The Diva Runs out of Thyme by Krista Davis is a 2008 Berkley publication.

I have been wanting to try out Krista Davis’s cozy mysteries for a long time. When I went searching for Thanksgiving themed novels again this year, this book was one of the first to pop up in the results. So, the time felt right to finally get started on this series.

Sophie and Natasha have been rivals since their school days and the competitions have suddenly heated up again. It doesn’t help matters that Natasha has set up housekeeping with Sophie’s ex-husband- making it more imperative that Sophie gets the upper hand in the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown competition this Thanksgiving. But it looks like murder is on the menu and both Sophie and Natasha are at the top of the suspect list…

As a ‘first’ in a series this one is excellent! I liked the seamless way the characters were introduced, and it was easy to get into the story while getting to know everyone. The story is easy to follow and a fun guessing game.

Although this first installment is a little over a decade and half old the only real staleness was some of the mother/daughter dynamics, and at least one insecure male behaving badly- which were a bit old fashioned- but otherwise, the story aged well. It’s well written with balanced pacing, and well-drawn characters. I have so many series I follow- many of them long-running- but I have no problem adding one more to the pile. When it comes to mystery solving book friends the more the merrier!

4+ stars ( )

Sophie is an event planner, who has entered a cooking contest to make Thanksgiving stuffing and possibly win a TV Special. But at the grocery store to buy ingredients she happens upon a body and before the contest gets under way she finds another body. All the suspects have close connections to Sophie. This was a fun read, with interesting tips, recipes, and over the top advice. A good start to a series. ( )

Sophie and Natasha have a sort of rivalry when it comes to food preparation. Natasha is upscale gourmet with decorations to match, while Sophie likes to keep things simple yet tasty. Throw in Sophie’s ex-husband who is now with Natasha and things really get complicated! Into this mix comes a dead body, well, actually two, and and attempted murder. Yikes! Of course, Sophie is tangled up in it, first as a suspect and as the person who wants to trap the real culprit. The first in the series, this book introduces readers to an interesting cast of characters. The mystery is intricate, and the writing is top notch. ( )

I have decided to re-read this series as I have enjoyed it so much. I especially like this first book as it introduces the characters (and animals) so well. I had forgotten how Sophie acquired Mochie and who named the cat. I laughed when Sophie stretched a soup to feed 6 to 12 or was it 14 (?) for Thanksgiving Dinner. Then to have her ex-husband poisoned at said dinner! That and 2 murders make this a great read and will have you guessing who the killer is until the very end. ( )

Great characters, story line and so well written. I'm pleasantly surprised since I've been through many food cozies and I haven't found one I really liked until now. I'm so excited!! ( )