A Trifle Dead
By Livia Day
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
CAFE LA FEMME BOOK 3: KEEP CALM AND KILL THE CHEF coming September 19 2019!
Tabitha Darling has always had a dab hand for pastry and a knack for getting into trouble. Which was fine when she was a tearaway teen, but not so useful now she’s trying to run a hipster urban cafe, invent the perfect trendy dessert, and stop feeding the many (oh so unfashionable) policemen in her life.
When a dead muso is found in the flat upstairs, Tabitha does her best (honestly) not to interfere with the investigation, despite the cute Scottish blogger who keeps angling for her help. Her superpower is gossip, not solving murder mysteries, and those are totally not the same thing, right?
But as that strange death turns into a string of random crimes across the city of Hobart, Tabitha can’t shake the unsettling feeling that maybe, for once, it really is ALL ABOUT HER.
And maybe she’s figured out the deadly truth a trifle late...
Shortlisted for Best Debut Book in the Davitt Awards (Australian Women's Crime Writing) A Trifle Dead is the first volume in Livia Day's culinary crime series bursting with delicious food, good coffee, cute frocks and okay, the occasional gruesome murder.
**BONUS SECTION includes recipes to make your own trifles.**
Cafe La Femme Series:
A Trifle Dead - Book 1
The Blackmail Blend - mini mystery
Drowned Vanilla - Book 2
Keep Calm and Kill the Chef - Book 3 COMING September 19 2019!
REVIEWS:
Part of the reason it was so enjoyable is that there's nothing maliciously daft about Tabitha. In fact there's a distinct feeling that her tongue is quite firmly placed in her cheek ... there were points when I found myself laughing. - AustCrimeFiction
This was a fun, modern read, that managed to be a mystery story, a celebration of cooking, a sparkling romance and a portrait of Hobart all at once. - InkAshlings
This fun, cosy style novel is the start of a new mystery series which features a quirky Australian voice, memorable characters and delicious sounding food. - Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
A TRIFLE DEAD is a light, funny and enjoyable read blending mystery, humour and a touch of romance. Oh and there are delicious recipes on the final few pages, ideal for an aspiring foodie or any reader with a sweet tooth. I am looking forward to the next installment. - Book'd Out
This was an extremely entertaining book ... In the true spirit of a culinary crime novel there are dessert recipes at the end for adventurous readers to try. It is a cross between chicklit and murder mystery - tasREADSmania
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:
Livia Day is a stylish, murder-obsessed fashionista who lives inside the head of someone else entirely. Tansy Rayner Roberts is a mother, an author, a blogger, a podcaster, and a Hugo-award winning critic. Together they WRITE CRIME. And sometimes they invent ice cream recipes. Livia Day is the author of the Café La Femme series of cozy mystery novels, including A Trifle Dead, Drowned Vanilla, The Blackmail Blend and available for preorder, Keep Calm and Kill the Chef. Warning: reading these books will make you crave dessert.
Culinary crime; cozy mysteries series; female amateur detective; recipes; cooking.
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Reviews for A Trifle Dead
25 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I liked this book at first. It seemed like a usual cozy, culinary mystery, but after a while I felt as if the characters kept circling the same series of events (like the author needed to fill space to get a certain number of pages for the book). Also, while it is good to not reveal too much at the beginning, this author had a habit of revealing things out of the blue. (The death of the father of a main character and another character being the half sister of the senior constable being the two main ones I remember amidst several smaller ones.)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For me, one of the attractions of this novel was a new-to-me female Aussie author, followed closely by the setting in Hobart, Tasmania.The overall feeling with this novel is chicklit/mystery which is probably not totally my cup of tea. However there is a murder to be solved, and some interesting characters to get to know. There are plenty of Amazon reviewers, mostly younger than me I suspect, who have loved it. There is a strong sense of setting and the portrayal of Hobart as a place for the young.There are recipes at the end of the book for those who would like to try some of Tabitha Darling's food for themselves.Well done.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Read just enough to realize I'll never try Livia Day's books again.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had no idea that Livia Day is the alter ego of Tansy Rayner Roberts who is an award winning Australian fantasy author, this year receiving The Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. A Trifle Dead is her first delightful Australian cosy mystery and I am hoping it won’t be her last.Set in Tasmania, A Trifle Dead introduces twenty something cafe owner Tabitha Darling. Café La Femme attracts a wide clientele from urban hipsters to the entire local police force determined to keep an eye on the late police superintendent’s daughter. When a body is found hanging from netting in one of the upstairs flats, the police are convinced it was an accidental death, linking the man to a number of recent bizarre crimes around town. Tabitha isn’t so sure though and with the assistance of blogger Stewart McTavish, much to the chagrin of Detective Leo Bishop, finds herself right in the middle of a sticky situation.Tabitha is feisty, stubborn and funny with an obsession with food and vintage clothing. She has a complicated relationship with just about everyone in her life from her head baker Nin, to her best friend, Xanthippe and the long term object of her affection, the handsome yet taciturn detective Bishop, which leads to great banter, loaded with snark and sparks. The sense of community established by the author is appealing and I really enjoyed being introduced to the slightly weird yet wonderful characters that are connected to Tabitha, such as her cross dressing roommate and her enigmatic landlord.The mystery twists nicely and though I made the connections early on, I didn’t really mind at all. The plot generates plenty of tension as the villain moves in on Tabitha and the pace is comfortable. A Trifle Dead is well written and though I wasn’t keen on McTavish’s accented dialogue (he is Scottish), it was only a minor distraction.A Trifle Dead is a light, funny and enjoyable read blending mystery, humour and a touch of romance. Oh and there are delicious recipes on the final few pages, ideal for an aspiring foodie or any reader with a sweet tooth. I am looking forward to the next installment.