Culinary Mystery

Amateur sleuth and proud owner of Dogwood Donuts Maggie Sharpe was gearing up for the holidays and having just another normal day in charming southern Missouri, when an unfortunate accident occurred in front of her shop in the wee hours of the morning. When a bus full of elderly potential witnesses on their way to a Christmas event puts out a distress call, Maggie feels obligated to find some answers. She discovers that what she thought was an accident was actually a murder, which makes things anything but jolly in Dogwood Mountain.

When a pie contest judge dies mid-bite, baking instructor Sarah Cooper swaps her apron for a magnifying glass in Deadly Filling. In a town where everyone has a recipe—and a motive—Sarah must serve up justice before the next victim gets a deadly slice. Cozy, clever, and packed with pie-fueled intrigue.

Six months after her husband's death, Tessa Esposito is hoping to drum up reservations for her restaurant's grand opening. And since a signing with best-selling author Preston Rigotta is sure to draw a crowd, Tessa agrees to cater her cousin's bookstore event - whipping up some of her famous Italian desserts. But the event soon takes a sour turn when Preston's publicist, an old high school rival, arrives and begins to whisk up their old grudges.

While Maggie waits for her Witchy Hour, she works at the family diner with her mom, aunt Meme and Lilith, her sister - all witches. Soon Maggie gets entangled with a mysterious handsome stranger, Mick Jasper, and his secret U.S. organization, SKUL. Has she found her calling?

Welcome back to USA TODAY Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson’s Holiday hills, where murder in always on the menu. In Holiday Hills, secrets don’t stay buried for long—especially when murder is involved. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in Holiday Hills, it’s that secrets run deeper than magic. As a witch, and cozy mystery author, my best friend, Stella, and I usually spend our days sipping coffee, and working while catching up on gossip at The Enchanted Bookstore and Cafe. But this time, the gossip isn’t about lattes—it’s about murder. When I found Morgana ...

Catching a killer is a piece of cake... Or is it? When socialite Celeste Rocheford is murdered, Mindy’s best friend Beth Miller finds herself the prime suspect. Mindy must prove Beth's innocence and find the real killer – while dealing with her meddling high-school nemesis, Neve, and her former flame, Ethan Macaulay. 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." - Stacey...

Returning to her sleepy hometown in Pennsylvania is the last thing Julia “JJ” Kamaras thought she’d ever do. So was solving a murder. Alone in Florida and working a dead-end job at a local gym, JJ’s career and love life weren't exactly on fire. But when disaster struck, her Greek-American father convinced her to come home to the safety of Jim Thorpe, PA, and their family restaurant, the Kamaras Grill. Though initially happy to be back cooking souvlaki with her father, family tension festered, and JJ’s ex, police officer Ryan, showed up still bitter about their breakup. Making ...

Rylly hates Halloween with every fiber of her being. Her nephew volunteers her to help with the Halloween fundraiser. A recipe for disaster or something worse? Due to the many traumatic pranks Rylly’s older brothers played on her when she was a child, she has a near phobia about Halloween. But when her nephew and his friends decide to hold a Halloween fundraiser so that the scholarship students can stay in school, she swallows her fear and agrees to help. But Mr. MacPherson with his tests from hell has another idea. An idea that ratchets up the hate and discontent already rampant in the ...

A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get hot under the collar at the proposal, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That's what the sheriff's office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building's owner is electrocuted with his own saw. Meanwhile, tensions rise when a hot chef takes over the square's tea shop. Will Katie have three men vying for her affections, or will her rival take the tea cake?

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 ...

Cinque Terre, a quant Italian harbour town, normally boasts of the aromas of garlic, basil, tomato sauce and crisp sea air, not the smell of murder. The pastel buildings and cobblestone streets are lined with Italian trattorias including my famous La Nonna’s Nonna, named after my grandmother. But when Pepperoni, my clue sniffing beagle, leads me to the dead body of the notorious food critic, Alistair, the normally bustling restaurant halts to a stand still. Marco, the charming wine bar owner, offers his help digging through the endless suspects and rumors. As investigations into the many ...

THERE'S A TINSEL TROUBLEMAKER CREATING HOLIDAY HASSLES IN HOLIDAY HILLS! Christmas in Holiday Hills is always a magical time, with the town decked out in festive lights and enchanted decorations. But this year, our holiday cheer is shattered when a series of mysterious and malicious spells wreak havoc on our beloved traditions. From cursed Christmas trees to bewitched presents, someone is determined to ruin the season for everyone. As the chaos escalates, it's clear that a rogue witch is behind the mischief, and suspicion falls on a newcomer who arrived just before the trouble began. When ...

When Tiffany is contacted by an old childhood friend and asked to investigate her fiancé, Ricardo, she doesn’t expect to end up in the middle of a deadly dance-off… But when Ricardo is killed, Tiffany and Rosie must uncover the secrets and schemes Ricardo was involved in: although he seemed a nice guy on the surface, Ricardo had hurt and harmed enough people to have a long line of enemies. Can Tiffany and Rosie expose the killer before it’s too late? Meanwhile, Tiffany and Stone make an interesting decision about their relationship…

In The Salsa Sabotage, Luna Ramos’s biggest challenge isn’t her spicy salsa—it’s clearing her name of murder. When a food critic dies at the Sunset Street Food Festival, all eyes turn to Luna’s taco truck. With her loyal brother, a curious coffee vendor, and plenty of small-town charm, Luna follows a trail of secrets and sabotage. Cozy, clever, and full of flavor, this mystery is a recipe for danger—with a dash of heart.

She just wanted to share a bottle. Instead, she uncorked a murder. Avery Parker thought a private wine tasting at a rival vineyard’s exclusive cave would be the perfect afternoon—smooth pours, a scenic stroll, and maybe a little friendly competition. But when a disturbing discovery cuts the visit short, Avery is once again drawn into the swirl of small-town secrets and not-so-innocent faces. With the police tight-lipped and tensions rising in the wine community, Avery—alongside her golden retriever Sprinkles and her ever-curious Stammtisch crew—follows the subtle hints, slippery ...

Ever since meeting the wary owners of an antique shop opening across the street, Robbie has been scrambling to manage weird incidences plaguing her cafe and country store. Pricey items vanish from shelves without explanation, a fully equipped breakfast food truck starts lingering around the area each morning, and loyal diners mysteriously fall ill. When an elderly man dies after devouring an omelet packed with poisonous mushrooms, Robbie must temporarily close down Pans 'N Pancakes and search for the killer with a real zest for running her out of business - or else.

As a single mom, Hayley Powell already has a full plate - she's got deadlines to make and a teenage daughter with eyes for an aspiring singer-songwriter. But when country music superstar Wade Springer rolls into town, Hayley spies an irresistible side gig: personal chef to her all-American idol. After he tries her home cooking, Wade's so impressed that he hires her on the spot - and invites her to dine with him alone.

Opening her shop Cashmere Crush and making a new home for herself, her son Brody, Gramps, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace in the beautiful Scottish village of Nairn, is a dream come true. So Paislee is happy to give back by donating a luxurious cashmere sweater for an auction to raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. She's less happy to make the acquaintance of a clique of competitive moms at the charity event, who treat a baking contest like it's life or death. It turns out to be the latter for queen bee Kirsten Buchanan.

With adopt-a-cat month in full swing in Fox Hollow, pet shop owner Shell McMillan decides that hosting a night of murder mystery dinner theater will be a fun way to raise funds for the cause. But she didn't realize that the celebrity chef she'd hired for the event would turn out to be a tyrannical snob, or that her scoundrel of an ex-fiancé would turn up with his own shady agenda. Still, the show must go on, and as the lighthearted plot on-stage unfolds, the scene off-stage turns decidedly darker when the chef is found murdered.

Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B - but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it's coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy's specialty is pastries, and if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it's Poppy. Things get heated quickly. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy's cannoli - making her the chef suspect.