Murder by the Millions Review: A Cozy Mystery Audiobook That Nails the Slow Burn

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Read time: 4 minutes

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🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by Sara Van Beckum
⏱ Duration: 9 hours
Genre: Cozy Mystery
🏷️ Publisher: Tantor Media and Kensington Cozies

Book Blurb

In Asheville, North Carolina, caterer Allie Catt builds literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients’ favorite books. After a successful Pride and Prejudice event, her best friend Tegan wants to host a Great Gatsby-themed book club soiree, complete with Art Deco décor and Jazz Age glamour. Even Tegan’s prickly sister is on board. But when charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town looking to buy up historic Main Street buildings, Allie’s concerns about the project don’t stop her from liking him personally, or agreeing to cater his lavish party. When she arrives for a follow-up meeting, she finds him dead, and finds herself in the middle of another crime scene.

Let’s talk… murder!!!

My history with the Literary Dining Mystery series is pretty short, honestly. I stumbled onto Allie Catt by accident (best accident of my reading year, easily) and I’m already fully enthralled. In Murder by the Millions, Allie is back, except this time she isn’t defending her best friend Tegan. She IS the trouble. Still, credit where it’s due: she does everything right this time around, staying out of a mess she clearly felt weird about from the start. Trouble just finds her anyway.

Let’s talk about that name for a second. Allie Catt. I need to email Daryl Wood Gerber and ask where that came from, because it’s genuinely one of my favorite character names in cozy mystery right now. The book hits every food cozy beat you’d expect (a murder, an amateur sleuth who probably shouldn’t be involved, a tidy resolution), but what sets this one apart is that Allie actually uses her brain. No “why would you go into that abandoned building alone” moments here. She leans on the cops when she needs to, and the slow burn with her detective is exactly that. Slow. I like a slow burn in romance, and this one is paced with real restraint.

Then there’s Sara Van Beckum’s narration, which might be the actual star of the show. Nine hours flew by. I’ve already got the next book queued up in ARC, and I’ll still be back for the audiobook the second it drops. Go listen before you judge me.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely, yes. This is everything I want from a food cozy: a likable amateur sleuth who actually behaves like a person with survival instincts, a mystery that keeps its footing, and a narrator I’d follow into any series she picks up next. Allie Catt has fully won me over and I’m already impatient for book three. No notes… mark me down as obsessed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Recommendations


Smart Sleuth or Just Lucky? You Decide

Allie actually plays it smart this time around, leaning on the cops instead of running headfirst into danger. Do you love an amateur sleuth who knows her limits, or do you want your cozy heroines a little more reckless? Tell me in the comments, and let me know if you’ve read the earlier Literary Dining Mysteries too.

Book Links

Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal

Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
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Check out more books from Tantor Media and Kensington Cozies

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