The Diva Spices It Up
Sophie never considered ghostwriting as a side gig, until former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru, Tilly Stratford, trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needs someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agrees, hoping she’ll earn enough bread on this assignment to finish her bathroom renovations. But as it turns out, Sophie isn’t the first foodie to get a taste for recipe ghostwriting, and if the marginalia is any indication, this project could be a killer.
Wesley claims professional ghostwriter, Abby Bergeron, suddenly abandoned Tilly’s cookbook with no warning. But Sophie quickly discovers that Abby may be more a ghost than a writer now . . . and her disappearance was no accident. So Sophie cracks open a fresh investigation, but sifting the seasoned murderer from this sampling of salty suspects won’t be easy. Will Sophie savor another case closed, or will the culprit simply melt away?
Series: A Domestic Diva Mystery – Book #13
Author: Krista Davis
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Event Planning
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 320
Rating: 
The latest addition to the “A Domestic Diva Mystery” series, The Diva Spices It Up, from Krista Davis, is available tomorrow. Published by Kensington Books. This latest book is a wonderful fast read that leaves readers’ heads spinning.
Sophie has investigated a lot of murders but nothing like this! She is taking a break from her event planning business, taking on a side gig as a ghostwriter for a celebrity who needs to finish writing her cookbook after the original ghostwriter suddenly quit. This was odd enough, but when the former ghostwriter turns up missing and presumed dead, Sophie’s odd job turns into a legitimate mystery that takes everything she has and everything she can find to solve.
Event planning can be a pain under the best of circumstances, but ghostwriting can be murder. Sophie has missing people, murder, and espionage, in short, a disaster. As usual, Sophie is up to the challenge, but even she has a hard time figuring out what happened, to whom, or why. The other characters in this book, such as Sophie’s ex, her neighbors, and friends try their best to help, and in some cases, hinder her investigation. Still, they all add intrigue, excitement, and information that ultimately allows her to find a killer and clear up a mystery, or two, or three.
This new edition in the series is filled with twists, turns, and red herrings. Sophie’s event planning business does not play a part in this story. The location of Old Town is still exciting and filled with history, culture, and eccentric personalities. Multiple subplots add enjoyment and interest to the story and give readers a better look at Sophie’s world. Krista Davis is a flawless writer and can craft an immensely enjoyable tale using almost any plotline. It can be challenging to keep a long-running series fresh, but the author achieves it with ease in The Diva Spices It Up. I am happy to recommend this new book in the series to readers and lovers of cozy mysteries.
Readers may also enjoy other cozy books such as Dorothy St. James’ delicious series “A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery” or Maria Derico/Ellen Byron’s new event planning series “A Catering Hall Mystery”.
About the Author:
Krista Davis is a New York Times bestselling mystery author. She writes three mystery series. Krista lived in Northern Virginia for many years and for a time in Old Town, Alexandria. Today she lives with an assortment of dogs and cats in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Like her Domestic Diva protagonist, Sophie Winston, Krista loves to entertain friends and family, but would just as soon leave the cleaning to someone else. In the unlikely event that Krista ever wins the lottery, you will find her in the middle of a giant pile of rescued dogs and cats.
Represented by: Jessica Faust at Bookends LLC
Contact Krista: http://krista@kristadavis.com
Find Krista on Social Media
Contact The Cozy Review
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