Deep Dish Mysteries Series: Book 3
Publication Date: December 26, 2023
Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley’s delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.
While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.
But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.
I’ve been enjoying Delilah and her crew in the Deep Dish Mystery series, so I was happy to see a new installment in Public Anchovy #1 by author Mindy Quigley. And I wasn’t disappointed.
The series follows Delilah, a pizzeria owner, along with her family, both at home and in the restaurant. Public Anchovy #1 sees Delilah and her crew heading to a local mansion to cater a library fundraiser. Delilah sees the catering opportunity as a way to bring some cash in during the off-season as well as to make some connections within the upper class of Geneva Bay. But, of course, things aren’t going to go smoothly.
I enjoyed the trapped in a house with the murderer trope explored in Public Anchovy #1. I know some books use this trope, but I’ve never read one and was here for it.
A storm leaves half of the guests, one of whom happens to be Detective Capone, and Delilah and her staff stranded at the mansion. When a guest dies after falling down the stairs, everyone wants to believe it’s an accident, but Delilah can’t help but think it’s murder and start snooping.
The setup was a little slow. But once the murder happened, I was on the edge of my seat trying to solve the mystery along with Delilah. While there were definite hints (seen in hindsight), I didn’t solve the mystery. However, it was well-developed, and it drew me in completely. Of course, it also didn’t hurt that there was an underlying theme around libraries and books that this book lover just ate up.
I was also very happy with the character and relationship developments. Delilah continues to grow, and I find her very likable and relatable. I was thrilled to see some movement in her “relationship” with Detective Capone. But in this book, the reader also gets to know Capone and Delilah’s staff better.
Despite a slow start, I found Public Anchovy #1 to be a delightful read. It was a great continuation of the series, and I can’t wait for the next installment. I highly recommend this series to fans of culinary mysteries, and you might even enjoy some unique recipes at the end of the book.
Originally from Chicago, MINDY QUIGLEY possesses a naturally sophisticated pizza palate. Her desert island pizza choice would be Lou Malnati’s “Deep Dish Lou” or an Aurelio’s thin-crust with spinach, tomatoes, and black olives. She is the author of the Deep Dish Mysteries and the Lindsay Harding Mystery series. She lives in Virginia with her history professor husband and their two children.
