Public Anchovy #1 (Deep Dish Mystery 3), by Mindy Quigley

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄

It's been a couple of years since I read Six Feet Deep Dish (Deep Dish Mystery 1), by Mindy Quigley. I really enjoyed it and had always intended on continuing the series. I recently listened to the second one, Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust, and not long after that, I read the third one, Public Anchovy #1. I'm so glad I've continued the series. Public Anchovy #1 is not only my favorite installment in the series so far; it's one of my favorite cozies I've ever read since I got hooked on the genre five years ago.

Delilah O'Leary runs a gourmet deep dish pizzeria in the fictional town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. In this third installment, Delilah and her staff are hired to cater a Prohibition-themed fundraiser at the host's mansion. Everyone is on site, including Delilah's cat, Butterball, and ready for a festive evening until a dead body is found. At first it looks like Butterball is the culprit, but it isn't long before it's clear that the victim was murdered by one of the humans who was at the party. 

Due to a severe storm, some guests manage to leave the mansion, but several are trapped overnight. Road conditions are unsafe and the authorities are unable to make it there anytime soon, except for Detective Calvin Capone who was already there for the fundraiser. Capone, Delilah, her entire staff, and several guests are forced to wait out the storm in the mansion with the dead body on the premises, knowing that a killer could be among them. Can they leave in time before the killer strikes again?

One thing I do not often mention in my reviews is setting, but it's worth noting in this installment. The setting felt like a character itself. The details of the mansion are described so vividly I could imagine myself being there. I am not a fan of thunderstorms in real life, but I loved how it was a major factor in this book. The mansion combined with the storm at night felt haunting, but in the cozy realm. I am a huge fan of when weather factors into cozies and this was certainly the case here. It played out perfectly.

I loved revisiting all of the main characters who attended the fundraiser. There is a touch of romance, which was just enough for my liking. I enjoyed how one relationship specifically progressed and I'm excited to see what happens next in future installments. There was one main character from previous installments who was not in attendance, but she was still mentioned in this one. The closed setting in the mansion also gave us the opportunity to get to know the suspects and their possible motives. I really enjoyed the cat, Butterball, in this installment as well. He felt like one of the main characters who played an important role. Butterball also provided us with some comic relief at just the right times.

The book takes place primarily over one night, which I loved. Most of the cozies I have read take place over about one week, which is also fine. But I thought the shorter period of time in this one really worked. The entire story moved along at a comfortable pace.

The mystery is well-plotted and solid. There are enough suspects, twists, and turns that kept me guessing until the big reveal, which was epic. There were several times when I thought I knew who the culprit was, only to change my mind because of something else that came up.

Despite the circumstances of the mystery, the author still managed to bring food into the story. I loved reading all the foodie talk, which made me crave pizza so badly that I had to have some while reading the book. At the end of the book there are several unique recipes, including some that contribute to a "free from" pizza. The "free from" pizza is gluten free, dairy free, and nightshade free.

This is a cozy that will stick with me for a long time. I rarely re-read books because my TBR list is so long, but this is one that I can see myself revisiting in the future. I'd love to read it again to see if I can pick up on clues that I didn't notice before. I'd also love to experience the setting again. It was all so masterfully done.

In the meantime, I will certainly be continuing the series. I love knowing there are other books in the series that have already been published. I look forward to reading them! You can certainly dive into the series beginning with Public Anchovy #1 since it is a self-contained mystery, but if you want to follow the characters from the beginning, start with Six Feet Deep Dish and read them in order.