Review: The Carrot Marmalade Murder by Meg Benjamin | A Luscious Delights Cozy Mystery
Wedding plans, small-town secrets, tempting food, and plenty of suspects made this an easy cozy to settle into-and much harder to solve than I expected.
Wedding preparations should be enough to keep anyone busy, but Roxy has considerably more than flowers, dresses, and menus to worry about in The Carrot Marmalade Murder by Meg Benjamin. When Nate's trouble-making ex turns up dead, Roxy suddenly has a murder to solve and a fiancé whose name needs clearing-all while trying to make it to their wedding day.
This is the seventh book in Benjamin's Luscious Delights cozy mystery series, but don't let that stop you from jumping in here. The story works wonderfully as a standalone, with enough context to settle comfortably into Roxy's world without feeling as though you've arrived late to the party. The greater danger may be discovering that you suddenly want to go back and binge the first six.
The Carrot Marmalade Murder By Meg Benjamin
Series: A Luscious Delights Mystery, Book 7
Published by Wild Rose Press on August 2026
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 256
Roxy and Nate are finally getting married, but murder wasn’t on the program. In the midst of her wedding prep,
Roxy has to deal with Nate’s trouble-making ex who thinks she can rekindle their romance. But things get serious when the ex ends up dead in a Shavano back alley.
Now Roxy needs to clear Nate’s name, sell her customers on her carrot marmalade, and find herself a wedding dress. All before it’s time to take a deep breath and confront her own wedding jitters.
Reader Resources
Reader Info at a Glance
| Setting | Small-town Colorado Rockies |
| Mystery Style | Amateur sleuth • food-centered cozy |
| Series Entry | Works well as a standalone |
| Pacing | Steady, with building tension and a quick-read feel |
| Good to Know | Food plays a major role throughout, and wedding preparations are woven into the mystery. |
| Best For | Readers who enjoy character-driven cozies, small-town settings, culinary touches, red herrings, and surprising reveals. |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
A note about my ratings: I rate books according to what they set out to accomplish within their genre and intended audience. See How I Rate Books →
Quick Take: The Carrot Marmalade Murder delivers everything I want from a great cozy: engaging characters, a charming Colorado setting, tempting food, clever red herrings, and a mystery that kept me guessing.
Things to Know: This is Book 7 in the Luscious Delights series, but it works beautifully as a standalone. Fair warning, though-you may finish this one wanting to go back and binge the first six.
Now let's talk about the parts that shaped my reading experience.
My Thoughts
Meg Benjamin writes the Colorado Rockies setting beautifully. Shavano has that comfortable small-town feel I want in a cozy mystery, but it never feels like generic scenery. The town, the people, and especially the food all help give The Carrot Marmalade Murder its personality.
And there is a lot of food! It plays such an important role in the story that it almost becomes a character itself. Between Roxy's business, the catering, and all those delicious descriptions, don't be surprised if this book makes you hungry. I always enjoy a cozy where the main character's work feels like a genuine part of her life rather than something added simply to give the series a theme.
The character development is another real strength. The mystery may provide the central puzzle, but Roxy still has a life going on around it. She's running her business, dealing with relationships, and trying to figure out how she feels about all the trappings that come with getting married. Those everyday concerns keep the story light and grounded even as the tension builds.
The pacing is steady rather than frantic, yet this was a very fast read for me. It's one of those mysteries where you keep thinking you'll read just a little longer because you're almost certain you have it figured out.
I didn't.
Benjamin gives us all the suspects and red herrings I expect from a good cozy while still making the mystery feel fresh. Every time I thought I had settled on the answer, there was another reason to reconsider. Best of all, the final reveal genuinely surprised me without feeling as though it came out of nowhere.
That's a difficult balance to pull off, and it's a big reason The Carrot Marmalade Murder earned five stars from me. It does exactly what I want a great cozy mystery to do: gives me characters I enjoy spending time with, a setting I want to return to, plenty of reasons to keep turning the pages, and a solution I couldn't quite reach before the sleuth did.
Final Thoughts
The Carrot Marmalade Murder reminded me why I enjoy a well-written cozy mystery so much. Meg Benjamin brings together appealing characters, small-town atmosphere, food, relationships, and a cleverly constructed puzzle without letting any one element overwhelm the others.
This was simply a fun book to spend time with-and one that kept me guessing longer than I expected. I've enjoyed Meg Benjamin's work before, and The Carrot Marmalade Murder gives me another reason to keep exploring her books. I have a feeling the earlier Luscious Delights mysteries may be calling my name.
Excerpt
To give you a feel for Meg's writing style, here's a brief excerpt:
"I knew Dallas a few years ago, when we were both working in Las Vegas. We were friendly then. I wouldn't say we've been all that friendly since she came to Shavano." A nice way of pivoting around the question.
"Why not?" I guessed that was a logical question, but it seemed to put Nate on the spot. For the first time, I wondered where Chief Fowler had gotten his information about Nate and Dallas. And why it was important.
Another long pause before Nate spoke. "Dallas thought we could pick up where we left off in Vegas. I didn't agree."
"She wanted a romantic relationship?" No pause this time. I figured this was what Fowler had really wanted to talk about all along.
Nate was apparently sensing the same danger I felt. Whatever Fowler was after, it wasn't good. "I don't know. She never said anything about it. I wasn't comfortable around her. I avoided her when I could."
"Did she know you and Roxy were getting married?" Fowler's voice was maddeningly calm.
"Yes. I introduced her to Rox the first time I ran into her at a catering gig in Geary."
"How did she feel about that?"
"I don't know," Nate repeated. "She didn't say. Why don't you ask her?"
Very long pause. I felt a pain in my hand and realized I was digging my fingernails deeply into my palms. Come on. Just tell us the truth.
"Ms. LeClaire was found dead this morning," Fowler said slowly. "She was apparently attacked and killed downtown last night."
Before we move on, here's a little more about the author behind the books.
Meet the Author
Learn more:
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Author Hub
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Tour dates: August 10-31, 2026. To see the full schedule of stops, visit the
Goddess Fish Promotions tour page.
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