Dollycas's Thoughts
We arrive in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin just in time for the holidays. The nation's premier snow sculpting championship is set to begin soon and the town will become a winter wonderland of ice and snow sculptures. Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary caters a Chrismukkah event for Daffi and Adrian Hoffman the evening before and is surprised to see her niece and brother-in-law in attendance without her sister. The surprises don't end with the party, the next day one of the sculptors makes a terrifying discovery.
It appears murder is on the menu and Delilah's crew and family will be getting more than a slice of attention. Can Delilah and her feline friend Butterball put the clues together to serve up the real killer before anyone else gets iced?
______
Ms. Quigley has created a sensational set of core characters for this series. I related to Aunt Biz and her longing for a family holiday. It is hard to get everyone together these days. At first Delilah's sister, Shea was not coming for Christmas but circumstances in the story brought her and her family to town. While they were all together at times you could cut the tension with a knife. Delilah feels so true to life. The woman has a huge heart. As this series continues, the supporting characters become more fleshed out too. It is easy to get invested in their lives.
The way the murder takes place and the aftermath was really freaky. Capone wants Delilah to stay out of the investigation. He wants to protect her, but she looks out for all her friends and family no matter what. The murder is linked to the Chrismukkah party and there is no shortage of suspects, including some dear to Delilah. Connections and interactions pared them down but people she cares about are still being questioned. As clues started to come together and motives and misdeeds were revealed epic twists had me reeling. The reveal had me gobsmacked and a little heartbroken.
While some heavy topics were themes in the mystery, Ms. Quigley adds a perfect amount of humor. She also mentions Wisconsin traditions and happenings that always make this Wisconsin girl smile. Delilah mentions a previous Christmas when she flopped on the couch to "watch the Bears get clobbered by the Packers". Yes, a very enjoyable part of every Packer football season. They are two of the oldest teams in the NFL and have been rivals since 1921. Also, a Wisconsin winter is not for the faint at heart. There can be snow and frigid temps that need to be taken seriously especially when trying to solve a murder.
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza was wonderfully plotted and written. Delilah, her friends, and her family had a heck of a holiday season. I loved tagging along for every minute of it.
We arrive in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin just in time for the holidays. The nation's premier snow sculpting championship is set to begin soon and the town will become a winter wonderland of ice and snow sculptures. Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary caters a Chrismukkah event for Daffi and Adrian Hoffman the evening before and is surprised to see her niece and brother-in-law in attendance without her sister. The surprises don't end with the party, the next day one of the sculptors makes a terrifying discovery.
It appears murder is on the menu and Delilah's crew and family will be getting more than a slice of attention. Can Delilah and her feline friend Butterball put the clues together to serve up the real killer before anyone else gets iced?
______
Ms. Quigley has created a sensational set of core characters for this series. I related to Aunt Biz and her longing for a family holiday. It is hard to get everyone together these days. At first Delilah's sister, Shea was not coming for Christmas but circumstances in the story brought her and her family to town. While they were all together at times you could cut the tension with a knife. Delilah feels so true to life. The woman has a huge heart. As this series continues, the supporting characters become more fleshed out too. It is easy to get invested in their lives.
The way the murder takes place and the aftermath was really freaky. Capone wants Delilah to stay out of the investigation. He wants to protect her, but she looks out for all her friends and family no matter what. The murder is linked to the Chrismukkah party and there is no shortage of suspects, including some dear to Delilah. Connections and interactions pared them down but people she cares about are still being questioned. As clues started to come together and motives and misdeeds were revealed epic twists had me reeling. The reveal had me gobsmacked and a little heartbroken.
While some heavy topics were themes in the mystery, Ms. Quigley adds a perfect amount of humor. She also mentions Wisconsin traditions and happenings that always make this Wisconsin girl smile. Delilah mentions a previous Christmas when she flopped on the couch to "watch the Bears get clobbered by the Packers". Yes, a very enjoyable part of every Packer football season. They are two of the oldest teams in the NFL and have been rivals since 1921. Also, a Wisconsin winter is not for the faint at heart. There can be snow and frigid temps that need to be taken seriously especially when trying to solve a murder.
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza was wonderfully plotted and written. Delilah, her friends, and her family had a heck of a holiday season. I loved tagging along for every minute of it.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fourth installment in the Deep Dish Mysteries series set in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and featuring pizza restaurant owner Delilah O'Leary. Delilah runs the deep dish pizzeria with her best friend Sonya Perlman-Dokter, her great aunt, Elizabeth "Biz" O'Leary and employees Melody Schacht, Rabbit, Daniel and Jarka.
The crew is catering an upscale Chrismukkah party for Daffi and Adrian Hoffman that seems to be going well until Rabbit disappears while he was supposed to be taking equipment back to the van. Delilah goes looking for him and following footsteps through the snow she ends up back inside the home and on the second floor. She encounters an eavesdropping, plate throwing young girl, a mysterious woman and her brother in law, Jonathan.
Delilah can't understand why Jonathan along with her niece Piper are at the party, especially since her sister Shea had turned down Aunt Biz's invitation to spend the holidays in Geneva Bay. It seems that Piper goes to college with the plate throwing girl (Hadley Hoffman) and Jonathan came with her.
The next day as the town gathers for the start of the annual snow sculpture festival, a dead body is found in one of the snow mounds. The body is that of the mysterious woman from the night before, Natasha La Cotti. Seems that quite a few people had history with Natasha, including Jonathan and Daniel's mother.
Detective Calvin Capone, Delilah's boyfriend begins his investigation and warns her to stay away, but when Jonathan becomes a suspect she knows she needs to find the real killer. Shea arrives in town to be with her husband and she's far from in the holiday spirit and tensions are boiling over.
Delilah uncovers both a college admissions scam and a corrupt businessman with repercussions that rock her family and her employees.
A great addition to the series with a returning cast of characters, the introduction of Delilah's sister, and of course the loveable furry feline, Butterball. Oh, and some mouthwatering recipes too. I look forward to more adventures and more pizza!
The crew is catering an upscale Chrismukkah party for Daffi and Adrian Hoffman that seems to be going well until Rabbit disappears while he was supposed to be taking equipment back to the van. Delilah goes looking for him and following footsteps through the snow she ends up back inside the home and on the second floor. She encounters an eavesdropping, plate throwing young girl, a mysterious woman and her brother in law, Jonathan.
Delilah can't understand why Jonathan along with her niece Piper are at the party, especially since her sister Shea had turned down Aunt Biz's invitation to spend the holidays in Geneva Bay. It seems that Piper goes to college with the plate throwing girl (Hadley Hoffman) and Jonathan came with her.
The next day as the town gathers for the start of the annual snow sculpture festival, a dead body is found in one of the snow mounds. The body is that of the mysterious woman from the night before, Natasha La Cotti. Seems that quite a few people had history with Natasha, including Jonathan and Daniel's mother.
Detective Calvin Capone, Delilah's boyfriend begins his investigation and warns her to stay away, but when Jonathan becomes a suspect she knows she needs to find the real killer. Shea arrives in town to be with her husband and she's far from in the holiday spirit and tensions are boiling over.
Delilah uncovers both a college admissions scam and a corrupt businessman with repercussions that rock her family and her employees.
A great addition to the series with a returning cast of characters, the introduction of Delilah's sister, and of course the loveable furry feline, Butterball. Oh, and some mouthwatering recipes too. I look forward to more adventures and more pizza!
