Rest in Pizza by Chris Cavender

In Rest in Pizza, Eleanor runs The Slice of Delight, a pizzeria, with her sister Maddy. Not far away, there's a book store opening and TV host and famous chef, Antonio Benet has agreed to do a book signing and cooking demonstration for the grand opening. The owner has enlisted help from both Eleanor and Maddy. Things don't work out as planned, though, and Chef Antonio is found at the pizzeria with a knife in his back. Suspects abound as everyone from his assistants to Eleanor and her sister come under suspicion.

I enjoyed this book. I love both pizza and books so the settings were ideal for me. The story charming, light, humorous and easy to read. It's as much about their personal lives as it is about the murder and solving it. I liked reading about the inner workings of a the restaurant and kitchen as the two prepared the pizzas and served the patrons.

I liked both Eleanor and Maddy. Both were hard working and quick on their feet. Running a restaurant is hard work, so I was surprised they had so much time to investigate the murder and do all of the other things mentioned. I'd be really tired after doing all they accomplished.

Rest in Pizza is the 4th book in the Pizza Mystery series, but the first one I've read. In this case, I wish I had read the others because I felt like I was missing a lot of stuff because I hadn't read them. For example, the character of Art Young, a friend of Eleanor's. He drifts in and out of the story without having much, if anything, to do with the plot. I think there were a few other instances where some background information would have helped me. While it's nice for regular readers of this series to have some continuing characters and storylines, it's not that welcoming for new comers. I felt left out.

A couple of things about the story itself left me confused. First of all, I read that the pizzeria "closed for lunch". Huh? I thought they meant that they closed at lunch time. That wouldn't be too advantageous for a restaurant owner now, would it? However, as I read further, quite a bit further actually, I realized that they closed in the late afternoon so that the employees could have lunch before reopening for the evening. I wish that would have been clearer from the beginning. Another thing that left me scratching my head was the logistics involved in the book signing and cooking demonstration. I couldn't figure out who was supposed to be where and at what time. Maybe I just read it too fast, but it seemed confusing to me. I'm glad the characters had it all figured out.

The book left some loose ends (not dealing with the murder) dangling at the end of the book. That's not unusual with books in a series. Perhaps these will be wrapped up or dealt with in the next book.

The author included two recipes for dessert pizza. Both look yummy, but use store-bought cookie dough for the crust. I wish he'd included a recipe for a homemade crust for at least one of them. I also wish that he included a recipe for a savoury pizza.

Recommended for fans of this series. Cozy lovers might also enjoy it, but I'd recommend reading the others in the series first.

Chris Cavender is the pseudonym for an Agatha Award Nominated Author, Tim Myers.

For more information about this book or to read the first chapter, please visit the Kensington Books website.

Thanks to those nice people from Kensington Books for this review copy.

Rest in Pizza by Chris Cavender, Kensington Books, ©2012. ISBN 9780758271501(Uncorrected Proof), 248p. Includes recipes.