The Key Lime Crime (Key West Food Critic Mystery #10) by Lucy Burdette

National bestselling author Lucy Burdette's tenth Key West Food Critic mystery is piping hot with pie-enthusiasts and murder suspects.

When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef's murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.

During the week between Christmas and New Year's, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn't help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.

Meanwhile, Hayley's home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley's new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan's crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island's holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim--Au Citron Vert's controversial new pastry chef--was a frontrunner in Sloan's contest.

It's bad enough that Hayley's too-curious mother-in-law is cooking up trouble. Now, the murderer is out to take a slice out of Hayley. Can she handle the heat of a killer's kitchen?   (Summary via Goodreads)

The Key Lime Crime is the tenth book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series by Lucy Burdette and, boy, is it going to whisk you away on a great adventure and you don't even have to leave your living room.

The Key Lime Crime has a very strong main character in Hayley Snow.  Hayley lives in Key West, Florida on a house boat with her good friend Miss Gloria, her new husband, 2 cats and one dog..... Hayley's new husband, not Miss Gloria's.  And Hayley's husband Nathan is a police detective and this is the week between Christmas and New Year's and Key West is going to be busy with tourists flocking to their streets to party !!  And Hayley who works for a food magazine, Key Zest, as a food critic will be following a pie-baking contest where the contestants will be showcasing thier version of the best key lime pie.  So both Hayely and Nathan are going to be very busy during this week, her with the contest, Nathan with working to keep the streets and people safe....so to say they both have a full plate about sizes it up....so let's throw Nathan's mother coming to town to visit. into the mix  This, of course, puts a lot of pressure on Hayley seeing as Mrs. Bransford didn't come to the wedding !!!

Luckily Hayley and Nathan are still living with Miss Gloria since their houseboat is still being renovated so Nathan's mom cannot stay with them.  Also luckily Hayley's mother and step-father offer their guest room for her.  Unfortunately before Mrs. Bransford can unpack and get settled, Hayley and Miss Gloria take her on a tour of holiday decorations.....where they come across a dead body on a porch !!!

Adding a murder to the already chaotic week ahead for Hayley and Nathan is nothing they cannot handle....they have been through a lot already but now they have Nathan's mother to worry about.  

Burdette will have readers getting papercuts from turning the pages so quickly.  Adding Nathan's mother to story was an awesome twist and Burdette knows how to weave the story through so many mazes, twists and turns that you will get dizzy.....but it will be a good dizzy !!!  The atmosphere that is created will blow reader's minds and if you don't have a craving for key lime pie after reading this latest book, I'd be very surprised !!  

I love how the story has developed through this series and love the way that it is going.  I am looking forward to seeing where the road leads Hayley, Nathan and Miss Gloria....because you know even though Hayley and Nathan are newlyweds, Miss Gloria will be right there in the middle of them and things !!!

Review by Missi M.