A Deadly Feast and the Perfect Drink

A Deadly Feast is Lucy Burdette's new book and she's brought us a great pairing today for Drinks with Reads. Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) has published 17 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West food critic series, A Deadly Feast (Crooked Lane Books, May 2019.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at JungleRedWriters.com and shares her love for food with the culinary writers at MysteryLoversKitchen.com. She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL. Read more at http://www.lucyburdette.com. You can also find Lucy on Facebook and Instagram.

As you might have heard, A DEADLY FEAST, the ninth Key West mystery, was published by Crooked Lane Books on May 7. We need to celebrate with a special drink! 

However, there is so much going on in this story— murder on a food tour, Thanksgiving, family drama, and hopefully a wedding, that my characters don't have much time to relax with a drink. I reread the scene in which Hayley Snow‘s parents are serving Thanksgiving dinner to a motley collection of guests including Hayley's father and his new wife, Lorenzo the Tarot card reader, Hayley‘s boss, her roommate Miss Gloria, and hopefully--soon--her fiancé. They serve champagne, of course, and wine with dinner, and there is a mention of a cranberry cocktail,  but no helpful details provided…

So to celebrate this book, I chose the drink that I’ve been dying to make. It’s called a Campari spritz. It's light and perfect for an evening at the beach or by the fire!. I think you’ll like it. My tasters found it delicious!

Campari Spritz

• 1 ounce Campari
• 3 ounces Prosecco
• Club soda or sparkling water
• Sliced  Orange
• Maraschino cherries

Fill up a pretty glass with ice. Add the Campari followed by the Prosecco, and finally add club soda or sparkling water to taste. Garnish with sliced oranges and maraschino cherries. Retire to the beach or the pool to sip and read…

ABOUT A DEADLY FEAST:

Before Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow's family descends on the island for Thanksgiving and her wedding to heartthrob Detective Nathan Bransford, she has one last assignment--a review of a seafood tasting tour conducted by her friend Analise Smith. But when one of the tourists collapses on the last stop, Analise begs her to investigate before the police destroy her business and shut down the local Key West eateries on her tour. Pressure mounts when Analise calls a second time to request that Hayley meet with Chef Martha Hubbard, who prepared key lime pies for the tasting tour and is terrified that someone poisoned her pies to ruin her reputation. Chefs all around town are preparing their versions of a Thanksgiving feast, but with a murderer on the loose, will Hayley and her friends have anything left to be thankful for?

Praise for Lucy Burdette's Key West mysteries:

“There’s a lot to love about this series—deft plotting, likeable characters, and an ending that always satisfies. But one of the things I love the best is how the author transports her readers to Key West with every page, describing real landmarks and restaurants with such realism that I feel I’m actually there. Magical and delicious fun!”

—Suspense Magazine

Fascinating details about the Truman Little White House, Cuban American history and relations, Cuban food, and Hemingway’s years in Key West are woven through this atmospheric cozy. --Booklist

Complete with a clever plot, a cast of familiar and amiable characters, a buffet of food and all the wackiness of Key West, "Fatal Reservations" displays Burdette at peak form and whets the appetite for Hayley's next case.--Jay Stafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch