The Diva Goes Overboard (A Domestic Diva Mystery)
by Krista Davis
About The Diva Goes Overboard
The Diva Goes Overboard (A Domestic Diva Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
17th in Series
Setting - Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
Publisher : Kensington Cozies (May 21, 2024)
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496743423
ISBN-13 : 978-1496743428
Digital ASIN : B0CHHN5D3Q
For once, event planner Sophie Winston finds herself a guest at a lavish engagement party, but things go horrifyingly awry when the groom-to-be is fatally poisoned . . .
In Old Town Alexandria’s unlikeliest match, Natasha Smith’s free-spirited mother, Wanda, is engaged to notoriously pompous antiques dealer, Orson Chatsworth—leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party. For the extravagant affair, Natasha splurges on trendy food boards created by rising social media star, Stella St. James. The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, as Stella dazzles guests with picture-worthy butter boards, dessert boards, and even doughnut boards. Just as Natasha planned, the food is to die for—until someone actually does.
When the groom collapses, it seems as if a heart attack is to blame. Then guests discover Orson was poisoned, and suddenly Stella’s bespoke boards look a lot less appealing. But with an event this big, the spread of suspects is sure to be impressive. Could Orson’s killer be a jilted ex-lover? A money hungry relative? A bitter former business partner? When even Sophie is not above suspicion, she knows it’s time to get on board and scrape together an investigation of her own . . . before murder becomes the town’s next trend.
Includes delicious recipes, fabulous decorating tips, and easy entertaining hacks!
Dear Sophie, My seventy-five-year-old father is getting married! The bride and groom have been married before to other people and have adult children and grandchildren. They’re planning a huge wedding and the bride will wear white. I think this is in poor taste and they should quietly tie the knot at the courthouse in a civil ceremony by themselves. What do you think? Tied in Knots in Loveland, Ohio Dear Tied in Knots, A wedding is one of life’s biggest and most lovely events. If the bride and groom want a big wedding with all the traditions that accompany nuptials, I think they should do it and celebrate in any way that makes them happy. There are no age limits on joy. Sophie On Sunday evening, when other people were settling in and getting ready to start a new workweek, I walked my mixed breed hound, Daisy, to relax after finishing up a busy week. An unpleasant waft of smoke reached me. Most likely from a fire pit in someone’s backyard, I supposed. As an event planner, I often worked when others didn’t. I had just finished a major convention for the Federation of Pharmacists. They had been lovely to work with and their exhibits had been fascinating. It had been a major convention and I was ready for some downtime. The sun had set in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, but the temperature was perfect for sleeveless attire. The balmy air made me feel summery and carefree. Porch lights and front door lights gleamed on Federal style homes, many of which had been built in the 1800s. Now and then I caught a glimpse of lights strung over a backyard and the sound of laughter. We had no destination in mind. Mostly, I needed to stretch and relax, and Daisy needed to get outside and sniff the world. We ambled along until I saw a blaze. In the seconds that it took me to realize that it arose inside a car, it quadrupled in size. I reached for my phone and called 911. “A car is on fire!” I gave the operator the name of the street and the closest cross street. “Hurry! The flames have moved from the front seat to the back.” I felt completely helpless. There wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Although we were a good distance away, Daisy leaned against my legs as if it scared her, too. Sirens sounded louder than normal in the quiet night. They passed us and clanged to a stop. In minutes, firefighters had the fire under control. One of the firemen recognized me and strode over. “I hear you called in the fire?” “Yes. It was small and then whoosh, it grew so fast!” He nodded. “Yeah, car fires will do that. Did you see anyone get out of the car?” “No!” His question worried me. “I hope there wasn’t anyone inside.” “We don’t think so. We’ll open the trunk and have a look as soon as it cools off.” I shuddered to even imagine that possibility. I thanked him for responding so quickly and said good night.
- Book Excerpt
What I Thought:
This is the 17th book in the Domestic Diva series. While I have not read all of the Domestic Diva's series (I plan to though), they never seem to lose any of their spark. Krista's writing style is amazing and my attention was kept from the start of the book, till the very end. I enjoy visiting with Sophie and all of her quirky friends in Old Towne Alexandria. In this one, Natasha's mother, Wanda is getting married in a hurry and Natasha is frantic to find a location for the wedding and throw an elaborate engagement party. Sophie helps Natasha and they hire Stella, the grooms daughter, to make charcuterie and other boards for the party. When Orson drops dead at the party everyone is stunned. Everyone is even more stunned when Orson leaves his Antique Store to Sophie. When Sophie goes to store and starts exploring she understands why Orson left the store to her. There are several mysteries for Sophie to solve.
This story was very entertaining as there was more going on than just who killed Orson. Sophie and her friends have to uncover some dark secrets that Orson had, plus figure out who killed him and why. There were several suspects to choose from and there were many twists and turns, I thought I had the killer figured out but I would always be wrong. The lead up to the reveals in this story were great, it was well written and the plot was believable. When I first started reading this book, I had no idea where it was going to lead and was totally surprised by some of the reveals, not just the murderer. As I said, I have not read all of the Domestic Diva books but it is on my bucket list to read them all. I hope Krista keeps churning them out because this is an awesome series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
About Krista Davis
New York Times Bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mysteries, the Paws & Claws Mysteries, and The Pen & Ink Mysteries. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two dogs, two cats, and a hidden stash of chocolate. When she’s not writing, she loves to entertain her family and friends who complain when she tests her recipes on them. But she notices that they keep coming back for more.
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