Book Review (and a Giveaway!): On the Lamb by Tina Kashian

ON THE LAMB
SERIES: Kebab Kitchen Mystery #4
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Kensington
RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2020
PAGES: 352

Lucy Berberian is busy preparing her family’s Mediterranean restaurant for Easter on the Jersey Shore–but a batch of sweets is to die for . . .

Bikers are thundering into the seaside town of Ocean Crest for the annual Bikers on the Beach gathering that raises funds for injured veterans. It’s a big boost for the Kebab Kitchen, as well as for local businesses like Melanie Haven’s candy shop. But Melanie is about to find herself in a sticky situation.

When Melanie and Lucy attend a beach bonfire, a local landlord is found dead after apparently choking on a piece of salt water taffy. Melanie, who was known to have a contentious relationship with the victim, is quickly skewered as the prime suspect. But Lucy is determined to prove her friend’s innocence before the real killer coasts free . . .

Recipes included!

Other Books In This Series

I love Lucy Berberian! She’s such a great heroine, and her blend of several cultures adds even further layers to her character. Her loyalty to her family, her love of the family restaurant and the boardwalk, her determination & fearlessness to solve the murders that seem to inevitably cross her path. She’s definitely a character I would love to have as a friend – especially if she kept me supplied in hummus, fresh pita, kebabs, and baklava. I also love her family, her boyfriend Azad and her BFF Katie … and the stray cat Gadoo (‘cat’ in Armenian) who has claimed Lucy as his human. And in On the Lamb we meet her new landlady Mrs. Lubinski who is a hoot and a half – and kept bringing Betty White to mind haha. I am looking forward to seeing more of this eccentrically delightful new character in future books.

The murder is well plotted, and while I ultimately wasn’t surprised by whodunnit I wasn’t convinced I knew the culprit until the reveal. We automatically don’t like the victim and with each new tidbit of info we uncover we like him even less. Plenty of suspects have plausible motives and potential means – and Kashian provides several twists, turns, and red herrings to move the plot and Lucy’s sleuthing along at a steady pace.

My only complaint is that the narrative seemed to go over the same information more than once – as though recapping the events of the story in case, for some reason, someone picked it up in the middle. This unfortunately disrupted my reading flow as I paused to consider why we needed to know this again – a ‘didn’t we just cover this?’ thought or two – and definitely didn’t add to the story.

Bottom Line: The Kebab Kitchen Mystery series is one of my faves, and On the Lamb reminds me why. Engaging and vividly drawn characters (main and supporting), mouthwatering food from the Mediterranean restaurant to the boardwalk, heartwarming friendships, a dash of romance, well-timed humor, and a not-as-simple-as-it-first-appears mystery to solve make this a wonderfully diverse & entertaining read.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Love it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Reviewer’s Note: Readers may want to be aware that there are some infrequent curse words scattered throughout – most are mild, there’s one instance of a stronger one.

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Tina Kashian is a bestselling author, an attorney, and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and the first book in her Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

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