Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron

Available June 7, 2022

Rating: 5 stars

Ricki James-Diaz left Los Angeles with her tail between her legs and landed in her hometown of New Orleans. She soon finds herself running a vintage cookbook shop inside a museum in the heart of the Garden District. Ricki is surrounded by a fun cast of characters and quickly makes several good friends... and an enemy or two. When one of said enemies turns up dead, Ricki had to get to know her coworkers and others in the Bon Vee inner circle very well- before the killer strikes again!

I'm a big fan of this author and I think I actually liked this book even more than her Cajun County mysteries. Ricki lives in a little shotgun house in an old neighborhood near the river. The museum Bon Vee is exactly the sort of site I love to take in when I'm travelling, and I love how the people of New Orleans are portrayed as utterly unique and unquestioningly accepting of others. The mystery was complex and Ricki's investigation was natural and productive. I had some ideas along the way of whodunnit but none of my guesses were right.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of cozies, especially if you're a fan of Byron's other work.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.