To help her best friend Annie Capshaw recover from her recent divorce (her husband ran off with the dry cleaner) Eve DeCateur signs them up for a ten day cooking class. Annie is skeptical, she can't heat water without burning it, but when she gets a look at hunky cooking instructor Jim MacDonald, she decides to stick around, even though she is convinced he only has eyes for the beautiful Eve. On the first night of classes, Annie and Eve see a classmate arguing with a man and threatening to kill him and later that night they stumble across the dying man. Initially they think he had a heart attack, but when they find out he was poisoned, they suspect their classmate Beyla, who denies knowing the man. Eve and Annie try to convince Tyler Cooper, a policeman who just happens to be Eve's ex-fiancé, that Beyla is the murderer, but he thinks Eve is trying to mess up his case and doesn't believe them, so they decide to investigate the murder themselves. They have plenty to investigate besides the murder: why did Beyla's classmate John lie about being with her the night of the murder? What was Monsieur Lavoie tossing into the dumpster? Why did Beyla's stove blow up during class and who left the note saying "you are next"? Who is the mysterious Alba Stru? What's in the computer disc Beyla is searching for? Will Annie ever learn to cook?

"Cooking Up Murder" by Miranda Bliss is the delightful first entry in what looks like it will be a fun cozy mystery series. Annie is a well-written heroine - insecure about herself after her husband left her and insecure about her looks compared to Eve - she is stuck in a rut. Eve is also well written. Although she easily could have been an unlikable caricature - blonde, beautiful with a surgically enhanced figure who has been engaged six times - but Bliss makes her a likable, sympathetic character who is deeper than she initially appears. I could picture Jim as I was reading the book - I'd take a cooking class too if all the instructors were that yummy! There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book and Bliss has a nice way with words that is evident in sentences such as "I chewed over the thought and I have to admit, I didn't like the way it tasted." Much of the humor comes from Annie and Eve who will remind readers of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz as they blunder into situations. They are far too trusting and tell strangers far too much information, which is part of the fun since they really are complete amateurs. The mystery itself is well plotted and even though there aren't many suspects, there are a couple of unexpected twists at the end of the book that made the mystery even better. Like many other culinary mysteries, there are recipes at the end of the book - make sure you read the last one!

"Cooking up Murder" is a nice cozy mystery. ( )

This was a fun read!! I really liked the idea of a cooking class with two very hilarious funny ladies featured. Naturally, the reader knows where this is going, especially when you find out what kind of a sidekick Eve is.

Annie is a fun to read character, she’s come out of a divorce and she’s a disastrous cook. She has her own kind of natural charm, and I like how she is the opposite of what Eve is (sexy, a little on the airhead side, filled with plastic surgeries and possibly lipos). However Eve’s got her charm too - even though I found her at times a little too annoying and airheaded. It does provide for a lot of the comedy though, although I think her stupidity sometimes rubs off on Annie too.

The suspect list for this one wasn’t so large, which isn’t so bad. You aren’t really kept guessing as to who the culprit is. The case itself was not the best, and not the most exciting, but I think how Eve and Annie investigate really makes up for this as they’re always bound for disaster and it’s quite entertaining to read. The ending for this case wasn’t the best I’ve read. But nevertheless I thought it was all right. I do feel happy for Annie at the end, though.

The recipes in the back are worth a try, and they do look really good (have not tried it myself). However I’m willing to go for the next book only to be entertained with their antics and to see which disaster they’ll meet up with next! Fans of cozy mysteries will like this one, it’s a light right and easy to breeze through. ( )

A cozy mystery, with enough tension and chicklit humor to entertain myself.

Annie and Eve are cooking together, Eve's way to brighten up Annie after a broken marriage. On the first night they see fellow student Beyla arguing with Drago, a little later they find him dying in the parking lot ... Eve's ex-boyfriend Tyler (police officer) is in charge of the research. Eve wants to show him that she isn't stupid and convinces Annie that they will solve this crime together.

Of course nothing is as it seems and there's a lot being misinterpreted, but ultimately the truth shows. A story in the fixed pattern of a cozy mystery, with some of the course recipes at the end (which weren't really attractive). An easy fun read, no more, no less. Exactly what I expected beforehand

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2011/05/cooking-up-murder.html ( )

Cooking Up Murder is Miranda Bliss' debut novel and the first in A Cooking Class Mystery series.

Annie still hasn't completely gotten over he ex-husband, who left her for the dry cleaner, and she's put love on the back burner. In an effort to get Annie out of the house and back into society, Eve enrolls the both of them in a cooking class. Annie doesn't want to go because she can't even boil water without catastrophic events occurring.

On the first night of class, Annie and Eve see a fellow student arguing with a man who later turns up dead. The girls decide they can solve the murder more efficiently than the police and begin their own investigation.

Ms. Bliss has created a humorous story with delightful characters. I found myself with a smile on my face as I watched Annie and Eve in their attempts to play detectives. I enjoyed the story and felt that the mystery was well-rounded and character development complete. I'm looking forward to future installments of this series.

http://www.romancing-the-book.com/2008/01/jens-review-cooking-up-murder-by.html ( )

This was a cute and fun book. Definitely not deep but since I'm about to tackle Anne Bronte's book, I needed something light. This book is the first in a series. You're introduced to Annie and Eve - two lifelong friends that are polar opposites. Annie (the main character, at least in this book) is recently divorced and dealing with low self esteem. Eve is a glamourous beauty, full of confidence, can't commit to one man and just a bit dingy. Eve decides to cheer Anne up by signing her up for cooking classes and after their first lesson, upon leaving, they stumbly upon a dying man in the parking lot. At first what appears to be a heart attack turns into murder. These 2 friends decide to have some fun in their lives and begin to investigate since they already feel that one of their classmates is guilty. Their inexperience gets them into hot water a few times. Annie is someone most women can relate to and so find her musings funny. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the others in the series. ( )