Pelican, Louisiana is about to be the home of the newest restaurant from celebrity chef, Phillippe Chanson. While Maggie Crozat and her family are more interested in eating at local restaurants, like Junie’s, owned by their good friend JJ, many of the staff from Chanson’s new restaurant are staying at her family’s Bed and Breakfast.

The restaurant staff bring a lot of their own drama with them, from his ex-wife, who is managing Chanson’s restaurant brand, to his sous chef, who is also his new girlfriend. There is Trick, a mixologist who was roommates with him way back in New York when they were getting started, and Dyer, the writer hired to tell Chanson’s story, but only in a highly edited version.

When Chanson started talking to the best chefs in town, they brought out their Southern hospitality and finest Cajun dishes. But when customers of his started talking about how much his dishes tasted like theirs they realized that he was stealing their best recipes. And could the new restaurateurs be behind the bad reviews that suddenly showed up for Junie’s? Or for the excessive trash in the alley behind the restaurant?

As if that wasn’t enough drama for the Crozet family, the museum where Maggie works lost all their money to a desperate Board Treasurer, and she immediately steps in to start planning a gala event to raise funds. Her new husband has thoughtfully gifted her with art lessons from one of her favorite artists for Valentine’s Day. And an anonymous gifter sends her roses at the museum. The first dozen were lovely, but as the days go by and a couple more deliveries come, the number of roses dwindle, as do their health. Maggie realizes that it’s some kind of countdown, ending on Valentine’s Day, but she has no idea who they’re from or what it means.

And then the night of the official restaurant opening, Chanson splurges on a big fireworks display for his staff and the whole town of Pelican. Everyone shows up to see the sparks fly, and they do. Explosions, one after another, color the sky. But then a horrible accident leaves Chanson dead and all the spectators stunned. Or was it an accident?

As Maggie’s husband Bo works as part of the team to solve Chanson’s murder, she joins with family and friends to plan the gala, support JJ’s restaurant, finish her Valentine’s Day gift for Bo, help at the B and B, figure out who her stalker is, and try to find the artistic “it” that her teacher tells her is missing from her art. Will it all come together in time to save Valentine’s Day, or will it all break, like a sauce left too long without stirring?

Cajun Kiss of Death is the 7th book in Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mystery Series, and it is packed with lots of characters with big personalities. The murder story is compelling (who wouldn’t want to kill a chef who steals recipes?), and Maggie and her family add lots of warmth and kindness to offset the violence. There is definitely not a dull moment in these pages.

Cajun Kiss of Death is my first in this series, although I’ve read other books by Byron, which I loved. I think the writing here is very good, and the plotting is tight. However, there is a huge cast of characters to learn, even without the gang from Chanson’s restaurant. There is a list in the beginning of all the main characters, which helps some, but I would think it’s easier to access in the print version than in the electronic version. I was able to keep up with who was who, but I did have to take some notes on that.

That being said, I found the writing lively, and the Southern hospitality is real. The Cajun flavor is almost literal, especially in all those descriptions of food, and the Crozat family is just a great group of people to spend time with. This may have been my first trip to Pelican, but it won’t be my last.

Egalleys for Cajun Kiss of Death were provided by Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.