The Big Chili (Undercover Dish Mystery #1) by Julia Buckley

The Big Chili (Undercover Dish Mystery #1) Reviews

• 
  Evie

  
  
  
  I haven't read a cozy mystery in ages, but it was just the thing to get me out of my annual reading slump. I loved that Lilah, the main character, is an undercover caterer. She provides tasty treats for people who pass them off as their own. Genius! I can't wait to read the next book in the series. This chili turned out wonderful thanks to the nifty recipe included at the end of the book.
• 
  Wanda Pedersen

  I really enjoyed Julia Buckley's Writers Apprentice Mystery series which inspired me to branch out to this first book of another series. I really liked this one, too. Ms. Buckley writes a nice cozy mystery. You, like me, may have noticed that many cozy protagonists meddle far more in investigative matters than is strictly realistic. Often I think they could be charged with impeding the investigation. Buckley doesn't go there. Her heroines use their brains to analyze the publicly available information. They may ask a few questions, but it's always a discussion with a friend or friendly acquaintance, never grilling a stranger.
  
  Buckley also writes a very realistic small community. She understands the relationships, the eccentric characters, the generations long prejudices that can affect small towns. It's difficult to keep your life private in such a place. (When one of my sisters returned to our home town for a while, she drove 19 miles to the next town to go to the liquor store so no one would be counting how many bottles of wine she bought). Buckley centres this story around the even smaller circle of the church parish. Those are even more gossipy, if that's possible, because of the tendency to be morally judgey in religious contexts.
  
  Only in a small community could you be an undercover cook, as Lilah is. A remarkable number of clients can't cook, but want the reputation of providing tasty, enjoyable food. Once again, a small community, and especially a religious community, will put more emphasis on traditional female tasks. You are judged by things like your housekeeping, the state of your yard, and the quality of your food offerings at public events. Not to mention your volunteer life.
  
  If you can't tell, I really enjoy Buckley's books. The next book in this series is set at Christmas time, so I think I will schedule it for this upcoming December.
  
• 
  Lisa Ks Book Reviews

  I have just found one of my favorite new series of 2015!
  
  Author Julia Buckley is a new voice in the cozy mystery world. Like most readers who read series books, I get both excited and a little unsure when the first in a new series comes out. Especially when it’s by an author I’m not familiar with. Well, by the time I was on page three of THE BIG CHILI, I was really enjoying it and by the end of chapter one, I was hooked! This was another read in one sitting book for me.
  
  This delectable debut novel has everything I love in a cozy mystery. Superb writing, a cast of great, quirky characters, and a sweet small town setting. This story also has a wonderful dog in it that was the icing on the cake for me. Or should I say the cheese on the chili? ;-)
  
  Ms. Buckley’s theme of undercover dishes is original and enjoyable to read. A perfect cozy for autumn reading, snuggled in a favorite chair with a cup of tea. There are a lot of fun moments in this story. I loved sneaking around town with main character Lilah Drake and her chocolate Lab, Mick, delivering covered dishes to clandestine locations, to the cooking impaired. The fun took nothing away from the mystery, which was compelling and well done. Just the right amount of twists to keep the reader guessing the whole way through until all is revealed.
  
  Mystery fans, you have got to read THE BIG CHILI. You won’t be disappointed. Like me, you’ll be anxiously waiting for the author to cook up another story that we can dive into and gobble up.
  
  Speaking of gobbling up, check the back of the book for some delicious sounding recipes!
• 
  Melodie

  Not bad. Not great, but worth a read. Some decent sounding recipes and pretty good characters. Have the 2nd, so will give it a shot.
• 
  Meg

  I enjoyed this one; it was a quick, easy read with a likable MC, an awesome dog, and a supportive family with whom the MC has a great relationship. Loved Lilah's tendency to have music and songs floating through her head. And her clandestine cooking business, wow. Can I had one of those in my town? I am a rather poor cook and this would be perfect! There were some random things that pulled me out of the story, but not very many, thank goodness. The main irritant was when the MC didn't know about a major foreign attraction and yet she had immersed herself in that country's culture in school. I was happy to see no signs of a love triangle, though I'm withholding judgement on the potential relationship. Looking forward to the second one.
• 
  Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews)

  Reviewed by Kim
  
  Twenty-seven-year-old Lilah Drake is unlucky in love. Good thing she has a passion for cooking. Currently, she’s a receptionist for her parents’ real estate company. But Lilah has dreams to one day open her own catering company. In order to get her food and cooking skills some exposure, she has started her own underground secretive covered dish business. The idea of the business is to help the citizens of Pine Haven, Illinois who can’t cook pass off food made by her as their own.
  
  Things are going well until a chili dish she secretly prepared is used to poison and kill a member of St. Bartholomew Church. While Lilah wasn’t a fan of the dearly departed, she’s surprised to learn about some of the deceased’s past actions and just how difficult she truly was.
  
  Julia Buckley gives readers a wonderful story with The Big Chili. Though, I have to admit the beginning of the story was slow going. However, once the investigating and wondering whodunit it started, it got better. I lost myself to the story and learning more about Lilah and all the interesting characters in the story; from Mick the Chocolate Labrador to the sexy Detective Inspector Jacob Parker of the the Pine Haven PD to the happily single Grandy sisters.
  
  I will also admit to consistently questioning every character Lilah came across. When Lilah put all the pieces together, I was shocked. Even after that, things got more interesting and my shock at the turn of events went off the charts.
  
  Told in first person, The Big Chili is the first book in what promises to be a really good cozy mystery series from Julia. However, the romance lover in me is NOT happy. I’m looking forward to finding out what else is in store for Lilah and the Pine Haven.
  
  **Received a copy from Berkley in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.**
• 
  Linda Langford

  A scrumptious new culinary cozy series! Lilah Drake's dreamy male companion is her chocolate lab, Mick. (He had me at first nod, too!!). Li works for her parents in their real estate office; however, her on-the-side business--catering undercover--is her dream job. She makes extra money by cooking special dishes and delivering them secretly to clients who serve them as if they were the ones who slaved over a hot stove preparing them. On bingo night, the high and mighty hostess, Alice Dixon, drops dead after tasting Lilah's popular chili. Pet Grandy, Li's covered dish customer, initially takes the blame for the chili being bad; however, Alice's bowl is proved poisoned. The woman had an overbearing personality, but surely that wasn't reason enough for someone to kill her...or, was it?
  
  New Author, Julia Buckley, writes a very tasty tale, scattering handfuls of spicy clues here and yonder to confuse your sleuthing skills. I was totally caught by surprise at the killer reveal. Lilah is a strong heroine, and I love her sidekick, Mick! I look forward to book two of An Undercover Dish Mystery series. This one is a winner!!
• 
  Kirsti

  Right when I promised myself I'd read more of the books I'd bought but never read, I got particularly sick and in my lowest ebbing moments of flu decided to pick myself up by ordering a few books from my to-read list on Booktopia, a website I'd not used before. I was pleasantly surprised to find a package on my doorstep this afternoon once I'd finished work, and dove straight into this book immediately. I'm glad I did!
  
  A good cozy needs a theme, a fantastic, easy to relate to main character who is not in any way a detective, and a network of friends and family that they can draw on to solve the crime. Really good cozies add in sexy detective boyfriends, cute dogs or cats, and food. It was like this book had the recipe down to an art; there was just enough of everything to blend this into one of the best of the genre that I've read. Seriously, for an impulse pick me up kind of buy, I'm quite impressed with my taste!
  
  This series just has a heap of potential and it's only just getting started with book one. I can't wait to read more of this fantastic series! Five stars.
• 
  Betty

  The first book of the Undercover series. I enjoyed this author's work and I went back and bought the earlier books. Lilah Drake has a secret business. She provides casseroles for hostesses who take credit for the dishes. She worked for her parents in real estate. Her home is a small cottage behind a mansion. She has a Labrador dog named Mike. She recovering from a disastrous love affair. Lilah provides the chili for her church bingo night. The speaker who welcomes the crowd takes one bite of the chili and falls over dead. Lilah smells the chili and knows that something has been added to it. She alerts the homicide detective but doesn't tell him she cook the chili. Pet Brantley begs her to keep the secret. There are enough twists to the story that will keep you turning the pages. Delicious sounding recipes are included in the book. I highly recommend this book and series.
• 
  Heidi Prockish

  I devoured this book! Great author and great series. I am looking forward to reading more.
• 
  Jonathan

  Filled with an absolutely amazing premise, a cast of diverse characters, and an intricate murder mystery; this was a very well written first in a series book!
  
  The main character was absolutely a hoot! The fact that she always has a song in her head is a trait that I found absolutely hilarious. Lilah's business was also amazing, I would absolutely love to have a "undercover dish" business in my hometown and I know of quite a few people who'd use it.
  
  The mystery was wonderfully put together; I would've guessed a ton of people before guessing the actual killer. The town was also appropriately cozy-ish.
  
  My main problem with this book was the romance angle. The author builds it up for so long that you expect a huge something at the end, and you get that. But then the romance absolutely gets kicked under the rug. It was a huge letdown and I felt that it made many previous parts of the book unnecessary.
  
  I really liked this book and will be reading the next one when it comes in September! Recommend.
• 
  Doward Wilson

  Likeable characters, an interesting theme and a complex murder plot made this a fantastic reading adventure. Lilah Drake works at her parent's real estate office during the day to save money to start her own catering business. Evenings and weekends she prepares dishes for her secret client list. The clients are known for their signature dishes, even if they can't cook, don't have time or are no longer able to. Lilah and her clients keep their secrets until a woman at church is poisoned during bingo night by a dish that Lilah prepared. Lilah's client keeps their secret and Lilah starts investigating until she is threatened. This was a great debut and looks to be a must read series. The story moved smoothly along, keeping you turning the pages. Secrets, family history, jealously, infidelity and greed bring this story to the a totally surprising ending. I highly recommend that you try this series out!
• 
  Linda

  Really enjoyable first book in the series. I liked everything about it and the food sounded so good - I wish Lilah would cook for me! The mystery was good and I had no clue who did it. Yummy and easy sounding recipes in the back. #readforkimberly
• 
  Brooke Blogs

  I bought this cozy several years ago and it has been sitting on my shelf...it was selected this month for Cozy Escape Book Club, and I was excited to finally pick it up. I was not disappointed! This first-in-a-series cozy is well-written with characters you like right away. The town of Pine Haven is picture-perfect...except for the murder, that is.
  
  Lilah has found her niche in the catering world - providing delicious dishes prepared secretly so no one knows you didn't cook it yourself. That's all fine until someone dies eating one of these dishes...the author did a great job at concealing the murderer. I wasn't fully sure of who it was until close to the reveal. I am planning to read more in the series - I want to see how Lilah's career develops, as well as her relationship with Jay Parker.
  
  As a warning, there are a few curse words in this as well as some romance/kissing, more than in typical cozies.
  
  I'm sharing my honest review; not influenced in any way.
• 
  Emmalynn

  It was okay, Lilah had the makings of a good character, just needs more polishing. Jay Parker needs to pull the rock out of his %#^##%, and wake up from the 1940’s. Nick is such a good boy and the best character. The mystery wasn’t to bad, but Lilah’s frenetic search and speech at times is so off- putting. As a secret caterer I can understand wanting to keep her business going, however, concealing evidence from the police?? just no.
• 
  Shawn

  I enjoyed Lila, her dog, family and friends. I loved the idea of Undercover Cooking and her side business. Realtor by day, cook by night. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
• 
  Christine

  Lila secretly makes food for people who can't or don't want to cook, but don't want anyone to know. She has been making chili for Pet Grandy for a while. But when someone dies after eating the chili that Lila made, Lila knows something is wrong. This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be reading more. I loved Lila as a character. Her family was wonderful. I especially loved her brother and his girlfriend. The mystery was good. I didn't figure out the killer until the end. A wonderful start to a series.
• 
  Tina

  Lilah Drake has a passion for cooking and dreams of owning her own catering business. She always has a song in her head and a song in her heart. She is cooking her famous covered dishes on the "down low" because her clients that she cooks for need to take credit for Lilah's tasty covered dishes.
  
  Alison Dixon is the president of the Pine Haven, Iliniois St.Barts Altar and Rosary Guild. As she announces the big jackpot on the church's bingo night she suddenly drops dead while tasting Pet's chili, a client of Lilah who is a member of the church.
  
  With another death of Pine Haven's librarian due to another poisoning. Lilah, the secret chef must uncover the truth before a murderer stirs up more trouble for Lilah, her covered dishes and her secret clientele.
  
  I know this series will be a new favorite when the protagonist has a passion for cooking,like me and also always has a song in her head also like me. Lilah was also very relatable and down to earth, which drew me into the story even more and made the book hard to put down. Julia Buckley's The Big Chili was very well written and kept me entertained until the murderer was revealed and also a very tantalizing beginning to a promising new culinary mystery series.
  
  FTC Disclosure Thank you to the publisher and/or author for providing us with a copy of this book for review.This did not influence our thoughts in any way. All the opinions of the book and review are our own and our reviews are honest.
• 
  Rebecca

  Lilah has a secret. On the sly, she makes delicious covered dishes that her neighbors pretend they have made themselves. It's just a side job, but Lilah loves that she can explore her culinary talents and maybe she can turn it into a catering career. She is also recovering from a betrayal by her Italian beau.
  
  Thus, she somehow finds herself embroiled in a poisoning case where someone used HER chili to murder one of the more eccentric parishioners at the church's bingo night. And she must keep her secret about being the true chef of the dish, while trying to keep her client/friend Pet from being the suspect.
  
  I really like Lilah and her family and friends. I want to spend a movie night with her family or go to a party at her neighbor's house. Her dog Mick is absolutely adorable. I loved all her secret food drops and hope she continues with this business in future books as these scene usually cracked me up. There were plenty of suspects and I was definitely shocked by the truth and the ending.
  
  I can't wait to read more in this series. I hope that there is more romance in the future books!
• 
  Trish

  A tasty first in series.
• 
  Becky

  This was my first book by Julia Buckley. I totally love her writing style. She's refreshing in the cozy world. Definitely want to get the others and read her other books.
• 
  Avid Series Reader

  The Big Chili by Julia Buckley is the first book of the Undercover Dish cozy mystery series, set in a contemporary small town in Illinois. Lilah Drake loves the tiny little house where she lives with her chocolate lab "Mick" (who nods when she speaks to him). Days, Lilah works for her parents as a receptionist in their real estate office. Evenings, she conducts her Covered Dish business. She bakes wholesome, delicious casseroles which she delivers secretly to many friends who proudly claim the dishes as their own cooking.
  
  A pot of chili Lilah prepares for a church Bingo supper (delivered secretly to friend Ellie) ends up killing someone. Lilah wants to confess to the attractive police detective that she made the chili, but she honors her promise to keep Ellie's secret. Even after another murder.
  
  Impatient to get her life back to normal, Lilah snoops around trying to solve the murders herself. She learns plenty of secrets (red herrings); is eventually threatened to shut up. Lilah also grows deeply infatuated with the police detective.
  
  Listening to the mystery in audiobook format, I felt the narration was too "gushy" (overly effusive).
• 
  Karen

  This series debut is a must read! An entertaining start to a series that introduces the reader to Lilah Drake, who lives in Pine Haven, Illinois. Lilah’s covered dish business provides her clients with meals they can claim they cooked themselves. She is doing well with this until someone drops dead at a church bingo night after tasting her chili.
  
  The victim is not universally loved, so any number of townspeople could be the culprit. Lilah cannot let on that she made the chili, as she made it for a client, but this is the least of her worries. Who wanted the victim dead, and who could be next?
  
  The book has a well-rounded, wonderful supporting cast of characters that include her dog Mick, Jay Parker (a police detective), her family, friends and clients. These characters and a well written mystery lend itself to a fun, engaging and appealing ride which will leave you guessing until the very end. The recipes included are also enticing.
  
  I give this mystery 5 stars, and look forward to the further adventures of Lilah and the gang.
  
  I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
  
• 
  Sara Grotz

  Let me start by saying I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review of this book. That being said, I loved it. Lilah is a talented cook who has made a small business for herself by cooking for people secretly so they can pass it off as their own cooking. One night at church bingo someone dies after eating her chili, and Lilah has to figure out who really did it before she loses her business or worse.
  I loved the characters in this book. They were all very real, well written, and made me look forward to reading more about them. Lilah is an independent woman, headstrong but with strong family ties, and a genuinely nice person. Her dog, Mick was my favorite part of the book. I now want to train my dog to nod. The rest of the town is equally as appealing, from the church ladies to the handsome detective investigating the murder.
  Overall, I would recommend this series. It was a fun, easy read that was hard to put down. I look forward to reading more by Julia Buckley as well as more from the town of Pine Haven.
  
• 
  Jeannie and Louis Rigod

  This is the first in a great new murder mystery series, involving cooking (with recipes), animals, fun characters, and a gentle romance (at least in the main character's heart.)
  
  Lilah has an unusual business...she cooks undercover. This is a service most every woman and man that works daily would use upon occasion. Lilah makes wonderful foods for people willing to pay, and yet the hook is that it is done secretly... Imagine you used to make delightful brunches but now you haven't time, the room, or physical strength, yet you still crave the applause you used to receive. Well, just phone Lilah and meet her under a bridge, or in a parking lot and wham....you have a delightful frittata or something else.
  
  Lilah enjoys doing this cooking and is shocked when one of her best customers 'Chili' becomes the tool that kills a lady known in the Community at a church dinner! What? Yet, the secret of who cooked the chili must be kept!
  
  This is a fun read and the recipes will be tried.
  
  
• 
  Lynn

  Lilah Drake is a great cook and makes delicious dishes. In fact her dishes are so good that she makes undercover dishes for customers. Clever ways are set up for her to deliver her dishes to her customers who then pass off the dishes as their own. It is high secrecy. At a church function a death occurs when the chili she supplied to a customer is sampled by the victim. Lilah turns into a sleuth because it is her chili and the customer is her friend. However, the cook of the chili remains still a secret.
  
  It was an ok cozy mystery for me. I prefer little love interests in my mysteries. This one blended hopeful romance by the sleuth with mystery. I know most cozies have this element but in The Big Chili it was a pretty big part of the storyline. I did suspect who the murderer was from an earlier comment in the book. I did not know the motive though. It was an ok read for me.
• 
  Alyse Coleman

  This was a fun, clean little book--definitely a quick read and good for fall reading. It was no Agatha Christie (although she was mentioned a couple of times), but if you like trying to figure out a good mystery, this one had all of the clues, and if you pay attention, you just might be able to figure it out before the protagonist does. I liked the main character for the most part, but my biggest qualm with her was that she talked and acted like she was twice her age. For the first few pages, before I learned she was in her late twenties, I was imagining a woman in her fifties or sixties, and her narration continued to make her feel like a false character. However, it kept me reading and I am looking forward to the sequel!
  
  I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
• 
  Patrizia

  Mezzo punto in meno perché vengono citate una marea di canzoni di artisti americani a me sconosciuti. Lo so, è un mio problema, ma è chiaro che la musica è importante per la protagonista e quindi mi sembra di perdere qualcosa di fondamentale.
  Il libro è ben scritto, tanto che l'attenzione rimane viva anche quando la storia devia dalla risoluzione dell'omicidio. Per quanto riguarda quest'ultima, pur avendo una volta vagamente ipotizzato la giusta soluzione, sono rimasta "incastrata" dal modo con cui l'autrice riesce, almeno con me, a focalizzare l'attenzione altrove, pur dando i giusti indizi.
  Avevo preso in considerazione questo libro, ma poi avevo accantonato l'acquisto; avendolo poi trovato in offerta, ho deciso di dargli una possibilità e devo dire che ho fatto bene.
• 
  Barbara Gregorich

  The Big Chili is a well-written mystery that entertains with a tight plot, engaging characters, a villain hidden in plain sight, a possible romance, and delicious covered-dish food . . . give or take a poisoned bowl of chili or eggplant sandwich here and there.
  
  One aspect of the novel that I particularly enjoyed was the author’s understanding of actions and consequences. Threats create their own aftermaths, even when those threats are directed at an aimal instead of a human. Lies also have repurcussions, and Buckley’s handling of these things gave the story a weight that many other such cozies lack.
  
  I’ll be back for a second helping!