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Mindy Quigley's new Deep Dish Mystery series gets off to a rocky start when readers meet her unappealing protagonist, Delilah O'Leary, a demanding and critical perfectionist about to open her "gourmet deep-dish pizzeria" financed by her wealthy fiancé and business partner Sam. Delilah loses her temper with Sam over his mishandling of the shop's new sign installation, and he calls off the engagement and leaves town.
On the evening of Sam and Delilah's Deep Dish Pizza's soft opening, events run smoothly until Delilah finds the body of her Aunt Biz's caregiver, Jeremy, and her aunt holding a gun, standing over his body. As Detective Calvin Capone interviews Aunt Biz, she shares that Jeremy is a poor caregiver whom she does not trust. Aunt Biz admits the gun is hers but claims she did not shoot Jeremy.
Now Delilah must manage the opening of her new restaurant and find out who killed Jeremy as her aunt becomes the primary suspect. However, since the restaurant is now a crime scene, the opening must wait, so Delilah launches her investigation. As she looks at the suspects, Delilah enlists the help of Sonya, the chef; Daniel, the bartender; Melody, the hostess; and a recent hire, Rabbit, the dishwasher. Then, Delilah rushes Aunt Biz to the hospital, where doctors find she suffers from opiate withdrawal. Det. Capone and Delilah determine Jeremy had been drugging her aunt, perhaps stealing from her, giving someone a motive for killing the caregiver.
Mindy Quigley softens her initial characterization of Delilah, transforming her protagonist into a more likable character. The author also creates an amusing character named Butterball, an overweight and spoiled tabby cat who becomes the object of custody discussions between Delilah and Sam. SIX FEET DEEP DISH is a solid introduction to a new cozy mystery series.
§ Ruth Castleberry has worked as an investigator for Pinkerton's, a city desk assistant on the Charlotte News, free-lance writer, marketing/business strategy consultant, competitive intelligence practitioner and digital marketing consultant.
Reviewed by Ruth Castleberry, July 2022
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