As usual, Krista Davis brings readers back to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, where she reintroduces us to old friends, new recipes, decorating tips, and a mystery. The eighteenth book in the Domestic Diva series, The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg, also brings a character from Davis’ other series. Holly Miller from the Paws & Claws series is a friend of Sophie Winston, the Domestic Diva, and she stops in for a short visit.
It’s a whispered phone call that propels Sophie and her friends into a murder investigation. Interior designer Mitzi Lawson asks to meet Sophie at the Inger house the next day. Mitzi and her business partner are decorating the house for the new generation from the Nofsinger family, Matt and Denise. But, when Sophie arrives at the house, she finds Denise’s body and Mitzi is missing. When the Nofsingers ask Sophie to investigate, she warns them it might be a family member who is the killer, and she won’t hide that from the police. But, with Mitzi’s disappearance, the mystery heats up.
The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg is set in the fall in Old Town, and the decorations and fall foods are played up. I’ve said before that for me, the pleasure in this series comes from a return to old friends. Fortunately, there’s a Cast of Characters because there are so many family members it’s hard to keep them all straight. But, I think many fans of the books return for Sophie and her friends, and those characters are memorable.
Krista Davis’ website is https://www.kristadavis.com/
The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg by Krista Davis. Kensington, 2025. ISBN 9781496743459 (hardcover), 320p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with only a promise of an honest review.
I was attracted to her books and gave up on them, but I love the title. Too many characters to keep up is something that I don’t want to deal with.
Oh, I’m sorry, Carol. There are a lot of characters, and a number of new ones introduced in each book, but, for me, the fun is in meeting up with “old friends”.