Crime Brûlée


Nancy Fairbanks - 2001
    She’s finally decided to throw in the dishtowel—and take on a dream job as food writer. Now her plate is filled with exotic locales, delectable foods, and even a dash of crime—to taste. She could very well get used to this.It was a perfect arrangement. Carolyn had already planned to accompany her husband to an academic conference in New Orleans—an event that meant visiting old college pals. So why not use the opportunity to write a story about Cajun cuisine? But just as she gets a taste of Creole, she gets a bite of crime…Her friend Julienne disappears at a dinner party. True, she had been fighting with her husband, but this only worries Carolyn more. Now, she has to put her taste-testing aside to search for answers—and the trail leads her right to an alligator swamp. Carolyn better act fast, because in these parts, it’s eat or be eaten…Includes over a dozen delicious Southern recipes!

Survival of the Fritters


Ginger Bolton - 2018
    But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .

Nursery Crimes


Ayelet Waldman - 2000
    Juliet Applebaum is smart, fearless, and completely candid about life as a full-time mom with a penchant for part-time detective work."--Sue GraftonA public defender turned stay-at-home mom, Juliet Applebaum is bored with playdates and trips to the park--so near the end of her second pregnancy, she gets off the mommy track to track down a murderer. . . . Juliet isn't too surprised when her feisty, tantrum-throwing two-year old daughter doesn't get into Hollywood's premier preschool--but she's shocked and suspicious when the school's principal is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Against the advice of her screenwriter husband, and with her rambunctious toddler in tow, Juliet heads to the local playground to dig up some dirt on a disgruntled studio executive whose daughter wasn't offered a place in the school. But she has some surprising new suspects to consider when her investigation takes her into a seedy on-line newsgroup--and the most dangerous parts of the human heart."[Juliet is] a lot like Elizabeth Peters's warm and humorous Amelia Peabody--a brassy, funny, quick-witted protagonist."--Houston Chronicle

The Gossiping Gourmet


Martin Brown - 2014
    But for love of his caramel chicken and cherry fudge brownies, everyone has a story to share regarding their fellow citizens—Stories that too often find their way into his weekly gossip-filled newspaper column, "Heard About Town." When the great chef and his admirers, the Sausalito Ladies of Liberty, take offense to a newly arrived Manhattan power couple, their insular world of tasty sauces and stinging insults leads to deadly results.Everyone has their own theory about who killed Warren. But it takes the combined efforts of Rob Timmons, the local newspaper publisher, and Eddie Austin, his childhood friend and Marin County’s top detective, to unravel this tale of delicious dishes and malicious deception.

Steps from Death


Stacey Alabaster - 2016
    But sometimes that can leave you only Steps from Death. Georgina is the new owner of a craft store in a small town. When a woman is found dead after falling down the stairs, she suspects foul play. After learning her new home has a similarly tragic past, she begins to fear for her own safety. Can she unravel the mystery of two suspicious deaths before she becomes the third? Steps from Death is part of the Craft Circle Cozy Mystery series. If you like fast paced mysteries full of quirky characters and unexpected twists, you’re gonna love Steps from Death. Get Steps from Death and start solving your next mystery today! Be sure to check out Stacey Alabaster’s other series: the Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery Series Each book in the series is a stand-alone story, but your enjoyment of each story will be increased if you read them all. * Book 1: A Pie to Die For * Book 2: Donuts, Antiques and Murder * Book 3: Death by Chocolate Cake * Book 4: Rest, Relaxation and Murder * Book 5: Til a Death Do Us Part * Book 6: The Mud Pie Murderess * Book 7: Catering and Kidnapping * Book 8: The Pumpkin Killer Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

You Can Lead a Horse to Murder


Tara Meyers - 2018
    When the evidence points to the horse as the cause of death, she vows to protect him. But horses don't talk and neither do the dead, so Ember has to rely on her intelligence and instinct to get to the truth. A truth buried under layers of small-town secrets. Some that are big enough to get you killed. Battling a reluctant Sheriff and pushy Mayor, Ember struggles to get her business off the ground while digging deeper. Why would anyone want to kill the local farrier? And who was plotting to stop her? As the town gears up for its centennial celebration, Ember is led from local ranches to the surrounding mountains in her quest. Can she unveil the true culprit before they get away with murder?