Basil Instinct

Italian Restaurant Mystery #2

by Shelley Costa

In this second cozy mystery series that started with You Cannoli Die Once , a chef and her cousins launch their own investigation when a new sous chef turns up dead in their Italian restaurant.

When Chef Eve Angelotta’s grandmother, Maria Pia, is invited to join Belfiere, a secret all-female Italian culinary society, Eve is concerned. Rumor has it that membership is lifelong—whether you like it or not. Eve and her cousin Landon try to research Belfiere, but all they come up with is a two-year-old blog entry warning against the two-hundred-year-old society that centers around meals inspired by famous female poisoners.

Soon after, Eve’s new sous chef turns up dead just inside the front door of Miracolo, Eve’s restaurant. When they discover the sous chef had connections to Belfiere, Eve and her Italian cousins start a mission to find out what happened—before Maria Pia is made an offer she can’t refuse.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Cooking, Contemporary

358 pages, Mass Market

First published December 31, 2013

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished Basil Instinct (Italian Restaurant Mystery, #2) by Shelley Costa which I really enjoyed. It's a humorous mystery with an italian flair that revolves around Miracolo, an Italian family-owned restaurant in Pennsylvania. Eve Angelotta, the main character has plenty in common with Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum and is surrounded, as it usually happens in cozy mysteries, by a group of quirky and zany characters. The mystery's resolution was totally unexpected and I didn't figure it out until the end of the book. Unfortunately, it seems that there are no more installments in this series and it's a shame in my humble opinion, because I would've loved to share a few more adventures with Eve.

[Sommer Hoohuli-Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Constant moving and keeps you wondering.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Chef Eve Angelotta’s grandmother, Maria Pia, is invited to join Belfiere, a secret all-female Italian culinary society, Eve is concerned. Rumor has it that membership is lifelong—whether you like it or not. Eve and her cousin Landon try to research Belfiere, but all they come up with is a two-year-old blog entry warning against the two-hundred-year-old society that centers around meals inspired by famous female poisoners.

Soon after, Eve’s new sous chef turns up dead just inside the front door of Miracolo, Eve’s restaurant. When they discover the sous chef had connections to Belfiere, Eve and her Italian cousins start a mission to find out what happened—before Maria Pia is made an offer she can’t refuse.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This crazy Italian family is back and with their new sous chef dropping dead in the restaurant foyer and a big party coming up the story turns into scenes similar to the movie Weekend at Bernie’s. Oh my, this story was hilarious. Add to that a strange group of chefs and their weird rituals, Eve’s community college delinquents and murder investigation and you have a fantastic story.

Some of these characters take eclectic to a whole new level. Mrs. Crawford, the pianist that sets the restaurants atmosphere, continues to crack me up again and again. Maria Pia with her nightly Three Coins in the Fountain performances just add to the fun. “You have to give the people what they want.” Eve and Landon try to keep the eatery under control but let’s face it they are fighting an uphill battle.

Costa has woven a very creative mystery amongst all the humor. Eve really has the best intentions but she sure gets herself in trouble. She follows those clues wherever they lead and always thinks if she gets caught she can talk her way out of it but that doesn’t always work. She gets herself into the pesto several times and keeps the reader on their toes.

This was a fun read and I was truly craving Italian food when I finished it. Too bad there isn’t a restaurant like Miracolo nearby sans the dead body, of course.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is shaping up to be a really funny and one of my favorite series currently around. I already fell in love with Maria and Eve but I have fallen for them more with this book. Also, another person that I like is Eve's cousin, Landon. I can't remember if he was in the first book but he is making sure he stands in the spotlight this time.

When Eve and Landon found the dead body of their sous chef and hide it, I could not help but laugh. Then when Eve showed the body to her boyfriend, Joe, it almost was a Weekend at Bernie's moment. I just realized what Eve and Joe remind me of. They are kind of like Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Eve just moves to the beat of her own drum and sometimes finds herself in over her head. Luckily for her Joe is around to get her out of the predicament that she finds herself in. Which always makes for laughs. I really liked the mystery in this book and the idea of a secret chef cooking society that includes members getting an exclusive tattoo. Which Eve's grandmother, Maria did get. I can't tell you what it is or I might have to kill you. You will just have to get a copy of this book for yourself to learn what it is. You will not be disappointed.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve's Nonna has been invited to join a top secret society of top chef's. Nonna is thrilled, but Eve has her doubts about the mysterious group. However, when disaster strikes on Nonna's big day, can Eve deal with the fall out?

There are a few too many characters to keep them all straight, although the ones important to the story stand out. The plot keeps moving forward well. But what surprised me was the comedy. I laughed the entire way through as the characters did and said some pretty funny things.

NOTE: I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 stars I liked The Trouble with Harry routine.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. Eve’s grandmother is invited to join an exclusive and secretive culinary society that is strictly for women called Belfiere. She must host a dinner for the members and then will be initiated at a special ceremony wearing a dress made to particular specifications. Eve and her cousin Landon have their reservations about the society and try to investigate, but come up with little other than a disturbing blog post by a former member, hinting at poisonings and other sinister practices. In the meantime, Eve has been convinced to teach a community cooking class and some of her students are a little on the rough side. As she needs extra help for the party, she recruits a few of the more promising students to work. But on the day of the party, she is stunned to find a dead body on the premises. After much shuffling and occasional disappearances of the body, they manage to pull off the party, but she is finally convinced that they must bring the event to an end and call the police. Eve starts her own investigation, convinced that the secret society must hold the key to solving the case.

[Dlora · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light cozy murder mystery whose strengths like in the characters and setting, but definitely not in the realistic solving of a murder. I enjoyed the strong flavor of Italian personalities and Italian cooking. Lots of great behind-the-scenes adventures running and cooking in a family restaurant. Solving the mystery is kicked to motivation since our heroes have messed up the murder scene royally, in a comedy of errors, right from the beginning. As suspects are investigated we learn about a secret society of women chefs and unexpected family lore. Humor and being Italian are in the mix but not much tension or police involvement (just what were they doing while Eve Angelotta is solving the mystery?). My favorite line in the story, striking a chord of truth that transcends the cozy mystery: "The kind of hell that can break loose has a real measure of subtlety. The crack in the ice, the one drink too many, the casual fib. Hell starts small."

[Holly Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A top secret society of female chefs, Belfiere has marinated in mystery for 2 centuries. With it's members only tattoo and code of omerta, this is not your grandmother's cooking club! Or so Eve Angelotta thinks until her own nonna Miracolo's feisty owner, Maria Pia is chosen to join their shadowy ranks. Suspicious from the start Eve enlists her cousin Landon and sexy lawyer Joe Beck to uncover possible murderous designs on Maria Pia. But the prosciutto hits the fan when Eve's sous chef turns up dead with Belfiere's B enblazoned on her wrist....IF this culinary cult wants to play hunger games, Eve will sharpen her sleuthing instincts AND her knives to make sure Nonna is the last chef standing

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit slow and repetitive, but the ending came outta nowhere. I love when that happens. Maria Pia is going to be inducted into a secret society that has a history poisoning some members. Eve doesn't want anything to happen to her nonna, so she investigates. In the meantime, she also starts teaching at the local career center and hires on a new server from there who turns up dead in the restaurant. The one thing that really bothered me was the constant moving of the dead body so her nonna's big night does not get disturbed. I know it was kinda funny, but kinda morbid. I'm not sure if it was written differently, I would've felt differently, but it was just off for me. It was kind of like the movie Weekend At Bernie's.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd in this series. Eve's grandmother has received an invitation to join an exclusive secret cooking club and is thrilled but Eve is suspicious of this club and first thing her grandmother does is to get a tattoo on her wrist and then sets up an exclusive dinner at the restaurant but Eve found a new employee dead on the doorstep and has to hide the body! What is this secret society and do they have anything to do with this murder?

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm surprised to be giving a Shelley Costa book one star, but I couldn't get past the first chapter in this one. I was hoping it would be better than the first in the series, & that the title would be the worst thing about it, but it was silly and the characters were tiresome. I given up on this series, and hope there are some more Val Cameron ones forthcoming.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this book but I just couldn't get into it. It's weird because I enjoyed the first in this series. I even put it down and picked it back up another day just in case I was in a mood the first time.

I stopped reading at chapter 5, page 92.

[Nancy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner with lots of twists and turns and lots of mystery and action to the very end of the book.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - and the two book series. Great characters. Wishing on a Star the author writes more. Just change it up so murder victim doesn’t die in restaurant.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery needed so much coincidence it was eye-rolling, but the characters and snarky voice had me grinning.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed the book. although illness kept me reading at a slower pace .the story was good and held my interest

[Mardi D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Much of the book our lead character spent pursuing the killer in the wrong direction. I liked the characters and the writing and would be happy to read more from this author.

[Deb Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eve and the gang from Miracolo are back in Shelley Costa's, second book in the Italian Restaurant Mystery series. This time Maria Pia has been given the opportunity to join a very selective and secretive group of female chefs, but murder may be in the offing. Costa has an innate ability to write a good mystery with tons of eclectic characters and more humor than a good slap stick comedy. Readers looking for a great offbeat family will find the Angelotta's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

What I liked:

The first book in this series, You Cannoli Die Once, was funny, but nothing like Basil Instinct. Shelley Costa has really amped up the humor in this one and readers will have some serious "Weekend at Bernie's" moments. I love that old movie and when Eve and Landon try to hide a dead body to save Maria Pia's dinner and then try to move it, you can't help but belly laugh... a lot. I think Costa's use of humor was spot on here. It took all of the tension out of the murder and managed to still keep the mystery right on track.

The secret society of chefs and their interesting traditions and rituals were entertaining and had me thinking Masons or some sort of underground community. It gave this addition to the series a sinister sort of quality that wasn't present in the first book. Maria Pia going out to get a tattoo was both funny and a testament to how far these kinds of societies can stray towards cult like behavior and I thought Costa did a fantastic job of developing this very unique group. There was a lot of humor involved with it, but also that underlying manipulative energy. Good stuff!

There were still an inordinately large amount of characters in this book, but it was easier to follow the second time around. This is a large family and I understand that, that is an Italian trait, but it gives the reader too many people to have to keep up with and if the characters only appear now and then it's easy to forget who they are or how they have been incorporated into the story up to this point. I think the author would have benefited from spending more time on a few characters then so much time on so many.

I continue to be impressed with how Costa is able to get the family dynamics so accurate in her writing. This is exactly what I expect from a big Italian family. There is a lot of love, a lot of tolerance and good times and bad. I love Eve as the main character and the way she goes about investigating the strange things that seem to keep happening at Miracolo. She is gutsy, funny and very inquisitive. I didn't figure this one out right away, but when I did, it was easy to look back and see how the author led up to everything and provided plenty of clues if the reader was paying attention.

Bottom Line:

This was a good second book in a series. The author brought in a double dose of humor and kept the reader interested from the beginning to the end. With secret societies, murdered sous chefs, culinary students, a corpse to hide and plenty of clues, this was one intriguing mystery. Can't wait to see what happens next with this big ol' Italian family.

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know from the opening paragraph in BASIL INSTINCT that life is going to get complicated for Eve Angelotta, head chef at Miracolo. “I uttered those fateful words: ‘How bad can it be?...[T]he universe hears those words as a challenge.’”
A worthy follow up to YOU CANNOLI DIE ONCE, BASIL INSTINCT includes many of the same characters, primarily Eve, her octogenarian nonna Maria Pia who owns Miracol, her cousin Landon and other personnel associated with the restaurant.
The story begins when Maria Pia, Eve’s nonna receives an invitation to join The Society of Belfiere–“honoring the gustatory delights of life and death”, a 200-year-old secret society of top female chefs whose logo displays three sharp knives, a red sash, and the Latin words Numquam Nimis Multi Cultri. Before being initiated, Maria Pia must get a tattoo on her wrist, make a traditional gown for herself and provide a gourmet meal for fifty guests before showing up, alone, at the induction ceremony location. Omertà must be observed.
While Maria Pia is ecstatic about the invitation, Eve and Landon are concerned. They have never heard of Belfiere and information about it is exceedingly scarce. They are finally able to find one comment by someone who attended one of their meals at which someone was poisoned but there was no story about it in the media.
Meanwhile, Eve was roped into teaching a cooking course at a technical school. Four of the eight class members turn out to be delinquents who, she luckily discovers before distributing equipment, would really like to work with knives. One of the other students is very proficient in the kitchen. She hires her and another one to help cook and serve for the Belfiere dinner at Miracolo that Friday night.
But Eve finds a body in the entryway of the restaurant when she arrives at work in the morning. The person seems to have had a heart attack. Not wanting to let anything interfere with the dinner, Eve and Landon hide the body, then have to move it. And then the games begin.
Well-written and fast paced, the laughs begin in the first paragraph and keep on coming. “Nonna” is defined as “Annoying grandmother.” The wit sneaks up on you. At one point she mentions the band preparing by trying to find an A they can agree on. After writing about singing, Costa has four short lines of prose. I found that I was trying to create a melody for them. While she doesn’t provide an exact recipe for Pestosicles, the thought of them had me rolling my eyes. There is an interesting recipe at the end, though.
There are a lot of sentence fragments which do work since they seem to be part of Eve’s thought process. However, there are a few too many references to YOU CANNOLI DIE ONCE which don’t really help move the plot along.
I’m looking forward to book three in the series.

[Robin Leslie Coxon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basil Instinct
Shelley Costa

Eve Angelotta and her cousins are back in this second book of the mystery series by Shelley Costa. Maria Pia, has received a private invitation to join Belfiere, a private society of top chefs. Secrecy is tops of the list for this society and this makes the cousins concerned for Maria Pia’s safety. Eve and her cousin, Landon, search the web for information without Maria Pia being aware of this. Eve also has taken on a volunteer position to instruct students cooking skills who are attending Quaker Hills Career Center. Not the most upstanding students, Eve is determined to get through to them. On top of Maria Pia’s special dinner for 50 members of Belfiere, there is also Grief Week being observed in late evenings at Miracola. The members who are either workers or provide music are observing the loss of family members and also pets due to death or divorce. All in all there are moments of hilarity sporadically throughout the book. We observe the respect of the younger members of the family for the senior member of the family. Last but not least we see the continuing development of the relationship between
Eve and Joe Beck. The story is written through Eve’s voice and Shelley Costa has provided a great insight into Eve and who she is.

[Pearl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first installment of the series so I was ready to see what the author cooked up for this book. Unfortunately, in the first third of the book, something occurred that vastly colored the way I read the rest. I couldn't get past it (*see spoilers below*), and as a result, it was hard to enjoy the unfolding of the plot and solving of the murder(s).

**Spoilers Ahead**
Many cozy mystery sleuths are a bit overly nosy (and tend to bend too many laws) for my taste, but in the end, they don't mess around when it comes to finding a dead body. The author has presented the main characters of this series, especially the protagonist, as being reasonably intelligent. That being said, it just didn't seem logical at all that Eve and her cousin would think it was a good idea to HIDE a dead body, rather than calling the police immediately. Yes, I get it--they were trying to save Nonna's big evening, but still. I also find it incredulous that they thought reconstructing the crime scene 12 hours later made up for moving the body multiple times and possibly losing trace evidence.

All in all, I'm willing to suspend a certain amount of disbelief when I read a work of fiction, but it was not possible to buy that kind of stupidity.

[Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef Eve Angelotta is teaching a culinary arts class on top of running her restaurant, Miracolo, and keeping her grandmother out of trouble. When an invitation to join Belfiere, a secret society of female chefs, comes to Maria Pia both Landon and Eve are worried. When they research the group, they can only find a mysterious years old blog entry accusing them of being poisoners. When Eve’s new sous chef ends up dead in the restaurant, Eve is determined to get to the bottom of the Belfiere mystery before Maria Pia ends up hurt or worse…

BASIL INSTINCT is the second of the cozy comedic culinary mysteries in the Miracolo series. I definitely enjoyed BASIL INSTINCT more than the first book, YOU CANNOLI DIE ONCE. At times, there were still a few too many characters to keep track of, but it didn’t detract from the story this time. Full of humor and creativity, BASIL INSTINCT definitely stepped it up in the mystery department. The plot was good, with some surprises, and I didn’t figure out the perpetrator before they were revealed. BASIL INSTINCT is a solid second entry into this series.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in this series was every bit as good as the first one!! You don't need to read the first one in order to enjoy this one, but it's fun to follow the relationships :) I laughed out loud a lot, reading this book :) Eve teaches a class - unknown to her, there are several delinquents in class. Her first day of class was hilarious!! I could list many funny parts, but then this would be a very long review :) The mystery was great - kept me guessing, but the answer did not come out of the blue. Shelley Costa has a great way of building suspense & making you laugh at the same time. Very well done!! I love the characters in this book - & wish I could go there & hang out with them - fun, quirky group of people. I re-read several parts of this book, just because they were so darned funny. This book goes on my Keeper Shelf, & I know I will be re-reading it!! The only bad thing is that I finished it, & now I have to wait for the next one. Great book!!

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belfiere is a centuries old secret society for female chefs, and maria Pia—Eve Angelotta’s grandmother—has received an invitation to join. One of the conditions of membership is to produce a gourmet meal for the members, and Eve hires a couple of new restaurant staff members to help out on the big occasion.
But when sous chef Georgia is discovered dead on the night of the big event, Eve panics and moves the body, setting in motion an investigation into her death and into the background of the mysterious society of chefs. For fans of culinary mystery authors, like Diane Mott Davidson.

[Elizabeth Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tasty read!
An Italian getting a tattoo?! This has to be some secret society.
This is a delightful mystery. Good characters that make you care what happens.
Great sounding food (which sent me into the kitchen hoping to find something comparable to eat).
A rather interesting mix of people from family (not all of whom seem to be making sense) to delinquents.
This is a fun read. Enjoy. Mangia!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Head chef at her family's restaurant, Eve Angelotta also agrees to teach a community cooking class. It's an odd mix--one or two who are really restaurant grade, and several would-be delinquents. But the problems with the class pale compared to Eve's real issue: the secret chef's society that her grandmother has just been asked to join. And that's before one of the cooking class, who Eve hired to work at the restaurant, is murdered just before the big dinner for the secret society.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in awhile you pick up the perfect book at the perfect time. This series was that for me. Humorous, light and cozy with a good bit of craziness. Thank you Shelley Costa. You are one funny lady!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, but this was a tough read for me. It just didn't hold my interest.