Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Lucy Berberian makes her debut in HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE, the first in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series by Tina Kashian. The novel is Kashian's first, and it was published February 27, 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
After being passed up for partner, Lucy Berberian quits her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia and moves back to her hometown of Ocean Crest - a (fictional) small town on the Jersey Shore located near Cape May. Lucy's parents', sister, and friends are thrilled to have her home for an extended period of time. Within hours of arriving home, Lucy is sucked back into working for parents at their Mediterranean restaurant and she has a public argument with the new health inspector. When the health inspector is found dead of an apparent cyanide poisoning behind Kebab Kitchen, business plummets and Lucy jumps to the top of Detective Clemmon's suspect list. In an effort to save herself - and Kebab Kitchen - Lucy teams up with her best friend, Kathy, to find the killer.
I found HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE to be a very fun mystery novel. The characters - especially Lucy, Kathy, and Emma - were all interesting, engaging characters. All major and minor characters were well developed. The murder victim was unlikeable, and there were multiple suspects. The killer came as a surprise. Kashian also brought the Jersey Shore to life in her description. I've been to the Ocean City/Cape May area multiple times on vacation, and Kashian reminded me of all of the sights and smells. I thoroughly enjoyed HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE, and I'm looking forward to the next novel in the Kebab Kitchen Mystery series.