Here’s the blurb
The competition is fierce…. Desperate to try and rebuild the reputation of Hopgood Hall, owners Alexi Ellis and Cheryl and Drew Hopgood agree to host a realty TV baking show, spearheaded by their arrogant but enigmatic head chef Marcel Gasquet. Hopefully the ratings will bring in bookings to the struggling hotel and Cosmo, Alexi’s antisocial feral cat, is hoping to get a starring role too!
The temperature is high… Fiery and hot-headed, Marcel’s antics makes for brilliant television, but off-screen trouble is brewing. One of the contestants, femme fatale Juliette Hammond, makes it clear that she will do anything to secure the winning prize – even if it means sweetening up the prima donna chef. The results are deadly!
So when Juliette is found dead, all eyes turn to Marcel. Has his fiery French temper got the better of him or has someone else fallen victim to Juliette’s devious ways? With the reputation of the hotel in tatters and Marcel’s liberty on the line, Alexi needs answers and fast. And the only person she can turn to for help is her old friend and private eye Jack Maddox. Jack’s working his own case, but he can’t refuse Alexi and he knows more than anyone that this murder could cost them everything!
Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Frances Evesham and Emma Davies.
My review
A Contest to Kill For is Book 2 in the Hopgood Hotel mysteries. I have read book 1 and think it helps to have read it when heading into book 2, not for the main part of the mystery, but when the mystery becomes tighter and more twisty.
Alexi and Jack, our ‘will they, won’t they’ couple, find themselves flung back together when one of the stars of the cookery competition is found dead in her bedroom. With everyone being recorded almost 24/7, how could someone have been murdered and it not been witnessed by these cameras?
As events escalate, Marcel, the grumpy chef, becomes the prime suspect while the TV company distances itself from the allegations. Over to Alexi and Jack to clear his name, if they can.
As with Book 1, this is a twisty mystery, and nothing is quite as it seems as it nears its conclusion. This is an engaging read, and once again, I failed to guess the culprit, which is always a sign of a good story.
Check out my review for book 1.
Meet the author
Evie Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and is now redirecting her talents to produce dark gritty thrillers for Boldwood. For the past twenty years she has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.
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M J Porter 