Tish Tarragon is packing up her cafe because her ex-boyfriend Schuyler Thompson is evicting her from her current location even though she is also preparing to cater a weekend wedding. Tish has moved on and moved in with Sheriff Clemson Reade to not only boost her love life, but also help him solve the mushroom poisoning death of overbearing celebrity chef, Gunnar Randall. Book Six in the Tish Tarragon mystery series is a good read that offers readers a lot of information about growing mushrooms and a cozy mystery with a many suspects. Book six can be read as a stand-alone mystery.

As a big fan of the Tish Tarragon mysteries, I’m always excited whenever there’s a new book in the series and this one was so much fun to read. Even though this is already book six in the series, it doesn’t feel like it – the stories still feel pretty new and fresh each time and I feel that there’s still a lot of learn about each character.

Some of my favourite aspects of this series continue to be highlights for me, including the fact that Tish is a literary caterer. The dishes (and punny names) described always make me wish that Tish’s cafe was a real place. There are recipes included so one day I will definitely have to give some of them a try.

Another unique aspect (albeit a recent development) is that Tish is a hired consultant to the police, which means that there’s no real friction between her and law enforcement officials (which basically removes my pet peeve of grumpy and antagonistic police characters in a mystery LOL).

Obviously one of the things that can keep a long-running series still interesting is the characters. I think it helps that the Tish Tarragon stories have enough sidekicks that the books will often focus on one or two of them, develop more to their backstory and character development, and then in the next book, it will be someone else’s turn.

In Of Mushrooms and Matrimony, I was super happy to see that most of character focus (aside from Tish, the murderer, and the suspects) was on Jules and Sherriff Reade, my two favourite characters in the books.

As for the murder mystery itself, there were a lot of twists and turns, quite a bit of running around, and lots of different suspects to consider and interview. There was a lot of lying and misdirection, so sometimes it felt like Tish and Reade were going around in circles and asking the same questions, but the mystery unravelled slowly and each layer added more clues and hints until the killer was revealed.

As the title reveals, there’s a lot of mushrooms in this book. And I’m not kidding. Mushrooms and mushroom recipes of every kind. I LOVE mushrooms and was pretty much ready to eat a 7-course mushroom meal once I finished reading this book!

All in all, it was a really fun book and one I didn’t want to put down once I started it. While this could easily be read as a standalone, I highly recommend checking out the rest of the books in this series first.

* Thank you to the publisher, Severn House, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Literary caterer and owner of Cookin’ the Books cafe Tish Tarragon has lost her lease on her home and her business but she has one last catering job. A wedding weekend Abbingdon Green Bed and Breakfast. While setting up a fabulous welcome buffet she sees one of the guests complaining that the B&B’s breakfast hours end too early and demanding to be served. With him being a tv chef and restaurant critic the last thing she needs is a bad review so the owner quickly whips up a mushroom omelet to placate the man.

The next day the controversial critic is found dead. It appears he ingested some poisonous mushrooms, so the owner of the B&B finds herself high on the suspect list, but others could have fed him the deadly mushrooms too. Sheriff Clemson Reade and Tish are on the case but she still needs to be sure her catering gig goes off without a hitch.

This is the first book in the series that I have read but the author did an excellent job of making me feel right at home. I really like that Tish is a consultant for the police and that after spending so much time with Sheriff Clemson Reade a romance between them has blossomed. They do seem like a perfect match. Her friend Jules is a real treasure. I loved him! Her other friend Mary Jo appears to have gone through her own drama but has come through it strong with the help of her friends. Celestine works with Tish and has opened her home to Mary Jo and her daughter. There is a very strong bond between Tish, Jules, Mary Jo, and Celestine that I am sure was built over the course of the series. All the characters felt true to life and I enjoyed meeting them.

A strong subplot throughout the story is about Tish being evicted from her home and business which included a cafe due to breaking up with her landlord. I don’t know a lot about Schuyler but he appears to not excel at being a boyfriend, landlord, or mayor. Tish is better off without him but he has put her in a terrible position. So in addition to hunting down a killer, she is trying to find a place to live and a new home for her businesses.

The mystery is very complicated because Chef Gunner Randall ate a heck of a lot of mushrooms within the right timeframe. Tish and Reade visit every place the deceased critic visited but were unable to eliminate anyone. It was quite entertaining to ferret through the clues right along with them. I was not totally surprised though when the killer was revealed. I had a little inkling during the story that this person needed a closer look.

The final chapter was fantastic and filled with feel-good moments. I really enjoy it when an author leaves their characters in a good place with a notion of exciting things to come.

Of Mushrooms and Matrimony intrigued me from the start. The characters were genuine and engaging. The mystery was not only interesting but educational. There are many kinds of mushrooms, many are poisonous but Death Cap mushrooms are the deadliest. Thankfully I am not a fan of any kind of mushroom but I bet after reading this book I could identify the deadly fungi in an instant.

Tish Tarragon had to close her cafe and is one catering job way from unemployment (or finding a great real estate deal so she can open her cafe again). The catering job is a few meals for a wedding party at a B&B.

One of the other guests at the B&B is a TV chef, best known for his business breaking reviews of restaurants and other places that serve food. He’s in town to film a few segments for a new episode of his show and somewhere along the way, someone has served him some poisonous mushrooms. He dies.

Two complicating details: the man was as much as jerk in real life as he was on camera, so pretty much everyone that knew him hated him. And, at every place he ate the day he was poisoned, he was served mushrooms in one way or another.

Tish and Clemson investigate.

I liked the plot, but there are a few things about the story that bothered me:
- Gunnar Randall is a bully and brings all the women over 50 he bullies to tears. Seriously, all of them. As if women that have been successfully running their own business since their twenties suddenly loose the ability to stand up for themselves as soon as they hit menopause. (The younger women also all cry.)
- Tish and Clayton slurped their noodles. Apparently, my misophony extends to when eating noises are implied in writing.
- Tish and Clemson talk to two people that give a different account of who set up a meeting. They see no reason person A would lie, therefore, person B must have been lying. (And then wonder why person B lied to them.) How about: just because you see no reason person A would lie, doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason.

Clemson and Tish are moving on in their personal relationship, which means there is zero romantic tension between them. They do quip a lot, but mostly they are just dull together.

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Tish Tarragon's latest catering job is for a wedding at the Abbingdon Green B&B. Unfortunately, another guest at the B&B is abrasive TV chef and restaurant critic Gunner Randall. Randall rants at the owner about missing breakfast until Tish offers to make him a mushroom omelet. Several days later, Randall is found dead & the coroner identifies the culprit as Death Cap mushrooms. Tish & new boyfriend Sheriff Clemson Reade find plenty of suspects who clashed with Randall and had opportunity to serve the deadly meal to permanently silence Randall.

Tish's supportive friends come through for her in a big way at the end of the book. A very satisfying ending to this ongoing culinary cozy mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House All opinions are my own.

A Tish Tarragon Mystery

Tish Tarragon is catering for a wedding, but the weekend goes from sweet to sour when a guest at the venue is poisoned.

Welcome back to Tish’s world. Tish Tarragon is the owner of Cookin’ the Books Cafe’. She specializes in literary catering. and this time she is preparing for a wedding weekend at Abbingdon Green B & B.

With her looming eviction on her mind, she is pushing on. But things aren’t so rosy in the wedding world. One of the guests, a Gordon Ramsey sort, I imagine, is already making waves. Threatening staff because HE missed breakfast and makes do with a mushroom omelet. Yep, you guessed it.

With poisonous mushrooms on the menu, Tish needs to figure out who poisoned the man and why. There are plenty of people to suspect and they are all hiding something.

Not only do we get a mystery and a murder, but some romance too with Sheriff Reade in the picture.

No matter what is going on, Tish is one of my favorite characters. And cooks. Her recipes are literally to die for!

NetGalley/ Severn House January 03, 2023

I'm lawyers happy to read a new mystery featuring Tish Tarragon and her friends as they're solid mysteries and a lot of fun.
This one was very good and the solid mystery surprised me with each twist and kept me guessing.
I was glad to catch up with Tish and read about the evolution of her life. The characters are as likeable and flesh out as usual.
Compelling and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this book! Restaurant owner and amateur sleuth, Tish Tarragon, is forced out of her restaurant space by her ex- boyfriend and landlord and is catering a wedding at a B and B nearby. A guest at the B and B, TV chef, Gunnar Randall, is discovered dead in his room. Gunnar was killed by mushroom poisoning , and there are many suspects as no one liked the rude and insulting man whose TV show highlighted his unpleasant personality. Tish helps her current boyfriend and Sheriff, Clemson Reade, with the case. This mystery was enthralling and fast paced. I highly recommend it to other cozy mystery readers. I received an ARC of this book, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

This was a fun read with a lot of interesting info on mushrooms. They worked the clues and solved the case, with enough suspects and red herrings to keep you guessing. I enjoyed the read and loved seeing how all the characters were doing; it was especially nice to see our MC grow more comfortable in her relationship, work, & crime solving.

Gunnar Randall was not a good guy but murder? Tish is doing a catering job at the B&B where he's staying when he's poisoned. Now, of course, she's working through the many suspects even though her romantic interest Reade would rather that she leave the investigation to him. This is very much a classic cozy that can be read as a standalone despite being part of a series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I found Tish's other issues, such as trying to find a new place. more interesting than the mystery but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this quick read. No recipes. btw.

With lots of suspects that will keep you guessing, the story plot is good. Characters are well developed and fun. The offed person is one unlike TV personality. It's up to Tish and her police chief bf to discover who did the deed. A cozy to cozy up with! Thanks#netgalley and #Severnhouse for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

I enjoyed this cozy culinary mystery.. This is the first book in the series I have read.

Tish is a former cafe owner/ caterer, who has a wedding catering job at a local inn. All is going we’ll until one of the b&b guests is found dead in their room. Tish and her sheriff boyfriend work to solve this mystery.

A bit undecided on this one. It wasn't very intriguing but some of the characters were ok. Nothing stellar
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Of Mushrooms and Matrimony is a perfect cozy with a charming setting, likeable main characters, delicious food, and a long list of suspects. While Tish is catering a book-themed wedding at the local bed and breakfast, a TV personality is discovered murdered (at the same b&b). Unfortunately for Tish and her boyfriend, who also happens to be the police chief, the list of people who may have wanted Randall dead is extensive. Now, not only does Tish need to prepare for the weekend's wedding, she also needs to solve a murder. Oh, and on top of everything, Tish has recently been evicted from her adored cafe and apartment by her ex-boyfriend. Of Mushrooms and Matrimony has absolutely everything a reader would want from a cozy. I already cant' wait to find out what Tish gets into next.

What a great book to read and one that I really enjoyed. The 6th in the series of which I have read no others so this for me was a stand-alone but now I have to go back and read books 1-5 in the series!

This is a cosy mystery that has certainly had mystery and intrigue, it also had tension and emotion but then there is that warmth of the relationship between Tish and Reade, the food related aspects and the characters are so real you feel you know them.

I can't believe how quickly I read this one and I loved it. There are plenty of suspects, lots of mystery and even some recipes. I love that. This is a very entertaining and enjoyable read and I do highly recommend it.

What’s not to love when a story especially a mystery in involved, friends, food & love. Enjoyed this book and loved all the characters too! Looking forward to the 8th instalment in the series.

Amy Patricia Meade brings us another outstanding cozy mystery filled with warmth, tension, and real mystery in her 6th Tish Tarragon mystery, Of Mushrooms and Matrimony! I love when Reade and Tish get to spend time together whether if they are just enjoying each other for investigating. I appreciate that Reade respects her abilities even though he worries about her. For me the interactions among the characters are the best part and Ms. Meade does a wonderful job with making the friends feel and act like real people with love, concerns, teasing, support and even, at times, arguing.
The fact that a certain, not-to-be-named, ex-boyfriend has ended her lease for her restaurant puts a cloud over everything even for the first body shows up. Tish prepares for her last wedding to be catered from Cookin' the Books Cafe; it doesn't look good for finding a new space at a price that she can afford, and that building was her home so she doesn't even have a kitchen to work from.
An arrogant reality TV chef is making life miserable for everyone when he is murdered, there are too many suspects to count even among the people who are in town. Because of her expertise, Reade asks her to help him investigate and she agrees even with the weight of the wedding on her
shoulders. She can't afford to lose the catering job an the owner of the B&B where he was killed and where the wedding is taking place has become a friend.
Need to come back and work on this
My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me to read an ARC of this just right cozy mystery. I loved it and will be telling my friends and followers all about it.
#NetGallery #SevernHouse #AmyPaticiaMeade #OfMushrooms and Matrimony #ATishTarragonMystery.

Ah I loved this one! A lovely story set amongst the backdrop of food and friendships with a pinch of murder and mystery mixed in.
The recipes are a nice touch at the end.

Amy Patricia Meade’s Tish Tarragon series is one that I started, then picked up again a few books into it. I’ve always been glad I did because the primary characters all settled in to ones I enjoyed meeting again. Of Mushrooms and Matrimony brings back to Tish, the caterer, and all of her supportive friends.

Tish is already in trouble before a wedding weekend turns deadly. The mayor of Hobson Glen, Virginia, her ex-boyfriend, evicted her from her cafe and apartment. She’s struggling. She has one last catering event, but, fortunately, can prepare the food in the kitchen of the B&B where the wedding party is staying. Tish and her new love interest Sheriff Clemson Reade are both at Abbingdon Green when celebrity chef Gunnar Randall verbally attacks the staff and owner. They both speak up in their defense, but Randall is known for his obnoxious behavior. Glory Bishop is worried that her B&B, in her family for generations, won’t withstand a hateful review from the popular TV personality.

Glory doesn’t need to worry about Randall’s review for very long. Within two days, Gunnar Randall is dead, poisoned by a mushroom. Because it’s food related, Sheriff Reade is quick to enlist Tish’s help as a paid consultant to the department. It doesn’t take them long to learn that Randall was served mushrooms at almost every stop on his culinary tour of the Richmond area. And, there are all kinds of chefs with reasons to hate Gunnar Randall.

Although there’s a great deal of talk of food in this mystery, it’s not the primary reason I return to this series. Like Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva books, I pick up these mysteries for the cast of characters. Tish Tarragon and her friends are delightful. Her friends are supportive, and she’s finally found a man who is just as encouraging of her career. Together, she and Sheriff Reade make a successful investigative team, and it’s fun to watch Deputy Jim Clayton pitch his ideas as well.

I can’t say you’ll want to start with Cookin’ the Books and then skip to the fourth in the series, as I did. By the time Of Mushrooms and Matrimony rolled around, I was a fan of Tish and her snoopy friends.