A Murder’s Guide to Mardi Gras Reading Kit

A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras

A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras is part of Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series. The amateur sleuth is Ricki James-Diaz, a vintage cookbook collector and the proprietor of Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware, a shop in New Orleans’ Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

It’s carnival season in New Orleans, and Ricki and her friends are ready to celebrate as part of a notorious Mardi Gras parade krewe. It’s all fun, throws, and over-the-top outfits until the krewe’s captain is found strangled with his own medallion. If they want to see next year's Mardi Gras celebration, they'll need to get to the bottom of the mystery and catch the killer.

A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras is the fourth book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series. It could be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel if you are looking for a fun holiday read.

A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras Reader Questions

Note: If you aren’t in a book club, you can still use these questions to reflect on the story after you read it. Get a printable PDF of the reader questions.

What three words would you use to describe A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras?
What makes Ricki a good sleuth?
Who is your favorite character in A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras?
What do you think about the setting in A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras?
Have you ever attended Mardi Gras? Would you like to?
Would you rather be in the parade as a krewe member or watching the parade as a spectator?
Did you have a favorite scene in the book? What did you like about this scene?
Who was your first suspect?
Were you able to identify the killer before Ricki did?
What red herrings threw you off the real culprit’s trail?
What did you think of the ending of A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras?
Would you like to see A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras turned into a mystery TV series or movie? Who would you cast as Ricki and the other main characters?
Have you read the other books in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series?
Do you have any predictions for future books in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series?

Vintage Cookbook Mystery Books by Ellen Byron

Golden Motel Mystery Books 1-3

Meet the Author of A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras

Author Ellen Byron often attends book club meetings virtually via Zoom. If your book club has read All Aboard for Murder or another Ellen Byron book, you can reach out to her via her website, www.ellenbyron.com, to invite her to your book club meeting. On her website, you can also sign up for her newsletter to access a printable reading list, coloring pages, and other bookish extras.

Activities to Go Beyond the Book

Play a game of Mardi Gras trivia to test your knowledge of carnival season.
Get some beads or craft supplies and make Mardi Gras themed jewelry or masks.
Check out this Ultimate Guide to Mardi Gras to learn more about carnival season New Orleans.
Take a trip to New Orleans and enjoy Mardi Gras in person!

Snacks for A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras Book Club Meeting

Make a batch of Gumbo or New Orleans Meatballs (recipes can be found at the end of A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras).
Bake a New Orleans King Cake or order one from a mail-order bakery (like Joe Gambino’s Bakery, Cannata’s, or Caluda’s) and have it shipped to your house.
Make muffuletta sandwiches. Try this mini muffuletta sandwich recipe from www.southernliving.com.
Set up a self-serve mixing station so club members can create their own New Orleans cocktails. Try one of these New Orleans cocktail recipes from www.foodandwine.com or pick up a copy of New Orleans Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Big Easy.

New Orleans King Cake

Interview with Author Ellen Byron

Read an interview with Ellen Byron, the author of A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras.

Vintage Cookbook Mysteries In Order

There are currently four books in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series by Ellen Byron (with more to come!). The books in the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries in order are:

More Mystery Series From Ellen Byron

Ellen Byron writes several mystery series, including the:

Golden Motel Mystery Series: In this cozy mystery trilogy, former sitcom writer Dee Stern impulsively buys a retro motel in California gold country. When her guests “check out” early, she starts sleuthing with Jeff, her best friend (and ex-husband).
Cajun Country Mystery Series: This seven-book series is set in Cajun Country. The amateur sleuth is Maggie Crozat, who returns to Louisiana to run her family’s plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast. The books end with yummy Cajun-themed recipes.
Catering Hall Mystery Series: Ellen writes this series under the pen name Maria DiRico. In this culinary cozy mystery series, amateur sleuth Mia Carina lives with her Nonna, solves mysteries, and works at her father’s catering hall in a bustling Queens neighborhood. This five-book series includes Italian recipes.

See Ellen Byron’s Books

Use the arrows on either side of the images shown below to cycle through cozy mysteries by Ellen Byron. Click on any book to see a description, reviews, and an excerpt on Amazon.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder