Cozy Mystery Book Review ~ A DISH BEST SERVED COLD by Rosie Genova

A Dish Best Served Cold (An Italian Kitchen Mystery, #3)
by: Rosie Genova
Series: An Italian Kitchen Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: May 9, 2022 (Re-issue)
Publisher: Two Roses Books
Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads

A cold case and a boardwalk chase lead straight to murder …

When Victoria and her family host a 75th anniversary celebration at the Casa Lido, the party gets crashed twice—once by down-on-his-luck family friend Pete Petrocelli, and then by a seasonal hurricane, leaving much of Oceanside Park without power. When the lights come back on, a drunken Pete is the only casualty of the storm, found face down in the flooded carousel house on the boardwalk. Though his death appears to be an accident, Victoria remembers Pete saying he “knew things” that would make a good mystery story.

As Victoria digs deeper, she uncovers a missing family relative presumed dead in Italy, Atlantic City crime connections, and cold case that gets hotter by the minute. As it turns out, Pete did have a story to tell—one that nobody ever got to hear. . .

Welcome back to Oceanside Park, New Jersey. Summer is almost over and the Rienzi family is preparing to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the family restaurant, Casa Lido. With such a big milestone, Nonna Rienzi refuses to cancel the celebration for a little thing called a hurricane. She’s adamant the storm will pass because she says so. Nonna who rules her family with an iron fist has a soft spot for town drunk, “Stinky” Pete Petrocelli. It seems Pete and his brother (Alfonso) were close to Vic’s grandfather (Francesco) and his brother (Zio Roberto), in the old country. But according to Nonna, Alfonso and Roberto took up with criminals and the Rienzi family never talked about him. In fact, she isn’t even sure what happened to Roberto.

Pete shows up and disrupts the party. He’s offered food to go and is sent on his way. The hurricane hits and Pete’s body is discovered in the town’s carousel house. Police rule Pete’s death an accidental drowning, but mystery writer Victoria “Vic” Rienzi isn’t so sure. Before his death, Pete tells Vic that he has stories to tell. Vic starts to wonder if he really did know things, things that could have got him killed.

Rosie Genova has written a wonderful tale of mystery with A Dish Best Served Cold. It appears Vic has truly learned her lesson from past investigations; she’s trying really hard not to get involved in another. Too bad her mother and sister-in-law, Sofia want her to look into Pete’s death.

The mysterious death of Pete actually helps Vic out in a couple of ways. It allows her to look into her family’s genealogy and helps her with her historical novel, loosely based on her family. Through research and determination, Vic uncovers more than she bargained for. It seems Pete was smarter than people gave him credit for. The question for Vic is whether Pete was killed for his past or for present knowledge. As the list of suspects grows, Vic realizes that she isn’t winning any friends by asking questions.

I love Rosie’s writing because not only do I get to learn about Italian dishes, but also because her writing allows me to just lose myself in the story. The whodunit scene was climactic involving several characters, ending in surprising information.

A Dish Best Served Cold also marks a shift in Vic’s life. It appears she’s about to get something she’s always wanted. I’m looking forward to finding out how she handles this turn of events and I’m hoping there’s more of the Italian Kitchen Mystery Series to come.

**Received a copy from the author and reviewed the book voluntarily.**

Rating: 4

Purchase A Dish Best Served Cold from:

Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads

An Italian Kitchen Mystery Series:

The Wedding Soup Murder ~ Review

You can read my interview with Rosie here.

Bestselling and award-winning author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The inspiration for her cozy series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, comes from her deep appreciation for Italian food, her affinity for the New Jersey seaside, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. A former journalist and teacher, Rosie also writes women’s fiction and suspense. The proud mama of three grown sons, she still lives in her favorite state with her husband and a charming mutt named Lucy.

Places to find Rosie Genova:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon Author Page

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