Words of praise for DISHING UP DEATH!

“What could be more "Hollywood" than a gourmet pet chef? Marie Celine, who loves animals and food, has seen fit to include both in her first mystery. While we don't get the old Valley Girl language per se, Celine still manages to create the aura of Hollywood to perfection.

Kitty Karlyle has managed to begin a business post chef school by cooking delicious meals, complete with cute little recipe cards, for a few select animals in the Hollywood area. Naturally the pet owners all have their idiosyncrasies, whether it's an aging rock star with a little too much sexual energy or an old woman with a mysterious past. But when one of Kitty's well intentioned meals kills the stoned rock star, the hunt is on. In the meantime, the major investigating detective has decided that even as Kitty is still a suspect, he's going to marry her. Kitty reacts by concluding that she'd better investigate the rash of odd suspects herself, even as the suspects have evil plans for her undoing.

Kitty Karlyle is a darling detective, and her frantic efforts to avoid the amorous Detective Jack only serve to make her a more endearing character. She chases around Los Angeles serving her meals and trying to make sense of a diabolical plot that almost ensnares her at the end.

DISHING UP DEATH is a very cute, well plotted mystery with lots of flair. Marie Celine seems to know her subject well and dishes up characters with enough evil intentions and weird lifestyles to please even the most critical mystery reader. The Los Angeles "thing" permeates the novel, and eccentricity makes this book a thoroughly delightful read. Marie Celine has done a smash-up job on her first novel and has a great idea with the pet chef business. We'll expect to see more mysteries from this very promising new writer. A great job!” — Midwest Book Review

"Pet chef Kitty serves "killer" meals to the pampered canines of upscale L.A. residents: braised lamb, steak and egg burrito, salmon and cheese omelette, etc. Unfortunately, a drugged up ex-rock star eats his pet's meal by mistake and dies of poisoning. Kitty, aghast and under suspicion by the police, works to clear her name with help from best friend, Velma. Light-weight prose, a humorous approach, and idiosyncratic LA characters transform this series start into a real treat." — Library Journal

"Exceptional!!!" — Today's Books, a Public News Service

"Nope. The subtitle “A Gourmet Pet Chef Mystery” is not a misprint. Kitty Karlyle is exactly that. She rushes all over town providing such specially cooked delicacies as Benny Had a Little Lamb, Mister Cookie’s Jack and Dill and The Doggie and the Hare for the pampered pets of the very rich. (Recipes included, by the way.) Her charges range from dogs and cats to cockatiels, but Kitty rises to all occasions and makes a living from this weird enterprise–believable only in the context of Los Angeles. But someone puts poison in one of her recipes and, worse yet, the food looks so tasty that recording star Rich Evan samples it–with fatal results. So who’s to blame? Why Kitty, of course, at least according to the police. With the help of Velma Humphries, a one-time fellow student at cooking school, Kitty sets out to find the real killer, and handsome Detective Jack Young seems eager to assist. DISHING UP DEATH is a rollicking tale meant to be fun to read -- and it succeeds. Celine has a wry sense of humor which peeks through every so often in this romp through Los Angeles' more expensive neighborhoods.” – I Love A Mystery

"1 young, naive gourmet pet chef. Several hungry pampered pets. 1 fading rock star (dead). Many red herrings. 1 attractive detective. 1 murderer on the loose. Mix all ingredients together and you have an entertaining culinary crime caper from food and animal lover Marie Celine." — Skokie Public Library

“From delectable dishes to long-buried secrets and quirky celebrities, this story has all the ingredients that make up a great read.” Cats and Kittens Magazine

“An enjoyable, light-hearted mystery.” Tucson-Pima Public Library, a Staff Pick