A Dash of Death
It was supposed to be Samantha Warren’s wedding day—until her fiance dumped her three weeks ago, leaving Texas for a high-powered job in New York City. And that’s not the only thing that’s gone wrong in Samantha’s life: she also recently lost her job as a newspaper reporter.
But she won’t be moping at home on her would-be wedding night. Instead, due to her friends Beth and Marisa, she’ll be spending the evening serving cocktails at the HIghland’s Historic Home Tour, a premier fundraising and social event in Houston. Samantha’s hobby is creating specially-crafted bitters to add unique flavors to mixed drinks, and this is a great opportunity to introduce her craft bitters to some well-heeled potential customers at the gala.
The event is well-attended and Samantha’s cocktails are in high demand. But it all goes bad when one of the guests keels over and ends up dead, poisoned. And Samantha is at the top of the suspect list, because she prepared the drink he’d just consumed.
The police haven’t arrested her yet, but they clearly think she’s the guilty party; they don’t seem to be looking hard for other suspects. Samantha hasn’t been an investigative journalist for nothing, though. Desperately needing evidence to steer the police in a different direction, she takes matters into her own hands., digging into the victim’s life and that of his friends and colleagues to figure out who had motive and opportunity to kill the man.
As her investigations progress and it seems she’s getting somewhere, Samantha herself becomes a threat to the killer. Suddenly she is in danger, and she has to use all her ingenuity and skill to keep from becoming a victim herself. This is a fast-paced read, entertaining and exciting to the “bitter” end.
This is Michelle Klump’s debut novel, but the second in the series is already in the works, to be released in 2023. The series is a twist on the “culinary mystery” genre: the focus is not on food but on the special skills involved in creating bitters and unique cocktails. And Samantha, with her background as an investigative reporter, is a wonderful lead character.
Klump has taken to heart the advice to “write what you know.” She began her writing career as a newspaper reporter, traveling the back roads of central Texas and Arkansas, reporting on everything from natural disasters to crime and corruption. She’s also a knowledgeable mixologist (her webpage includes a lovely download with cocktail recipes). She has drawn on these experiences to create this series about a former reporter turned craft cocktail caterer.
She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and young daughter. When she’s not writing or working her day job, she enjoys gardening, reading, exploring Houston’s neighborhoods, hiking and biking, and creating craft cocktails for friends and family.