Cooking Mysteries

Serving up a lot of food this month?  Then you might want to taste test a few cooking mysteries!

All Fudged Up by Nancy Coco - Allie McMurphy is up to her neck in renovations at the grand old hotel that's been in her family for generations. With its quaint Victorian charm--and world-famous fudge shop--the place is one of Mackinac Island's most beloved landmarks.
Sure, every family has a skeleton or two in the closet. But Allie didn't expect to find an actual corpse inside hers, especially one Joe Jessup, who had a long-running feud with her dear departed grandfather. Which makes Allie the number-one suspect.
Can she sniff out the culprit before another victim checks in? Book 1 of 7 in the Candy-Coated Mysteries 

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower - Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City. But just when Bailey?s up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather?s heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights.She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can?t be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen-with Jebediah King?s chocolate knife buried in his chest. Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect. Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah. But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble.  Book 1 of 5 in the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries 

The Big Chili by Julia Buckley - After dreaming for years of owning her own catering company, Lilah has made a start into the food world through her Covered Dish business, covertly cooking for her neighbors who don't have the time or skill to do so themselves, and allowing them to claim her culinary creations as their own. While her clientele is strong, their continued happiness depends on no one finding out who's really behind the apron.
So when someone drops dead at a church Bingo night moments after eating chili that Lilah made for a client, the anonymous chef finds herself getting stirred into a cauldron of secrets, lies, and murder-and going toe to toe with a very determined and very attractive detective. To keep her clients coming back and her business under wraps, Lilah will have to chop down the list of suspects fast, because this spicy killer has acquired a taste for homicide. Book 1 of 3 in the Undercover Dish Mysteries 

Clammed Up by Barbara Ross - Summer has come to Busmans Harbor Maine and tourists are lining up for a taste of authentic New England seafood courtesy of the Snowden Family Clambake Company. But theres something sinister on the boil this season. A killer has crashed a wedding party adding mystery to the menu at the worst possible moment. Julia Snowden returned to her hometown to rescue her familys struggling clambake business--not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. When the best mans corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush Chris Durand the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same. Book 1 of 8 in the Maine Clambake Mysteries

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis - Few can compete with local celebrity Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but Sophie Winston is determined to try. Her childhood rival may have stolen the spotlight--and her husband--but this Thanksgiving Sophie is determined to rob Natasha of the prize for Alexandria, Virginia's Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient.
But Sophie's search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim's car, Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder--or she'll be serving up prison grub.  Book 1 of 13 in the Domestic Diva series 

Fillet of Murder by Linda Reilly -  Talia Marby serves up delectable English deep fried fare in the heart of the Berkshires--but she soon discovers there's something fishy going on...Sometimes in this life, you have to fish or cut bait. After walking away from a miserable job and an even worse boyfriend, Talia Marby has no regrets. She's returned to her hometown and is happy to help her dear friend Bea Lambert by working at Lambert's Fish & Chips, a cornerstone of a charming shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English village. But not all the shop owners are charming. Phil Turnbull has been pestering Bea to sign a petition against a new store opening up, and his constant badgering is enough to make her want to boil him in oil. When Talia and Bea stumble upon Turnbull murdered in his shop, the police suspect Bea. Now it's up to Talia to fish around for clues and hook the real killer before her friend has to trade serving food for serving time. Book 1 of 3 in the Deep Fried Mysteries

Kernel of Truth by Kristi Abbott - Opening a gourmet popcorn shop was never on Rebecca Anderson's bucket list. But after a failed marriage to a celebrity chef, she's ready for her life to open up and expand. She has returned to her hometown of Grand Lake, Ohio, with her popcorn-loving poodle Sprocket to start a new business--naturally called POPS. As a delicious bonus, Cordelia "Coco" Bittles, a close family friend who has always been like a grandmother to Rebecca, owns the chocolate shop next door, and the two are thinking of combining their businesses. But when Coco's niece, Alice, discovers her on the floor of her chocolate shop, those dreams go up in smoke. The local sheriff thinks Coco was the victim of a robbery gone wrong, but Rebecca isn't so sure. As suspects start popping up all over, Rebecca is determined to turn up the heat and bring the killer to justice in a jiffy! Book 1 of 3 in the Popcorn Shop Mysteries 

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander - After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder... The victim is Nancy Hudson, the festival's newest board member. A modern-day Lady Macbeth, Nancy has given more than a few actors and artists enough reasons to kill her... but still. The silver lining? Jules's high school sweetheart, Thomas, is the investigator on the case. His flirtations are as delicious as ever, and Jules can't help but want to have her cake and eat it too. But will she have her just desserts? Murder might be bad for business, but love is the sweetest treat of all. Book 1 of 11 in the Bakeshop Mysteries 

One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein - Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty-eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she's the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily-an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .
Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily's award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death-being in the kitchen! Book 1 of 2 in the Sarah Blair Mysteries 

Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn McKinlay - Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Their first big order is a sweet deal, too--five hundred cupcakes for a fashion designer's wedding. The only sour note is the demanding bridezilla who insists on original recipes for the cupcakes. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead-by-cupcake, she immediately becomes the prime suspect. The police believe that a secret ingredient in the cupcakes caused her death. To save Mel and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer--before the cupcake killer ices someone else. Book 1 of 12 in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries