Eps 1: The great pizza shop murder mystery
| Host image: | StyleGAN neural net |
|---|---|
| Content creation: | GPT-3.5, |
Host
Jo Gilbert
Podcast Content
-
The dinner theatre style evening included a gourmet dinner and wine, as well as solving a murder mystery. The evening was spent at Burklee Hill Vineyards, whose website offers mystery evenings, complete with dinner and a course gourmet menu. The excitement was palpable in the air; the perfect mix of murder and fine dining! Guests were able to choose from a variety of styles of murder mysteries, including classic whodunnit scenarios, or something more unique such as a theatre-style dinner party. Sounds like the perfect way to spend an evening!
The Great Pizza Shop Murder Mystery series has been a hit with pizza lovers and cozy mystery fans alike. It all started with the first novel, set in the small town of Timber Ridge. The explosion of the first novel gained it much popularity, and it was soon followed by a second novel. Both books feature pepperoni pizza slices as the central motif and have been met with high demand from cozy mystery fans.
Outside Ghigiarelli's Restaurant, a small pizzeria in a small North Carolina town, lies the scene of the mysterious death of Maria Baron, the owner and "slice" of the restaurant. Her daughter Eleanor Swift is determined to uncover what happened to her mother and discovers that there are more secrets lurking beneath the surface than she ever imagined. Eleanor's sister Maddy soon joins her in her investigation, as do a group of local pizza lovers who christen themselves "The Pizza Lovers Mysteries". Together they unravel the hidden truths behind Maria's death while also discovering some delightful surprises along the way. Chris, a young man from Timber Ridge who has come to comfort his family after Maria's death, also plays an important role in uncovering what happened at Ghigiarelli's Restaurant.
The Ghigiarelli's was a famous pizza place in Old Forge, Pennsylvania and was known for it's tray-style pizza which could feed up to four people. It had become a hangout for famous pizza devotees, who came from all around the state to savor the taste of Ghigiarelli's famous pies. The mystery surrounding Robert Baron Jr.'s death began when someone died at the restaurant. There were no witnesses to confirm what happened, but there were signs of a struggle and blood stains on the floor. The ovens were empty and all the lights in the restaurant were off. It was later revealed that Robert Baron Jr., had been running a cash business at his restaurant and may have had customers that night. When news of Robert Baron Jr.'s death spread throughout Old Forge, many yearned mourners said their goodbyes to him and his family.
At the same time, it was hard for most to believe that the owner of the popular Street Pizza shop had been murdered in his own back room. It all began when Old Samuel Heelan stumbled into Thorndike Apartment on Newtown Road and found a battered Volkswagen Rabbit parked out front. Inside the car, he discovered an empty liquor bottle and a birthday card from Craig Thorndike. Old Craig Thorndike was a long-time resident at Riverbend Condominiums and was known to perform rituals at Robert Baron Jr.'s gravesite each year on his birthday. This year, however, he had chosen to celebrate in his old Volkswagen instead - a decision that would have deadly consequences. The following morning Old Samuel Heelan heard loud noises coming from Street Pizza's back room and rushed inside to find Craig Thorndike standing over Robert Baron Jr.'s body with a bloody knife in one hand and a laundry bag full of money in the other.
It was up to the learned detectives of the local police force to unlock the front door and investigate what had happened. After taking statements from Craig's girlfriend, who had seen him leave the pizza shop in a hurry, as well as from witnesses who had seen him in a traffic accident just blocks away, it became clear that Craig Thorndike was the killer. The failed man had created a disturbance when he entered Street Pizza's back door, unaware that the woman he was looking for had already left. The police were able to piece together what happened and lock up Craig Thorndike for murder.
The police said that Thorndike had stolen a secret pizza sauce recipe from the pizza place he used to work at, sending it to a rival cafe owned by Eugene Lombardo and Barbati. On the evening of the crime, Thorndike was seen entering the pizza shop and then there were several shots heard. It seemed that Thorndike had taken some jewelry with him when he left, worth about $10,000. The Staten Island police investigators are still trying to find out the origins of the shots and if anyone else was involved. They are also trying to track down any clues from Eugene Lombardo and Barbati’s forge cafe that could help shed light on what happened that night.
The Great Pizza Shop Murder Mystery is an interactive dinner theatre experience where the guests are invited to join the Old Forge Gourmands for a night of solving the cheese mystery. Written mysteries and scripts offer variation in each performance, subtle differences that keep the audience on their toes. As guests work together to solve the mystery using series of interactive questioning, they are also encouraged to use any utensils or ingredients they can find at the cafe. To add a fun twist, they can also borrow utensils from neighboring cafes or even other shops in town to help find clues. With word competition and knit-a-longs, The Great Pizza Shop Murder Mystery offers something for everyone and is sure to be an unforgettable experience.
Our cordial lounge is the perfect place for pizza lovers to enjoy amenities and love mysteries. Writing a good mystery narrative is not easy but Chris Cavender has done a great job with this novel. With its beautiful setting in the great outdoors, the story lines and characters make this the perfect place for a murder mystery.