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A Cooking Class Mystery #1
Cooking Up Murder
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 7, 2006
23 people are currently reading
3109 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Bliss
6 books136 followersAlso writes as Casey Daniels, Zoe Daniels, Connie Deka, Mimi Granger, Anastasia Hastings, Connie Lane, Connie Laux, Constance Laux, Kylie Logan, Lucy Ness.
Casey Daniels, it can now be revealed, is also Miranda Bliss. As Casey, she once applied for a job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery. She didn't get the job, but she did get the idea for the Pepper Martin Mystery Series about a cemetery tour guide who finds she can communicate with the permanent residents. The fifth in the series, Dead Man Talking, came out earlier this year. As Miranda Bliss, she is the author of five books that feature best friends Annie and Eve who give cooking classes. Most recent is Murder Has a Sweet Tooth. Casey learned to love mysteries early thanks to her dad, a Cleveland Police detective, who enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars--with Casey along for the ride. Casey has a degree in English and a background in journalism and teaching. Casey lives in northeast Ohio.
Casey Daniels, it can now be revealed, is also Miranda Bliss. As Casey, she once applied for a job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery. She didn't get the job, but she did get the idea for the Pepper Martin Mystery Series about a cemetery tour guide who finds she can communicate with the permanent residents. The fifth in the series, Dead Man Talking, came out earlier this year. As Miranda Bliss, she is the author of five books that feature best friends Annie and Eve who give cooking classes. Most recent is Murder Has a Sweet Tooth. Casey learned to love mysteries early thanks to her dad, a Cleveland Police detective, who enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars--with Casey along for the ride. Casey has a degree in English and a background in journalism and teaching. Casey lives in northeast Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
February 13, 2017
I enjoy genuinely funny cozy mysteries, and this one does meet that mark. The MC Annie was a fun and quirky character who, as a refreshing change, isn't naturally good at everything. Her southern belle best friend drags her along to a cooking course to get her mind off relationship woes, and of course the two stumble upon a murderous story line while trying not to burn the food. Somehow Annie even manages to ruin the art of boiling.
The mystery is a fun one because they do sleuthing, breaking and entering, sabotaging, interviewing, and misleads. It's not one of those lazy mysteries where everything just falls on their laps. They have a strong enough reason to solve the crime. Unfortunately the threads of the story became unraveled a little too much toward the end, and I started feeling a little impatient with it.
The romance was a little forced and out of left field, but it works for this type of genre so that can be overlooked.
For fans of fun, light cozies with a sense of humor, this is one that delivers. It also has a generous portion of recipes in the back - more than most books.
The mystery is a fun one because they do sleuthing, breaking and entering, sabotaging, interviewing, and misleads. It's not one of those lazy mysteries where everything just falls on their laps. They have a strong enough reason to solve the crime. Unfortunately the threads of the story became unraveled a little too much toward the end, and I started feeling a little impatient with it.
The romance was a little forced and out of left field, but it works for this type of genre so that can be overlooked.
For fans of fun, light cozies with a sense of humor, this is one that delivers. It also has a generous portion of recipes in the back - more than most books.
February 4, 2012
Trying to find a lighter, cozier series to read at bedtime so thought I would give this, the first "Cooking Class Mystery" a try. *sigh* Like so many cozy series, it ended up being mostly a romance with the main female character doing lots of fantasizing and drooling over the main male character. Very stereotypical characters--Annie (main character) has less-than-perfect looks and low self-esteem due to cheating hubby and recent divorce. Her best friend Eve is a vivacious drop dead gorgeous blonde, and the cooking instructor is a hot guy complete with a sexy Scottish accent. (Can you hear my eyes rolling? LOL) The plot and story just didn't have much depth, a cookie-cutter mystery, just boring and predictable...I didn't hate it or the main character, she was so devoid of character that I just didn't care one way or another what happened. I finished it, but I won't be continuing on in the series.
October 20, 2012
To help her best friend Annie Capshaw recover from her recent divorce (her husband ran off with the dry cleaner) Eve DeCateur signs them up for a ten day cooking class. Annie is skeptical, she can't heat water without burning it, but when she gets a look at hunky cooking instructor Jim MacDonald, she decides to stick around, even though she is convinced he only has eyes for the beautiful Eve. On the first night of classes, Annie and Eve see a classmate arguing with a man and threatening to kill him and later that night they stumble across the dying man. Initially they think he had a heart attack, but when they find out he was poisoned, they suspect their classmate Beyla, who denies knowing the man. Eve and Annie try to convince Tyler Cooper, a policeman who just happens to be Eve's ex-fiancé, that Beyla is the murderer, but he thinks Eve is trying to mess up his case and doesn't believe them, so they decide to investigate the murder themselves. They have plenty to investigate besides the murder: why did Beyla's classmate John lie about being with her the night of the murder? What was Monsieur Lavoie tossing into the dumpster? Why did Beyla's stove blow up during class and who left the note saying "you are next"? Who is the mysterious Alba Stru? What's in the computer disc Beyla is searching for? Will Annie ever learn to cook?
"Cooking Up Murder" by Miranda Bliss is the delightful first entry in what looks like it will be a fun cozy mystery series. Annie is a well-written heroine - insecure about herself after her husband left her and insecure about her looks compared to Eve - she is stuck in a rut. Eve is also well written. Although she easily could have been an unlikable caricature - blonde, beautiful with a surgically enhanced figure who has been engaged six times - but Bliss makes her a likable, sympathetic character who is deeper than she initially appears. I could picture Jim as I was reading the book - I'd take a cooking class too if all the instructors were that yummy! There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book and Bliss has a nice way with words that is evident in sentences such as "I chewed over the thought and I have to admit, I didn't like the way it tasted." Much of the humor comes from Annie and Eve who will remind readers of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz as they blunder into situations. They are far too trusting and tell strangers far too much information, which is part of the fun since they really are complete amateurs. The mystery itself is well plotted and even though there aren't many suspects, there are a couple of unexpected twists at the end of the book that made the mystery even better. Like many other culinary mysteries, there are recipes at the end of the book - make sure you read the last one!
"Cooking up Murder" is a nice cozy mystery.
"Cooking Up Murder" by Miranda Bliss is the delightful first entry in what looks like it will be a fun cozy mystery series. Annie is a well-written heroine - insecure about herself after her husband left her and insecure about her looks compared to Eve - she is stuck in a rut. Eve is also well written. Although she easily could have been an unlikable caricature - blonde, beautiful with a surgically enhanced figure who has been engaged six times - but Bliss makes her a likable, sympathetic character who is deeper than she initially appears. I could picture Jim as I was reading the book - I'd take a cooking class too if all the instructors were that yummy! There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book and Bliss has a nice way with words that is evident in sentences such as "I chewed over the thought and I have to admit, I didn't like the way it tasted." Much of the humor comes from Annie and Eve who will remind readers of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz as they blunder into situations. They are far too trusting and tell strangers far too much information, which is part of the fun since they really are complete amateurs. The mystery itself is well plotted and even though there aren't many suspects, there are a couple of unexpected twists at the end of the book that made the mystery even better. Like many other culinary mysteries, there are recipes at the end of the book - make sure you read the last one!
"Cooking up Murder" is a nice cozy mystery.
February 21, 2020
I had a hard time deciding between two and three stars, so I rounded up, so to speak. I liked the cozy mystery, I liked that Annie gets something good at the end and can, hopefully, find happiness after being hung up on her ex-husband for over a year.
Some of the cons? I hated Eve. Someone made a review likening her to a teenaged high school girl and I couldn't agree more. For someone who is supposed to be 35, she sure needs a swift kick in the ass by reality.
I wasn't too pleased with Annie, either. I lost a lot of sympathy for her when Eve was confronted with an ex that clearly affected her. Rather than let Eve spend the time to get it out of her system and vent and all that, she got annoyed that Eve was so hung up on him. Um, excuse me? You've spent the last year eating ramen and soup because your husband divorced you. Try to have a little sympathy for your supposed best friend even if she is annoying as all get out.
Some of the cons? I hated Eve. Someone made a review likening her to a teenaged high school girl and I couldn't agree more. For someone who is supposed to be 35, she sure needs a swift kick in the ass by reality.
I wasn't too pleased with Annie, either. I lost a lot of sympathy for her when Eve was confronted with an ex that clearly affected her. Rather than let Eve spend the time to get it out of her system and vent and all that, she got annoyed that Eve was so hung up on him. Um, excuse me? You've spent the last year eating ramen and soup because your husband divorced you. Try to have a little sympathy for your supposed best friend even if she is annoying as all get out.
March 31, 2018
Annie is the worst cook in the world. She is a bank teller whose husband left her for the dry cleaning lady about a year ago. Her best friend Eve, feeling that Annie has wallowed around long enough, buys cooking classes for Annie and herself.
The first night of cooking class, they find a man they have seen arguing with multiple people, dead in the parking lot. Annie knows who it is and sets out to prove it.
Add in a hot Scottish chef teaching the classes and you have a good mix of people for this mystery.
I rated this 3.5 because the characters were a bit undeveloped but the story was a nice plot and the cooking lessons amusing. Good start to a series. We will see where it takes us...
The first night of cooking class, they find a man they have seen arguing with multiple people, dead in the parking lot. Annie knows who it is and sets out to prove it.
Add in a hot Scottish chef teaching the classes and you have a good mix of people for this mystery.
I rated this 3.5 because the characters were a bit undeveloped but the story was a nice plot and the cooking lessons amusing. Good start to a series. We will see where it takes us...
October 12, 2019
First time reading this book/series by Miranda Bliss!! At first I was a lil iffy on this til it picked up and I ended up enjoying it very much.
Suspense, Comedy and Mystery made this book so much fun to read.
Can't wait to read Book 2 in this series!!
Suspense, Comedy and Mystery made this book so much fun to read.
Can't wait to read Book 2 in this series!!
August 3, 2020
Read for #Book1CoziesClub
This was entertaining, but I wouldn't say I'm invested in these characters after this first installment. While I did enjoy watching Annie evolve into an amateur detective, I disliked Eve. I did find it interesting that Eve was the catalyst to investigate this case, however the reason she wanted to start to investigate made me shake my head. I also disliked that this book heavily mentions the two main character's exes.
Would I read the next installment? Sure. Would I feel like I'm missing out on something if I didn't read the next installment? I wouldn't.
This was entertaining, but I wouldn't say I'm invested in these characters after this first installment. While I did enjoy watching Annie evolve into an amateur detective, I disliked Eve. I did find it interesting that Eve was the catalyst to investigate this case, however the reason she wanted to start to investigate made me shake my head. I also disliked that this book heavily mentions the two main character's exes.
Would I read the next installment? Sure. Would I feel like I'm missing out on something if I didn't read the next installment? I wouldn't.
December 10, 2009
I found this book a light, fun read, a bit more reminscent of chick lit with some of the characters feeling a bit shallow. I didn't expect it to be a serious read though. I enjoyed it enough to continue reading this series.
Annie Capshaw is thirty-five, divorced, and has sworn off men. In an effort to get Annie's mind off her ex, Annie's best friend, Eve, signs both of them up for a cooking course at Tres Bonne Cuisine. Eve has pre-paid the course, so Annie feels obliged to humor her and go to the cooking classes. There's only one problem...Annie is the world's worst cook. She doubts even hunky instructor Jim can work miracles with her cooking.
Outside of the cooking school, Annie and Eve witness a fellow student, Beyla, arguing with a man--who later dies right in front of them. Police investigation determines the man was poisoned with foxglove, and Eve is instantly suspicious of Beyla and decides to investigate.
Annie always has been the boring one--not a bombshell like Eve, a bank teller and has always been the sensible one. But even she is beginning to find her life boring, and she joins Eve in investigating Drago's murder. The pair follow clues to an art gallery, a psychic, and a Romanian restaurant. Annie finds the investigation invigorating--especially when Jim jumps in and seems to have eyes only for Annie.
A close call with an exploding stove in cooking class leaves Annie shaken. Can she get through her cooking course without killing herself and catch Drago's killer? Or will Annie be next on the menu.
Annie Capshaw is thirty-five, divorced, and has sworn off men. In an effort to get Annie's mind off her ex, Annie's best friend, Eve, signs both of them up for a cooking course at Tres Bonne Cuisine. Eve has pre-paid the course, so Annie feels obliged to humor her and go to the cooking classes. There's only one problem...Annie is the world's worst cook. She doubts even hunky instructor Jim can work miracles with her cooking.
Outside of the cooking school, Annie and Eve witness a fellow student, Beyla, arguing with a man--who later dies right in front of them. Police investigation determines the man was poisoned with foxglove, and Eve is instantly suspicious of Beyla and decides to investigate.
Annie always has been the boring one--not a bombshell like Eve, a bank teller and has always been the sensible one. But even she is beginning to find her life boring, and she joins Eve in investigating Drago's murder. The pair follow clues to an art gallery, a psychic, and a Romanian restaurant. Annie finds the investigation invigorating--especially when Jim jumps in and seems to have eyes only for Annie.
A close call with an exploding stove in cooking class leaves Annie shaken. Can she get through her cooking course without killing herself and catch Drago's killer? Or will Annie be next on the menu.
August 2, 2009
Overall, I really liked this book. I liked Annie and Eve quite a bit. After reading a review or two, I noticed Eve wasn't as popular as Annie. Personally, I know people like Eve in real life, so she seemed very real to me. Additionally, I just like the idea of 2 friends working together to solve a mystery. I've always thought that if I were to become an amateur detective in real life, that I'd have to work with a friend. I would need that other person to bounce ideas off, if nothing else. Plus, I would feel safer if I had a friend with me when dealing with possibly dangerous situations. :) Now, my biggest problem with the book was the ending. It wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but it wasn't bad. I think the author was a touch lazy about some of the finer points when it comes to believability, but it wasn't so unrealistic that I felt dissatisfied by it. A big plus, though, is that one of the recipes supplied at the end of the book sounds really good and I think I'm actually going to try it. (It's bacon pinwheels... Honestly, the name alone sounds great to me!) I look forward to reading more in this series and I have a feeling they will get better with each installment. :)
May 3, 2016
The first in this series and we see the newly divorced Annie Capshaw (by her own admission the worst cook in the world, at the beginning of the book she manages to burn water!) going to a cookery class along with her best friend Eve (who arranged this to get Annie to do more than go to work and skulk around her apartment), when they arrive the first night (of ten, spread over two weeks), they see the owner of the shop arguing with a man, later they see the same man arguing with one of their fellow cookery school members. Later that night they see the same man again, dying! Just when they think things can settle down one of Eve's exes (the only one to dump her - not the other way around), arrives to interview everyone, murder abounds!
March 21, 2017
Read~November 8, 2010
4 Stars
WHAT a fun book!! A really great addition to my "cozies"!! Annie and Eve are the perfect foil for each other and ALL the scrapes they get into are VERY believable (at least they are to me. I can see this stuff happening to me should I decide to start snooping into other people's lives). Lots of fun to read, lost of neat recipes and a "lovely" murder to solve. Perfect read for that rainy day in!!
** YAY for reading a book I LOVED on a milestone (BOOK 100 of 2010)!!!!!!
July 21, 2015
I only read this because a couchsurfer brought it to me as a gift and I felt obligated. Not my typical fare, and gave two stars (instead of one) because I actually finished it. I can't fully explain the stupidity exhibited by the characters in this book, the trite dialogue, the obsession with fashion and handbags, interrogations by the police where no one says "I want an attorney"...
July 29, 2011
Very slow. I could not finish it and ended up just flipping to the back to see who did it. Not sure if I will read any others in the series or not.
October 31, 2022
To get over a difficult divorce, Annie's friend Eve signs them up for a cooking class. It starts off with a bang when Annie almost gets smacked in the head by an angry man leaving the cooking school. Annie is a terrible cook, which is only showcased when she's distracted by their delectable teacher with the arresting accent who takes a shine to her. Then they witness a heated argument between a fellow classmate and the same angry man whom they later find dying behind the cooking school. The cop assigned to the case and Eve have history, which prevents him from adequately listening to their story. So they decide to solve who killed the angry man, Drago, themselves to show him up. Rank amateurs they get themselves into as many scrapes as they find clues or pieces to the mystery puzzle. They usually discuss the progress they've made in the case during class, getting into more trouble there when fellow classmates overhear and they are disruptive to the teacher. Eve is determined that one of their classmates is the killer; Annie is more open but still suspicious. As they stumble and bumble their way through the various clues and possibilities, everything is not as it first seems, and danger encroaches.
Clearly a first novel by this author, it was cute with likeable characters and a decent storyline. The unique angle of the cooking school class being the center of the story was a fresh change. I enjoyed the story but didn't love it.
Clearly a first novel by this author, it was cute with likeable characters and a decent storyline. The unique angle of the cooking school class being the center of the story was a fresh change. I enjoyed the story but didn't love it.
August 10, 2017
First in a series, this was hard to get through. I found myself skipping paragraphs and skimming pages just to get to the end. I just could not stand the characters. Eve added nothing to this book but aggravation. She was just so shallow and man crazy, she reminded me of a teenager, not a grown women. Annie was always so negative, no self-esteem, which I get after being married for 8 years to have husband leave for another women, that would take a toll. Always comparing herself to Eve and finding herself lacking. Her character grew during the book which was nice. Annie and Eve have been friends since they were kids? With all of Annie's negative thoughts towards Eve, it just didn't seem possible. I don't believe I will be wasting any more time with this series.
June 7, 2021
At times this had the hilarity of a Lucy/Ethel scheme. Gotta love these two crazy friends who somehow got mixed up in murder and something illegal going on at an art gallery. Annie and Eve were wacky and spontaneous when it came to their amateur sleuthing, which they admitted wasn't that good. But somehow they managed to break a case wide open. Who knew that cooking could be that dangerous?
A fun older series whose author is another pen name for Kylie Logan, one of my fave authors. I hope I have this second book hanging around somewhere! I like where Annie and Jim's new relationship was going.
A fun older series whose author is another pen name for Kylie Logan, one of my fave authors. I hope I have this second book hanging around somewhere! I like where Annie and Jim's new relationship was going.
February 15, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters are relatable and fun. The possible romance was slightly overboard, but it's fine, it's a fun book, not reality. I enjoyed the fact that as the two main characters go about solving the murders, they bumbled several times. Let's face it, they aren't experts, so it's highly believable. I look forward to reading the rest of this series. My only heartbreak is that the author stopped at only 5 books.
March 13, 2017
This book that I started thinking it was a bit of fluff to pass the time turned out better than I expected. It's still fluffy, but the main character was someone I could relate to. She wasn't extremely beautiful or intelligent, but she felt like a realistic person. The mystery was a classic whodunnit, nothing earth shattering. I'll continue to read the series when I'm between other books.
February 26, 2021
2.75 really but I rounded up. The characters were annoying. Most of the things they did weren't bad, but some of them were off the charts unlawful and very stupid. Eve annoyed me everytime she opened her mouth. The constant flirting and taking credit for stuff she had nothing to do with was just irritating. The constant mooning over their exes was a tad over the top as well.
December 18, 2022
Annie's best friend Eve signed them up for cooking classes. Annie does't cook, she works in a bank. She is also getting over her divorce being final. But on the first night of class they stumble across a dying man, and the officer that showed up was Eve's ex boyfriend's new girlfriend. And all that leads to a wild guessing game of trying to solve the murder.
June 4, 2021
Okay, but nothing more than that. I prefer the Pepper Martin series.
I liked the POV character, but her best friend just annoyed me, and there are enough other cozy series out there that I'm not going to bother with this one any further.
I liked the POV character, but her best friend just annoyed me, and there are enough other cozy series out there that I'm not going to bother with this one any further.
August 7, 2025
I have always read everything I could get my hands on, this was the first book I got going in to high school, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a cute little read. Some of it is goofy, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
P.S. the chocolate bar and peanut butter? So real bestie
P.S. the chocolate bar and peanut butter? So real bestie
July 13, 2017
I liked it. Quirky and well-motivated.
May 14, 2018
Hated Eve. She's so stupid.
August 1, 2018
Didn't finish, which is really unusual for me. It just was kind of boring, not cozy, annoying, & some of the scenes & dialogue felt very contrived. Bummer :(
November 29, 2018
fun cozy. really like Annie Capshaw.
August 30, 2019
This was fluff piece - not that great, but an ok summer read
May 11, 2020
Two best friends attempt to beat the local police at solving a murder. Just because one of the girls had dated the cop in charge of the investigation. He thought she was stupid.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
August 10, 2020
No one reads cozies for believable plots or characters, but this one was a mess.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews