In Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder by Tina Kashian, Lucy Berberian, manager and daughter of the founders of the Kebab Kitchen, is approached by her best friend, Katie Watson, and pressured into participating in the Ocean Crest Polar Bear Plunge. Since this event will benefit the senior center, Lucy gives in to doing this activity as a representative of Kebab Kitchen. While they are rushing back to get towels and hot chocolate, someone discovers that a man is lying face down in the water, having drowned in a shallow part of the ocean. Then they learn that the man has been murdered, held down in the surf, and he is Deacon Spooner, the half-owner of the Sea View, the local reception hall who was antagonistic to Lucy when she went to inquire about using the place for her wedding reception. The list of people who might want to kill Deacon is long, so the investigation may be complicated.
However, the police detective, Calvin Clemmons, immediately targets Lucy’s friend Susan, owner of Cutie’s Cupcakes, and he doesn’t seem interested in looking at the other suspects. What about Deacon’s estranged and bitter nephew? Or the bride whose wedding Deacon ruined? Or what about the gangster who owed him lots of money? Or his business partner who deeply resents him? There are many candidates, so to clear Susan’s name, Lucy and Katie do their own sleuthing to get to the truth.
When asked to review Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder, I was happy to do so because I had thoroughly enjoyed listening to the first book in this series, Hummus and Homicide. I am drawn to the way Kashian presents a level of multiculturalism that I have never seen before in a cozy mystery. The fact that the book is set in a Mediterranean restaurant, another first for a cozy mystery, is an added plus. I appreciate the fact that Lucy’s mother, Angela, is part Armenian, Greek, and Lebanese, while Lucy’s father, Raffi, is Armenian. In addition, other people in Ocean Crest come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds too, allowing readers to identify more closely with the characters, who represent the racial makeup of America much more than those in most cozy mysteries. This book seemed to offer less insight into the multicultural community than the first book, but I certainly enjoyed reading about Lucy’s Armenian heritage.
I also really liked the plot of this book. We readers follow along with Lucy in trying to figure out who committed the murder and find ourselves guessing various people at various times just as Lucy does. When the murderer is revealed, it comes as a big surprise.
There was just one thing that disappointed me about Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder. At the conclusion of the book, readers are offered the opportunity to read the first chapter of Hummus and Homicide, and I read that just to refresh my mind about the series. In that chapter, I found such beautifully descriptive language and amazing depictions of the scenery, the food, and the people. The writing was very vivid and almost poetic at times. Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder lacked that special touch. It did not contain nearly as many or as effective of word pictures as the first book. I hope that Kashian is able to return to that beautiful writing in her future books.
I recommend this book to readers and encourage you to preorder your copy now. I give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes, but that had no influence upon the content of my review.
