Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)

by Lena Gregory

Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 23, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 178 pages

When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . .

When a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently.

Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .

My Review of Home Fries and Alibis

In Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery), Lena Gregory delivers another delicious cozy mystery that readers are sure to enjoy! Gia Morelli finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation when a neighbor is murdered. Sure, no one liked her. I guess that’s what happens when you blackmail them! With her unlikable personality, there are lots of potential killers, and that’s only counting people in the neighborhood! 

Lena Gregory is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I’ve never been disappointed by any of her books, and Home Fries and Alibis definitely doesn’t disappoint! I loved it! Since it’s been about 18 months since the last All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, I had to reacquaint myself with the town and its characters. Once I got a few chapters in, I was right back in the thick of things in Boggy Creek, Florida with Gia and her friends. 

Reading this reminded me of just how much I love these characters! I don’t want to share spoilers with you; however with this being book 8, you know the homeless character Harley almost never enters a building. Therefore, you will really be crying at how he supports Savannah, Gia’s BFF, when she really needs her friends. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this emotional reading a cozy mystery! I love how the characters in the book are so close and are like a found family. 

Not only does the author excel at bringing her main characters to life, she also brings well-written side characters, including murder victims, to the book. You love to hate Gladys…though we shouldn’t hate people in real life! She’s really sleazy and scheming, and the more you find out about her, the more you can’t stand her! Then there are the side characters who are suspects and red herrings. They seem nice on the surface, but you just don’t know if that’s all an act! 

All in all, Gregory delivers a first-rate cozy mystery. It has a meticulously-plotted mystery, delicious food (can’t leave that out!), well-written characters, and an emotional element that really makes it stand out! I highly recommend it! 5 stars! 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Character Guest Post

Breakfast Ideas

By Gia Morelli

When I lived in New York, I worked the breakfast shift at a busy deli. I loved everything about it, but I especially remember enjoying the aromas; coffee brewing, bacon, freshly baked Kaiser rolls…

When I decided to open a cafe, it seemed natural to base it around breakfast, but I started wondering if there would be enough items to fill the menu. So I sat down and thought about everything you could make for breakfast, and to my surprise, the list just kept getting longer and longer. Of course, you can always go with the traditional bacon, eggs, home fries, and toast, but here are a few more suggestions from the All-Day Breakfast Café menu you may enjoy.

Omelets: Omelets can be a quick easy breakfast, especially if you prepare ahead of time like Gia does. Once or twice a week you can spend a few minutes dicing your vegetables, or frying and cutting your meat, then keep it in a covered container in the refrigerator. When it’s time to make breakfast, you just throw in whatever you want, and you have a nice, hot meal in no time at all.

There are two ways to make omelets. You can cook the eggs first, then fill the omelet and fold it over, or you can scramble the omelet ingredients into the eggs, then cook them together. Personally, I prefer everything cooked together.

And what can you put in your omelet? Pretty much anything you’d like! Some of the omelets on Gia’s menu include:

Meat Lovers – a blend of bacon, ham, and sausage, topped with American or cheddar cheese.

Veggie Lovers – any kind of vegetables you like. Some of my favorites are spinach, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini.

Western – diced ham, green peppers, and onions topped with American cheese. Western omelets are also amazing on a Kaiser roll with salt and pepper. 

Breakfast Pies: Breakfast pies take time to make, but they can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge, then you can simply take a slice and heat it up any time you’re ready. When Gia makes breakfast pies, she lines the pie tins with home fries or shredded potatoes, then she scrambles eggs with whatever ingredients she want to use. (Mostly the same ingredients she uses in omelets.) Once cooked, she adds them to the pie tins, then sprinkles shredded cheddar cheese over the top and puts it in the oven until the cheese melts.

Sandwiches and Wraps: You can never go wrong with a nice bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll. Not only can you make it quickly, you can take it with you and eat it on the run.

Those are just a few breakfast ideas, but you could also do pancakes and waffles, (with or without toppings) burritos, quesadillas, even a breakfast pizza. So next time you aren’t sure what you feel like having for breakfast, just give something off the All-Day Breakfast Cafe menu a try.

About Lena Gregory

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

• Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
• Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links

Amazon   Barnes & Noble    Kobo

Enter both giveaways! Giveaway #2 is below this giveaway form!

Giveaway #2 $10 Amazon Gift Card – 1 Winner – Ends 10/7

Enter giveaway by answering this question in the comments: What is your favorite breakfast?

Home Fries and Alibis TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 23 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

September 24 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

September 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

September 26 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

September 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

September 27 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW

September 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 29 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST

September 30 – My Books and Crafts – SPOTLIGHT

October 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

October 2 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

October 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

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