I've read only one previous Kincaid and James novel, but I had no trouble following the huge cast of new and series characters in this book. The setting - the country estate of a wealthy couple in a small town - and the connection with fine dining were quite interesting. I would have given it five stars for smooth plotting except that I correctly guessed the murderer and another key secret about the characters just halfway through. Not enough red herrings!
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Another excellent entry in this series, I read the book straight through. I like the family that Crombie has created, and I always like the mysteries as well. Didn't guess the murderer this time around. I will say that Kincaid's concussion symptoms made me a tad impatient - Crombie did a good job making me worried that something dire was going to crop up. And I am bored with Melody and Andy. Other than that, good sense of place, great food descriptions, characters I cared about - even the dead guy was a little sympathetic by the end. And Kit! Who wouldn't want this paragon of a 15-year-old? Without kids of my own I have no idea if he's believable or not (certainly I was not that nice) but he's a good one.