Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
- Read an installment of a series.
- Share your review/recommendation below.
- Include the title, author and series name.
My Series Sunday pick is Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits, the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Skylar Warren. Jessie Haynes swapped her dreams of becoming a journalist in Atlanta for the sizzle of a fryer in her grandmother's diner. She takes feeding the folks of Willow Bluff seriously. So when the mayor drops dead after one bite of the famous shrimp and grits because of a severe peanut allergy, she refuses to let it shatter her grandmother's legacy. All eyes point toward Jessie since she made the grits herself, especially when an empty peanut packet is found in the diner's pantry. Like all small towns, gossip spreads fast while Jessie tries to clear her name.
"Honeybee's is more than a plate of shrimp and grits. It's more than one meal, one moment, one tragedy. It's history. It's family. It's community." ~ 7%
Welcome to the cozy mystery world, Skylar Warren from Chi-Town! Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits is a fair introduction to a new series. The author gave enough background on the main character, Jessie Haynes, to make her familiar and likable. She is a strong Black woman with roots, confidence and good intentions. Unlike other heroines in cozy mysteries, she is directly impacted by the murder and tries to solve it for her family's reputation, not meddling for amateur sleuth fun.
While I appreciated getting to know all the residents of Willow Bluff (where ere'body knows ere'body), a great majority of the book focused on the community and relationships. Murder, which is usually the focus of a cozy mystery, was like an afterthought. Perhaps this was the author's intent for the first Honeybee Diner Mysteries novel but it caused the story to lag. It was a bit much once you add in the many metaphors, similes and analogies. Whew—it was heavy on descriptions like the grits were heavy on thickness.
"Folks remember how you carry yourself long after they forget the dirt they tried to bury you under." ~ 11%
Nevertheless, I plan to read the next book in the series titled Murder with a Side of Red Velvet. Hopefully it will focus more on the murder mystery and include recipes of the savory food that Jessie whips up in the chef's kitchen. I sure would like to try a piece of peach cobbler or the infamous grits that keeps the townfolk coming back through Honeybee Diner's doors.
Happy Early Pub Day to debut author Skylar Warren! Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits will be available Wednesday, May 13.
Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie
Author: Skylar Warren
Published: May 2026
Pages: 377
Edition: Galley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤
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