ABOUT THE BOOK
Things
are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t
mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her
parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to
roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch
up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.
She
could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader
is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and
unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just
minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a
whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word
on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect . .
.
Book Details
Title: Hummus and Homicide (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Author: Tina Kashian
Genre: Cozy Mystery,
1st in series
Publisher: Kensington (February 27, 2018)
Paperback: 336 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
GUEST POST BY TINA KASHIAN
Top Ten Things to Know About Lucy Berberian
Amateur Sleuth of Hummus and Homicide
Thank you for having me as a guest! I’m excited to introduce readers to Lucy Berberian, the amateur sleuth of Hummus and Homicide, the first book in my Kebab Kitchen Mystery series set at the Jersey shore.
1. Lucy’s a recovering Philadelphia lawyer. After her job throws her a curve ball, she packs her bags and unwillingly returns home to her family and their restaurant Kebab Kitchen at the Jersey shore.
2. She can’t cook worth a damn. Everyone in her family can cook, and her mother is a talented chef. Lucy’s mom is trying to teach her, and it’s testing her mother’s patience as well as Lucy’s. We’ll see how it goes . . .
3. She has a weakness for tall, dark-haired men. One of the main reasons she’s avoided home for a while, is due to an ex (Azad) that broke her heart. Now that she’s back, Azad is even better looking than before. He’s now a chef and hopes to purchase Kebab Kitchen from Lucy’s retiring parents. There’s also a hot, bad-boy motorcycle rider (Michael) who runs a bicycle rental shop next door to Kebab Kitchen. After a stint as dry as the Sahara, Lucy now has two good-looking men interested in her.
4. She is scared of motorcycles, but rides a Harley Davison and likes it. Michael entices Lucy to ride on the back of his motorcycle. They stop at the boardwalk to share ice cream and, to her surprise, he’s quite charming.
5. Lucy may not have wanted to come back home but now that she’s has, she’s happy. Her mother may be nagging Lucy to get married, but she’s well-meaning. And to Lucy’s surprise, she is bonding with her mom during their cooking lessons. Also, Lucy has missed Ocean Crest, a quaint town at the Jersey shore, and she fondly recalls the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster on the boardwalk, and the tastes of her family’s restaurant.
6. Lucy’s best friend is her complete opposite. Katie Watson has been Lucy’s best friend since grade school. Lucy’s petite with dark, curly hair. Katie’s tall and blonde. They also come from different worlds. Lucy is a first generation American, and Katie often jokes that her ancestors sailed on the Mayflower. Katie was raised on meat and potatoes, and apple pie while Lucy grew up eating stuffed grape leaves and hummus. None of their differences matter. Lucy and Katie are besties, and both value their friendship. Lucy is staying with Katie and her husband, Bill, an Ocean Crest police officer.
7. Lucy loves lemon meringue pie. Other than her mother’s baklava, her favorite is lemon meringue pie from Cutie’s Cupcake Bakery in Ocean Crest.
8. Lucy doesn’t like to exercise, but since returning home she doesn’t have much choice. Lucy jogs (or trudges) the Ocean Crest boardwalk and beach three times a week. Waitressing at Kebab Kitchen doesn’t burn enough calories. Lucy’s fondness for her mother’s cooking and lemon meringue pie, requires serious exercise.
9. Despite her best efforts to keep her distance from her ex, Azad, sparks still fly between them. It doesn’t help that Azad is trying to win her back. Will she give him a second chance?
10. Lucy has a bad habit of stumbling over bodies. Dead ones. She was forced to become a sleuth, but she’s found that she has quite a knack for it. With her best friend, Katie, by her side, they end up solving crime. It’s all just an average day at the Jersey shore.
If you want to find out where Lucy’s adventures lead her and her friends and quirky family, please pick up Hummus and Homicide, the first book in the “Kebab Kitchen” mystery series. Stabbed in the Baklava and One Feta in the Grave are coming soon after!
RECIPE!
Tina Kashian’s Award-Winning Hummus Recipe
This is Tina's own secret recipe, and she makes it weekly at home for her kids and husband. It can be served as a dip with wedges of pita bread or vegetables, and goes well with broiled or grilled meat. It can also be used as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise on sandwiches.
1 can (15 ounces) chick peas
3½ teaspoons tahini (sesame seed puree)
3 cloves minced garlic (1½ teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Drain can of chick peas and reserve ¼ cup fluid. Mix tahini thoroughly before using to incorporate oil that separates during storage. Using a food processor or blender, combine and blend all ingredients until smooth. If hummus is too thick, add a few tablespoons of reserved fluid from chick peas and blend again. Pour into serving platter. Enjoy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina Kashian spent her childhood summers at the New Jersey shore, building sand castles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business where her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. She worked almost every job—rolling silverware and wiping down tables as a tween, to hosting and waitressing as a teenager. After college, Tina worked as a NJ Deputy Attorney General, a patent attorney, and a mechanical engineer. Her law cases inspired an inquiring mind of crime, and since then, Tina has been hooked on mysteries. The Kebab Kitchen Cozy Mystery series launches with Hummus and Homicide, followed by Stabbed in the Baklava and One Feta in the Grave by Kensington Books. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two young daughters. Please visit www.tinakashian.com and join her Newsletter to enter free contests to win books, get delicious recipes, and to learn when her books will be released.
Connect with Tina:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Buy the bookAmazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Google Books | Kobo
