A very foodie cozy. The sleuthing takes a backseat to the food prep.

The day after Lucky Pie Diner owner Este March had an argument with the new produce delivery guy the man is found dead on his boat, holding a copy of Este’s invoice. Naturally, she gets the feeling she is considered a suspect. Thus she is determined to investigate herself, lest the local sheriff - a nice guy, but about as experienced in running a murder investigation as Este is - misses some vital clues.

The story is set on Split Pine, an island off the Michigan coast, where tourists are welcome March through October, but come November everyone that is not a permanent resident of the island must leave. It’s one of the many bylaws of the island that make me wonder what would happen if these were challenged in court. And since some of the bylaws don’t respect personal property or encourage some kind of monopolistic truck system, it is surprising Este doesn’t mention the bylaws have ever been challenged.

Anyway, produce guy. Rather unexpectedly Este’s regular produce guy is replaced by Jeff, who not only doesn’t deliver her order in full, he also charges twice as much for what he does deliver. No wonder Este is upset with the man.

The next morning, after Jeff is found dead, the sheriff informs her Jeff’s last stop was at her diner and there is a witness to their argument.

Here’s what’s bothering me about that: if Jeff’s last stop was at seven a.m. why did he not leave the island soon after? What kept him on the island until at least the evening? (When he was killed.) And why does Este not ask these questions as part of her investigation?

Don’t know if the sheriff is investigating that angle. Or investigating at all. Okay, quite rightly the sheriff doesn’t share the details of his investigation with Este, but town gossip also has not picked up on his investigation other than his interview with Este. So either town gossip is slacking or the sheriff is (and the way town gossip operates it’s probably the latter).

The sheriff does tell Este not to get involved in the investigation when she shares with him what she found out about her former produce guy. Uhm, no. Doing a search on the sudden disappearance of your vender is actually smart business acumen. The only link to the sheriff’s investigation is Este’s assumption that there is a link.

Decent enough cozy. Not enough viable suspects to make for an interesting mystery. Well-written though and Este is a likeable character, even if she talks about the dishes she cooks and the pies she makes too much (and seemed to have forgotten about her newly adopted cat the day the power went out).

I read an ARC through NetGalley.