“Hamlet among ham hocks. The dysfunctional Swensons leap off the page, and Tori’s investigation is endearingly sloppy, with the cringeworthy mistakes of a first-time gumshoe generating the danger that many cozies lack. This sizzling whodunit deserves a sequel.”—Publishers Weekly
When private investigator Tori Swenson gets a case that brings her back into contact with her estranged family, she’s ready for some confrontation…and revenge.
Tory has long suspected that her uncle killed her father to steal his barbeque drive-in (a nationally famous restaurant) but she’d left years ago to deal with her own demons.
Now, a suspicious death at the restaurant brings vegetarian, Topo Chico-loving Tori back to her hometown. With an invitation to the family Fourth of July barbecue in hand, she sets out to investigate. But instead of a happy family reunion, her uncle is murdered and Tori is the prime suspect. She has to figure out who the murderer is before she ends up as the next victim.
Life circumstances conspired to give Wetsel the inspiration for her first novel. “I’d just left Kansas City for D.C. and was missing the barbecue. I thought, why not set a murder mystery at a world-famous barbecue restaurant? Now that sounds juicy.”
She didn’t lean entirely on the real world, however. “Swensons [the world-famous family restaurant] is a barbecue drive-in. They don’t actually exist—at least, not yet. I imagine that’s because eating barbecue in a car would be too messy.” (We’re willing to bet there are many readers out there who have found this out the hard way.)
Her protagonist, Tori, has a bittersweet origin story. “She’s a combination of a woman I met on a plane who’d been a forensics analyst in Kansas City and my friend who died from an opioid overdose. While a lot of fictional detectives use drugs, I couldn’t find one addicted to opioids.
“I started working on the book near the beginning of Covid—May 2020—and since I had so much time alone at home, this book kept me sane. I drew inspiration from books such as Hamlet, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, as well as the movie Knives Out.”
With all the mouth-watering moments in Burnt Ends, Wetsel has a very specific desire for her readers. “I hope it makes them ravenous!”
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Must-Read Medical Thrillers - March 21, 2025 - Debut Spotlight: Burnt Ends - March 20, 2025
