A fast-talking businessman is felled by a frying pan: “Soul food and sassy characters…a feast that will satisfy the appetites of readers.”—Library Journal Welcome to Mahalia’s Sweet Tea—the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In between preparing her famous cornbread and mashed potatoes so creamy “they’ll make you want to slap your Momma,” owner Halia Watkins is about to dip her spoon into a grisly mystery . . . Halia Watkins has her hands full cooking, hosting, and keeping her boisterous young cousin, Wavonne, from getting too sassy with customers. Having fast-talking entrepreneur Marcus Rand turn up in her kitchen is annoying enough when he’s alive—but finding his dead body face-down on her ceramic tile after hours is much worse. Marcus had his enemies, and the cast iron frying pan beside his corpse suggests that at last, his shady business deals went too far. Halia is desperate to keep Sweet Tea’s name out of the sordid spotlight but her efforts only make Wavonne a prime suspect. Now Halia will have to serve up the real villain—before the killer returns for a second helping . . . Features delicious recipes from Mahalia’s Sweet Tea,including Sour Cream Corn Bread and Sweet Corn Casserole!
Hit whodunit writer Victoria Rienzi is getting back to her roots by working at her family’s Italian restaurant. But now in between plating pasta and pouring vino, she’ll have to find the secret ingredient in a murder.... When Victoria takes a break from penning her popular mystery series and moves back to the Jersey shore, she imagines sun, sand, and scents of fresh basil and simmering marinara sauce at the family restaurant, the Casa Lido. But her nonna’s recipes aren’t the only things getting stirred up in this Italian kitchen. Their small town is up in arms over plans to film a new reality TV show, and when Victoria serves the show’s pushy producer his last meal, the Casa Lido staff finds itself embroiled in a murder investigation. Victoria wants to find the real killer, but there are as many suspects as tomatoes in her nonna’s garden. Now she’ll have to heat up her sleuthing skills quickly…before someone else gets a plateful of murder. First in a new series! RECIPES INCLUDED!
Murder A La Carte is the fourth novel in a mystery series featuring Private Investigator, Nicoli "Nikki" Hunter. Nikki lives aboard a 46-foot sailboat on the California coast and rents a ground floor office in the marina complex where her boat is docked. In Murder A La Carte, an abused nine-year-old boy comes to Nikki's office, and asks her to find out who killed his mom. Meanwhile, Nikki's significant other, Detective Bill Anderson, is investigating the homicide of a registered sex offender. It doesn't take long for Nikki to identify how these cases, and several other local murders, intersect. She's in for a wild ride chasing down a vigilante with a mission to kill as many sexual predators as possible.
“Coffee-lovers, this book is for you…I foresee many enjoyable Ground Rules mysteries to come.” —Criminal Element Master barista Sage Caplin is opening a new coffee cart in Portland, Oregon, but a killer is brewing up a world of trouble. . . . Portland is famous for its rain, hipsters, craft beers . . . and coffee. Sage Caplin has high hopes for her coffee cart, Ground Rules, which she runs with her business partner, Harley—a genius at roasting beans and devising new blends. That’s essential in a city where locals have intensely strong opinions about cappuccino versus macchiato—especially in the case of one of Sage’s very first customers. . . . Sage finds the man’s body in front of her cart, a fatal slash across his neck. There’s been plenty of anger in the air, from longtime vendors annoyed at Ground Rules taking a coveted spot in the food truck lot, to protesters demonstrating against a new high-rise. But who was mad enough to commit murder? Sage is already fending off trouble in the form of her estranged, con-artist mother, who’s trying to trickle back into her life. But when Sage’s very own box cutter is discovered to be the murder weapon, she needs to focus on finding the killer fast—before her business, and her life, come to a bitter end. . . . “Lively characters help propel the intricate plot. Cozy fans will hope to see a lot more of Sage and friends.” —Publishers Weekly
A sexy sleuth, a silenced stripper, and a sociopathic serial killer ...Murder on the Menu is the debut novel of award winning author, Nancy Skopin. The first in a series of mysteries featuring Private Investigator Nicoli "Nikki" Hunter, the only child of a Cossack and a former nun. Nikki is a smart, tenacious thirty-five-year-old, who lives aboard her sailboat in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs her PI business out of a ground floor office in the marina where she lives.In Murder on the Menu, Nikki has lost enthusiasm for the mundane surveillance jobs that pay the bills but no longer challenge her. When the brutal murder of socialite, and exotic dancer, Laura Howard, lands on her desk, she finally encounters a foe worthy of her unique skills.
Dive into two dark stories of crime and murder from a New York Times bestselling author, inspired by true crime horrors where murder isn't always the worst thing that can happen to you . . . Murder of Innocence: It's impossible to resist Andrew Luster. He's rich, charming, and good-looking, and dozens of women have fallen under his spell. But Andrew is no mere womanizer. He's a predator, and it'll take a global effort to put him behind bars. (with Max DiLallo) A Murderous Affair: Mark Putnam is a rookie FBI agent given his first assignment in a remote part of Kentucky, a land of coal miners and meth dealers. Within his first months on the job, a young female informant named Susan Smith helps him make a big break in an important case. Rumors begin circulating that the agent and his informant are having an affair. After Susan starts telling people that she is pregnant with the FBI agent's baby, she suddenly disappears. (with Andrew Bourelle)