July 2017

There’s something fun about discovering a series that you love and just binging your way through it. That is exactly what I did with Carrie Doyle’s Hamptons Murder Mystery series. The books are fun reading with a great cast of characters that includes her protagonist, Antonia Bingham, who is both an innkeeper and a chef. Her storylines weave in great background on the history of the Hamptons, as well as some mouth-watering food descriptions. Carrie worked for Ina Garten when she owned and ran The Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons, so she writes about food with great authority. She also has been a summer and weekend resident of East Hampton for decades, so she knows the lay of the land. Armchair vacation travel with a mystery; I love it.

I started with the first book, DEATH ON WINDMILL WAY, though they clearly can be read in any order as Carrie writes a very strong backstory. Here Antonia has just bought the inn and has learned that there is a history of killing the past proprietors, which puts her on edge as she does not want to become the next victim. On the case with her is Joseph Fowler, a 60-something widower who is another amateur sleuth. Since Antonia is new to innkeeping, we get a birds’-eye view of just what’s entailed in an operation like this. Lots of great details on decorating and mouth-watering dining are part of the story as well.

In DEATH ON LILY POND LANE, it is spring in the Hamptons. Antonia is now working a side business as an estate manager to earn some extra money in the low season, as well as running the inn. This gives her access to some stunning homes and wealthy homeowners. I love design and architecture details as well as mysteries --- house porn as I call it --- and here you will be inspired to redecorate, or at least rearrange, as you read. Oh, for the mystery, Antonia finds a dead body at one of the homes and is then on the case of solving the murder. It’s brisk and fun. Yes, murder and mystery is fun!

DEATH ON WEST END ROAD is set during the summer months when the town is buzzing in high season. Antonia here takes on a cold case, one where Susie Whitaker was brutally murdered in 1990 on a tennis court in the poshest part of town. Who’s hired Antonia? The prime suspect, a wealthy heiress, who is part of a powerful family. The stress has Antonia cooking and baking. The latter inspired me to bake savory muffins --- something I had not thought about making before. I used Jiffy Cornbread Mix and added fresh corn, jalapenos, cheese, Indian spice-infused honey and sage.

I dare you to just read one. The nicest part is you don’t have to. You can line them up and binge read --- and enjoy! Upon finishing them, I wrote Carrie to ask when the next will be published. Stay tuned for more on that!