A Catered Fourth of July

A Mystery with Recipes #10

by Isis Crawford

High noon on July Fourth in the quiet town of Longley, New York, and it's got to be one hundred degrees. Thankfully, sisters Bernie and Libby are setting up their yummy catering out of the sun in the gazebo for the reenactment of The Battle of Meadow Creek--and not baking in those Revolutionary War uniforms with their fellow townspeople . . .

After a few cheery exchanges of "Moveth" and "Thou speakest treason," the muskets are fired and the fake battle is over. But the blood on notorious town playboy Jack Devlin looks very real. Is it possible that Jack has had his last tryst?

When town councilman and resident loudmouth Rick Evans fingers Bernie's beau Marvin as the killer, Bernie and Libby know they've got to get cooking on the case. But the former Casanova has burned half the town--including the hot-headed politician and his occasionally faithful wife. And what about re-enactor Elise Montague, who is training to be an EMT yet almost fainted at the sight of blood on the deceased?

Bernie and Libby have their plates overloaded with suspects, and will need to work very fast to clear Marvin's name. The simmering killer is still out there, armed and taking shots, and unless the sisters quickly get to the bottom of this patriotic pre-meditation. . .their goose may be cooked!

Includes Original Recipes for You to Try!

Delicious Praise For Isis Crawford And Her Mouth-Watering Mysteries!

A Catered St. Patrick's Day
"Cozy fans will appreciate the zany characters, witty dialogue and puzzling plot." --Publishers Weekly

A Catered Thanksgiving
"This will please Crawford's old fans and bring in new ones." --RT Book Reviews

A Catered Birthday Party
"Fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke will enjoy the investigative and culinary antics of the nosey sisters." --Library Journal

A Catered Halloween
"Fun. . .well-plotted." --Publishers Weekly

A Catered Christmas
"Comical minor arguments, bitchy asides, cookie dependencies, and useful recipes keep this moving." --Library Journal

A Catered Murder
"Fans who love culinary mysteries are going to gain pounds after reading this delicious who-done-it." --I Love a Mystery

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Holiday, Food, Crime

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Isis Crawford was born in Egypt to parents who were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester County and her father became a university professor. Since then Isis has combined her parents’ love of food and travel by running a catering service as well as penning numerous travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay. Married, with twin boys, she presently resides in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where she is working on the next Bernie and Libby culinary mystery.

A pseudonym used by Barbara Block

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read to page 160, and I kept putting the book down and selecting another one, I decided today not to finish Isis Crawford’s A Catered Forth of July(A Mystery with Recipes, #10) because the story was too slow moving, and the sister sleuths and the book as far as I read did not make me feel as though a great holiday was or had been celebrated. I am sorry to say this, but I found it boring, and I want to truly celebrate July 4th! 2 stars

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story

Crazy twisted mess but a fun story to read for the 4th of July. The characters are a fun bunch. I'm going to hopefully start with the first book next time.
Rating this book 3.5 stars

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one involves Independence Day, a Revolutionary War reenactment, a pig, a witch, a playboy, and a shooting club. I liked the shooting club scene. That was interesting, but I would have liked more to have happened with that. I also liked the pig. She was cute. The reenactment was sad. A picnic would have been better. The mystery was intriguing, and I was surprised by the outcome.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. What should have been a nice holiday turned into a mess. I felt bad for Marvin. He shouldn't have had to go through what he did. I was happy that Bernie and Libby were able to find out what really happened.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I really enjoyed this delightful cozy mystery!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty enjoyable story and the ending surprised me. I enjoy Libby and Bernie's bantering, especially when they are interrogating a suspect. Recipes are included at the end.

[T K Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where do I begin? Have read all ten entries of this series and enjoyed the first 8. Book #9 strayed from being grounded in the goings on of the catering business. This book suffers from that same fate. I do enjoy the sisters (relieved this time around they're not incessantly bickering), their boyfriends (though Marvin is painted here as even more of a wussy), and how their retired police chief dad realistically fits into the plotlines.

Understandably as the series progresses, the plots are getting more involved to avoid that pitfall of storylines seeming too similar. But you have to believe there might be too many possible suspects in the mix when one of the sisters says she "needed a cheat sheet to keep track of everyone's activities". Who was married to whom? Which ones were at the reenactment? Who was hanky-pankying with each other? Which character had a grudge against another?

Would love the series to get back to it's "Catering" roots, just as the titles would suggest. And on a related nit-picky complaint, recipes included have no connection to anything in the book. Since characters discuss progress of the case over snacks and cookies, couldn't those have been included? Instead there are cake, pie, potato salad, and carrot/raisin salad recipes. There's also a spicy chicken marinade where only two of 8 ingredients have specified amounts?.

I will look forward to and will read the next Little Taste of Heaven book. Even with my complaints it's a cozy series deserving of support.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Catered Fourth of July is book ten in A Mystery with Recipes series by Isis Crawford. Libby and Bernie were catering for the annual Longley, New York, Fourth July celebration in sweltering heat. When the final scene of the reenactment was played, one of the participants Jack Devlin was found dead. The first person that became a suspect was Libby's boyfriend, Marvin. To clear Marvin's name Libby and Bernie decided to investigate to find the killer of Jack Devlin. The readers of A Catered Fourth of July will continue to follow Bernie and Libby to see if they cleared Marvin name and found the killer.

A Catered Fourth of July is another fantastic book to read, and like all books, in this series, I had trouble to stop laughing with the characters. A Catered Fourth of July is well written and researched by Isis Crawford. I do like that Isis Crawford includes at the end of A Catered Fourth of July list all the recipes that were mention throughout the book. I love Isis Crawford portrayal of her characters and the way she made them reacted with each other.

I recommend this book.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly thought this book was awful. The characters were vapid and unlikable, and sometimes the direction and choices reminded me of something I would have written when I was 12. Why is it none of the women in town could be liked...at all? I get that the plot is everybody is sleeping with that one guy, but it seemed like a purposeful choice to hate on everyone else. I’m not here for hating on other women, so I don’t appreciate that attitude in my fictional characters, either.

Overall, this was just a disaster of a book.

[Bill Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isis Crawford has been around the block, as it were, in the cozy mystery business. She’s a “caterer” for all seasons. In this, our fourth Isis book, she moves on with “A Catered Fourth of July.” (She always reminds us that “revenge” is a dish best served cold, though, like a good gazpacho!)
It’s early July and hotter than a firecracker and things are just about to go “boom” for our sweet sisters Bernie and Libby in their pastoral town of Longley, New York. But thanks to their catering expertise, they’ve arranged a cool enough setting for a reenactment of the Battle of Meadow Creek in honor of the Revolutionary War and the Fourth of July.
Sure enough, after the reenactment of that famous battle and the “wounded” are rounded up, ready to enjoy the munchies that the sisters have provided, alas, the “notorious town playboy, Jack Devlin, doesn’t get up. The blood on his uni is very much real. Quickly fingers of suspicion are pointed and Bernie’s beau Marvin is accused of the killing.
There’s no love lost for Jack, but murder is murder and after all, this is a country that lives by the law, home of the free and land of the brave and innocent until proven guilty!
The two sisters step forward and, degree by degree, they track down the killer—but not before some harrowing experiences (to add to the “intensity” of the plot development). Clues (and red herrings) abound, but, remember, this is Isis Crawford and this is a cozy mystery—so don’t despair.
The Red White and Blue of the USA shine brightly as justice (blind or not) is served and the sisters, once again, save the day!

[Laura Cobrinik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isis Crawford's book, "A Catered Fourth of July (A Mystery with Recipes, #10)" was a delightful read. It kept me on my toes. I loved the questing and the snooping which Bernie and Libby did. I loved the small town gossip, and loved how the mystery wrapped up in the end.
I chose this book because my birthday is on The Fourth of July. And when I read this book I felt like Isis Crawford wrote this one especially for me....Which I know she did not
But I still loved it. Perfect reading for "The beach," or for reading on the lawn at Tanglewood, MA in the Berkshires. A perfect book to read on a fourth floor fire-escape or on a wooden swing. "A Catered July Fourth," by Isis Crawford is a perfect book for the summer.

I have one reservations regarding the "Catered [holiday] books" and that is, that I'm Jewish, and it seems as if none of the mystery writers have approached the Holidays of Rosh Hashana/Yom Kipper (Days of Awe); Succoth; Hanukkah; Purim; Passover; or even Tisha B' Av. Possibly Isis Crawford could do this....Or, possibly another mystery writer would take this challenge.

Laura Cobrinik,
Boonton Township, NJ

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mystery books but I am not reading these in order.

I have to admit that it I didn't see it coming until the end who had done it. Every time I guessed, it was wrong. But towards the end I was a few steps ahead of the crime solving girls. I am going to have to keep reading mysteries my skills are a bit slower than they have been in the past.

But I loved how it was hard to solve as almost everyone had a reason to want the person dead. But who could have done it? Who had motive enough to actually take the step and who would have done it the way it was done right in plain view of everyone? Who would have the knowledge to prime an old fashion musket to blow up like it did? Problem is almost everyone could have but the police are focusing on one person and that person had no grudge worth killing over.

[Cozy Reader Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A Catered Fourth of July" is the 10th book in the "A Mystery with Recipes" series by Isis Crawford and I'm thinking I shouldn't be jumping around in this series. The story is fairly stand alone but I just couldn't keep with it from an interest standpoint, or maybe an investment standpoint. The ex-police dad had questionable reasoning for things and the two sisters had a barely plausible reason to be investigating. All the supposed evidence against the one sister's boyfriend was nothing that could really get him arrested. At worst, he'd have been sued for leaving weapons in an unlocked public shed I bet.

I kinda had an idea where the mystery was going in the end. It wasn't a shock but a huh, makes sense. Also, 4th of July is mentioned but not central to the theme of the book at all.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read any of the other books in this series and based on this one probably wont. I didn't guess the killer till the end which is a good thing. However I felt the story dragged and the recipes at the end seemed unrelated. There didn't seem to be much depth too the sisters but, to be fair, that was probably done in earlier books. Marvin, was such a wuss that I couldn't understand how anyone let alone a strong woman would be romantically attracted to him. And the longer the book went on the less I cared who did it. I did wonder when the sisters found time to work, running your own business takes a lot of time.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, holiday-themed mystery that I read over the long holiday weekend. Bernie and Libby are catering a re-enactment of a local event that may or may not have actually happened in their town during colonial times. When the local man-about-town is killed by a musket to the face, they undertake an investigation to clear Libby's boyfriend Marvin, who was in charge of picking things up and delivering them to the re-enactment site.

There are a lot of red herrings, and the final resolution was more complex than usual. But it was a fun holiday read.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in a series of mysteries set in Westchester County, New York with the sisters-owners of the bakery, A Little Slice of Heaven get forced to solve an apparent homocide.

A hot Fourth of July in Longley featured a colonial re-enactment. But something goes radically wrong. Who caused the musket to fire incorrectly? Was it deliberate? Could it really be Libby's boyfriend Marvin? Libby and Bernie (and their father, the former police chief) work to clear Marvin's name. Along the way we get yummy recipes too and some sister rivalry.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The sister sleuths Libby and Bernie were very unlikeable, as were all the characters. The sisters are nosy and aggravating to say the least. Their methods of sleuthing was laughable. Their idea of investigating included accusing everyone they knew in town to their faces. Just silly as can be. The dialogue of all the characters was like a bad soap opera and didn't like that all the married women in town had gotten around with the player. How is it that all of the women in this town were this shallow?

[Rosa Cline · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the third book of this series I have attempted to read. And like all the others I read 100 pages or the first 5 chapters and I just couldn't get into the storyline. Like the others it seemed like it kept repeating itself over and over. One whole page was two characters saying "yes it was" "No it wasn't" down the entire page! REALLY??? So needless to say I didn't finish this book. And after trying this series with three different books I won't be picking this series up to read.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was filled with inane conversations that went on for paragraphs. Confrontation instead of conversation made for constant unpleasant scenes. The book did not delve into the main characters’ personalities, so I was not cheering them on to find the killer. The victim was not a sympathetic character, so I really did not care who killed him. In the end, I was just glad it was over. Two stars for Hilda the pig, who was the only likable character.

[Susan Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to see the climate emergency entering the cozy mystery with a boiling July fourth seeing the long suffering caterers setting out a picnic that is doomed to be ignored. For a re-enactment of the battle of Longley (ala a pub brawl) endly badly when a musket explodes killing the local lothario. When Libby's boyfriend is declared suspect No.1 the sisters do what they do second best: sleuth. This novel is a lot of fun, especially in winter!

[Lori Wilen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I love the Simmons sisters and their boyfriends and father but honestly this book didn't feel as good as the others. I did finish it because I needed to remember what happened in the story. I know that first time around was before I tracked my books on Goodreads. I don't know that I will reread any more books in this series but I know I will eventually complete the series.

[Marna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a bland mystery. Too many characters to keep track of and too little plot to carry it along. It might have been more interesting if it felt more like a cozy. I would have expected the catering and the recipes to be more of a character in the story. Also Wiccans in a cozy? Did not seem like a sweet, easy summer read to me.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite the cliff hanger. Poor Marvin is accused of murder at a civil war reenactment. The whole gun club is looking good for it, but no one is talking. There is a pig named Hilda, as well, who may know who the murderer is, but she's only oinking. Some tasty bbq summertime food and detective work, and a run in with Lucy(the current chief of police) who is just a bunch of sour grapes.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally going through this series backwards, oh well.

Longely is not a town I want to be in. For real. Plus, I really don’t think the sisters, Bernie and Libby, even like each other.

Maybe I need to read the first book?

The only thing I enjoyed in this book was the food descriptions. I didn’t even enjoy the mystery either because there were so many characters. :(

[Carmen Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, but the negatives resulted in me not rounding up. The actual mystery was good and I didn't see it coming. The pacing was a little off and slow in spots. The main negative was the way the sisters talked to the suspects. These women were hardcore grilling them and being super snarky. I don't know who would speak to them for longer than 30 seconds.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting cozy mystery, didn't figure out who done it, till the end of the story, I like that, when the story keeps me guessing. I really enjoy the recipes at the end of the book. This is the first time I have read Isis Crawford.

[Diane Cogswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a "beach read". Moved very fast. The only part I didn't like was the ending. I did not want it to be one of the people that the sisters interviewed. I wanted more of a twist to the ending and have it be someone not on the suspect/spouse list. However, I did enjoy it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would have thought a reenactment at a park would have a tragic end. When the muskets where fired one of the fighter was dead and the blame is aimed at Libby's boyfriend. Sisters Bernie and Libby know that Marvin could not have done the deed and set out to prove it.

[Jacque Stengel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, but the meddling and accusations got a bit too much and the story dragged but if looking for a way to celebrate the holidays and enjoy cozies.. might as well read this one.

[Paige Kuether · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very well written but very long. (356 pages).