Off the Shelf -- A Dash of Death

 Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC and the opportunity to review this book. This is the first in a new cozy mystery series. Samantha, Sam to her friends, is down her luck. Her fiance ended their engagement three weeks before her wedding. Her job prospects are limited, and her future feels uncertain. A friend persuades her to vend the scratchmade bitters that were to be her wedding favors at the Historic Homes Tour. Her bitters are a success, and things are going smashing until one of the guests mysteriously falls ill.

Samantha's past work as an investigative reporter compels her to dig into the situation, which quickly becomes complicated. The plot is well written. The supporting characters are engaging. Sam falls the most flat for me. Beyond her reporter's instincts and relationship troubles, there is not much fleshed out about her.

I did find the book engaging and liked the inclusion of recipes, though I would have preferred more of the recipes mentioned to be included. I will likely read a second outing for this series if there is one to see if Sam becomes more fleshed out.

The opinions expressed here are mine alone and are freely given.