Murder by Death

Not bad.  Pretty good actually.  This one takes place in Seattle, at Pike's Market, in a spice shop.  An author's note at the beginning specifies what parts of the market she's taken artistic liberties with, but she mostly leaves the market as it really is.  I've only been there a handful of times myself, but I had no problem "seeing" the market and she uses RL landmarks to help the reader along too.

The author does an excellent job weaving facts and information about spices through the narrative without sounding like a presenter on the Home Shopping Network, and she further ties the narrative to the MC's reading of the Brother Cadfael Mysteries, which was kinda cool.  Also included in the author's note at the beginning are the titles of references she used for her spice and herbal information; a step far beyond what cozy writers normally bother with, and it was appreciated (I'll be checking those books out).  There were even a couple of recipes in the back I'd try.

The mystery was o.k.  I guessed the murderer really early, although not the motive (the author didn't telegraph clues, but the story structure - I don't know how else to put it - gave the killer away).  I still enjoyed the process though, and the MC gets points for avoiding TSTL moves.

I'll definitely read the next book.