When Delilah O’Leary moved back to Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, she planned on opening her own restaurant. But she didn’t plan on the soft opening becoming a crime scene.
Delilah and her sous chef Sonya are prepped with pizza dough, the perfect sauce, and dozens of toppings for their high-end deep dish pizzas. Delilah has dreamt of opening her own restaurant for years, and with the help of her fiancé Sam and his deep pockets, she’s finally able to take the chance. She moved back to help take care of her great-aunt Elizabeth, who has a caregiver to help her, but still Delilah wants to be more involved in Auntie Biz’s life.
During the soft opening of the restaurant, Delilah spends the night talking to her family and friends, making sure everyone is eating well, promoting the restaurant, and trying to keep track of her staff. Sonya has the kitchen running like a Swiss clock, and bartender Daniel is great with a pour, so the bar is under control. Hostess Melody is doing her best, but their server, Carson, is missing in action. Delilah decides to take care of that right away.
Carson had consistently been late and negligent, and Delilah was going to fire him immediately. She heard that he had been heading towards the lake, so that was the direction she went. But she was distracted, first by a loud bang, and the by a quiet voice calling for help. Delilah follows the voice to find it’s Auntie Biz. Her caregiver Jeremy is lying there, covered in blood. And Biz is holding a gun, her gun, Well, one of her guns.
After being questioned by Detective Calvin Capone, great-grandson of another Capone, Delilah is able to get Biz into bed into her apartment. But the restaurant is put on hold until Delilah can make sure that Biz is okay. Meanwhile, Delilah and Sam have had a big fight, and he’s disappeared. Someone breaks into Delilah’s apartment in the night and steals Biz’s medicine. And Biz ends up in the hospital. Despite being told often by Detective Capone not to investigate, Delilah feels like it’s the only way to save her restaurant and keep Auntie Biz safe.
But how much danger is Delilah putting herself in as she keeps sticking her chef’s knife into other people’s business?
Six Feet Deep Dish is the first in Mindy Quigley’s Deep Dish Mystery series. It’s filled with a cast of strong and fun characters, and the mystery is well written. But be prepared for two things with this series. First of all, you will be hungry. Hearing Delilah and Sonya describe these pizza creations they are making will make your mouth water while you read, so I hope you are willing to try out one of the recipes at the end, or that you have a good deep dish pizza place nearby. And second, Delilah and Sam’s chonky orange cat Butterball steals all the scenes she’s in.
I listened to the audio book for this one, narrated by Holly Adams, and I really enjoyed listening to this book. I thought it was read well, with lots of personality, which helps keep all the characters distinct as you listen. Even the recipes at the end are told in character, as Sonya teaches listeners how to make their signature dough and Daniel piping in with a cocktail recipe.
I thought Six Feet Deep Dish was a lot of fun. It has a solid foundation for a good cozy mystery series, and having the detective be a descendant of one of Chicago’s most notorious gangsters adds some interesting spice. I thought Delilah was a little naïve when it comes to crime-solving, but it gives her a chance to grow as a character through the series, so I look forward to seeing where she goes next. This is a strong start, and it offers a lot of potential for Delilah and Son and the rest of the gang to make delicious food and to solve more murders.
Egalleys for Six Feet Deep Dish were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, but I bought the audio book myself from Chirp.
