Culinary Fiction

Charlene's parents are in town for Christmas, and her mother is driving her up a tree. Her bed-and-breakfast's resident ghost, Jack, isn't fond of her either - and he's showing it with some haunting high jinks. But when Charlene takes her mom and dad out for dinner, the less-than-seasonal spirits take a deadly turn.

This collection includes books 4-6 of Lucy Burdette's cozy Key West Food Critic Mystery series: Book 4: Murder With Ganache, Book 5: Death With All the Trimmings, and Book 6: Fatal Reservations, featuring sleuthing food critic Hayley Snow.

Local chef Tessa Esposito is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband's fatal accident. And when the police knock on Tessa's door, things just get worse. They've discovered Dylan's death wasn't an accident after all, and they need Tessa to start filling in the blanks. Who would want her beloved husband dead, and why?

Welcome to the Mad Egg Diner, Where the Eggs are Over Easy and the Murder is Hard Boiled Having successfully cracked her first case, single mom and diner owner Melody Bristol finds herself with an insatiable appetite for unmasking killers. It's fortuitous, then, that the picturesque Colorado forests cannot hide yet another victim. Cowboy cop Gabe Mitchell dives into the investigation, but fate has it that he requires Melody's assistance. Although initially irked by her involvement, Gabe soon comes to appreciate Melody's unique insights. As they join forces, the duo uncovers a disgruntled ...

Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell usually reserves judgement for local cuisine, not the people who serve it. But staying neutral isn't so easy when caught between the biggest seafood rivals in town—her BFF Mona Barnes and the successful Leighton clan. Adding to a bitter decades-old surf-turf war between family businesses, a modern Romeo and Juliet story unfolds as Mona's son gets engaged to the daughter of her sworn enemy.

Rachel Rowan yearns for a new start. So, ready for change and up for a challenge, she has decided to relocate to the beautiful coastal town of Swaddle, California, to pursue her lifelong dream of opening her very own bakery! While the majority of the locals are thrilled with her new Comfort Cakes Bake Shop, Rachel soon learns that the owner of a local café is determined to ruin her. When Rachel finds a dead body in her kitchen just before the grand opening and she is accused of the murder, she quickly realizes that this is more than a little friendly rivalry!

A Cupcakes-And-Crime Caper When cupcake-loving croupier and private investigator Tiffany Black investigates the death of a food critic, things take an unpalatable turn... Meanwhile, Nanna's meddling in Stone's love life has Tiffany contemplating her own situation. "Winters will have you giggling into your book!"

Emma Laurent has always preferred helping others to asking for help. But now, she’s the one in need. Her stepmother is selling her late father’s candy shop, her grandmother’s assisted-living facility has become a financial burden, and the anniversary of her fiancé’s death is quickly approaching. Rather than face her problems, Emma does what she does best - finds someone else to help by offering a mother and son with nowhere to go somewhere to stay.

Set in the biggest small town in the country, Susan and Mike travel to St. Louis for their son’s Match Day ceremony. At the reception, the dean of the medical school drops dead under mysterious circumstances. Susan smells foul play. Teaming up with the detective’s mother, it's double trouble as she and her new bestie uncover secrets worthy of murder in Murder is Medical. In Murder is Universal, Susan and Valerie are on a flight when they discover the passenger in the middle seat dead on arrival. The dynamic duo is convinced it was murder. The dead passenger, owner of a successful ...

I always thought weddings were supposed to be about joining lives...Not ending them. But when an unexpected guest shows up dead on the beach and the groom seems to be hiding more than just cold feet, I need to take my chef's hat off and don my deerstalker once again. Who was this mysterious stranger that came to town claiming to be a long lost relative, and why is she now dead? Who is the groom really, and are his intentions for my friend pure?

Catching a killer is a piece of cake... Or is it? When Mindy's much-despised ex-boyfriend Liam is wrongly accused of being a killer, Mindy and Beth need to leave their aversion behind and clear Liam's name. But when the killer decides that Mindy needs to disappear, the duo must pull out all the stops to uncover the truth. Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com "A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, Amazon.com "A cute light read with a final twist at the end." - ...

When cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black attends an office party at her friend Jack’s casino, she doesn’t expect murder to be on the menu. Tim and Susan, employees in Jack’s human resources department, collapse during the event. When Susan dies from what appears to have been intentional poisoning, Tiffany has no choice but to take the case. Who would’ve wanted to kill Susan, a pretty and charming young woman with seemingly no enemies but maybe a few too many admirers? As Tiffany investigates her death, she uncovers a surprising life, and an office rife with simmering resentments. ...

Hayley Powell, food and cocktails columnist for Bar Harbor's Island Times, is...well, kind of broke. So when she's selected for that extreme coupon-clipping reality game show coming to town...she's thrilled, especially when her competition is nasty nurse Candace Culpepper. But when Haley stumbles across a face-down-in-the-snow Candace - scissors gleaming between her shoulders - she knows the next thing she'll be selected for will probably be a police line-up.

A sleuth who sees spirits, a chef who reads tea leaves, and a cat who knows all the games. Murder doesn’t have a ghost of a chance. For Staley Stoneybrook, life has been turned upside down. As the beneficiary of her long lost uncle’s will, she finds herself the owner of the historic Paradise Bay Station & Inn. But in a strange twist, the beautiful oceanfront property will only be hers when she posts a profit at the end of a year—something she’s determined to do. But as she’s about to make her first report to her uncle’s lawyer, he’s killed in front of his office. It’s only ...

Tiffany, Ian and Nanna are off at sea - ready to have an amazing time on board the Swan of the Seas. A murder on board means that Tiffany is persuaded by the cruise director, Kelly, and the Captain to investigate... for some reason, the social media manager, Addi, also seems to be sleuthing around... Praise for A.R. Winters: "Fans of Stephanie Plum, meet Tiffany Black, A.R. Winters's new heroine." - Rea, Amazon.com "You fall in love with Tiffany Black from the start, and the mystery starts immediately" - Melissa Greenberg, Amazon.com Top 1000 Reviewer "The perfect balance of being ...

When The People From Earth offer Ian and Tiffany free cookies, the duo don't expect to get involved in investigating a cult leader’s death. But that’s exactly what happens – and Tiffany and Ian find themselves going undercover as believers in strange meditations and “earth re-tunings”. The People From Earth seem quite harmless, but are the investigators putting themselves in danger by pretending to believe in their “earth re-tuning” nonsense? Meanwhile, Tiffany’s secret admirer might not be what she’d initially expected… Praise for A.R. Winters: "Fans of Stephanie Plum, ...

Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.

When a community center opens in town, many embrace it as a space where locals of all ages can gather and create. Others view it as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The director, Darleen Busby-Platt, is no less controversial. Intense and showy, Darleen has huge plans for her new role. But Lucy Stone believes the woman isn’t exactly as warm hearted—or qualified—as she seems. That hunch deepens when Darleen and a young employee vanish...and dismembered remains appear!

Business at the bakery may have slowed down, but Val Harris isn't about to eat humble pie - not until a reality cooking show decides to whip the struggling Pie Town into shape. If Val can tolerate criticism from an abrasive pastry chef during filming, the free publicity might turn the unusual opportunity into the sweetest deal she didn't know she needed. Except no one in San Nicholas has an appetite for dessert once murder steals the spotlight.

The island fishing village of Eastport has plenty of salty local character. It also has a sweet side, thanks to Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree, her best friend Ellie, and their waterfront bake shop. This summer, Eastport's favorite lovebirds, kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater and Coast Guard Captain Andy Devine‚ are getting married. The gala reception is sure to be the fête of the season, especially with a wedding-cake-sized whoopie pie. But the celebratory air, and sweet smell of success‚ are ruined by foul murder.