her father was murdered at the hands of his business partner ten years ago. Ada has a special announcement she plans to share at the party. Sean, Bernie and Libby’s father, has his suspicions of Ada and the Sinclair family based on past experience. His wife had referred to this side of her family as “leeches.” Sean associates Ada and the Sinclairs with chaos and predicts that “Armageddon” will ensue at the party.
Readers soon learn that a “big reveal” awaits the party-goers on New Year’s Eve. Tensions are high and comments fly as Ada tries to get the attention of the party-goers. No sooner after chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne have been served for dessert, does something totally unexpected happen. It isn’t long before an old murder mystery takes on new meaning.
Steadfast and resolute, the sisters feel compelled to look past Ada’s capricious nature to uncover the truth. Bernie and Libby are a committed sister duo who combine their strengths and make time away from their busy café, A Taste of Heaven, to pursue a predictably unpredictable Ada. This leads to action at every turn that will keep you reading this seasonal cozy mystery until the very end!
Favorite Quote: “Can you say, ‘the proper person purloined the poisoned popper, five times?”
Isis Crawford is the pen name of American novelist Barbara Block, who writes mystery novels. Isis Crawford became a published author in 1994 with the novel Chutes and Adders, writing as Barbara Block. She made her debut as Isis Crawford in 2003 with the novel A Catered Murder. (Order of Books.com). A Catered New Year’s Eve is the 15th book in the A Mystery with Recipes series.