Culinary Fiction

Arizona’s Red Rock country beckons, and tour guide Madrone Hunter’s ready for a relaxing week in Cottonwood after a tough tour-guiding and cooking for finicky clients. Her plans—explore scenic small town Cottonwood, AZ—fall flat as a bad soufflé when she finds her most finicky, elderly client of all, murdered. Since Madrone discovers the body of her cranky customer, one who planned to sue Madrone’s employer, she becomes the chief suspect. Chef Madrone prefers sifting flour to sifting through secrets, but vows to find the killer.

The Fourth of July is coming, and for professional food lover Samantha Barnes, it’s all about the picnic. Okay, and the fireworks. And the parade. But mostly the picnic. What could be better than a DIY clambake followed by the best blueberry buckle in the world? Sam has finally found the perfect recipe in the kitchen of Clara Foster, famed cookbook author and retired restaurateur, and she’s thrilled when Clara agrees to a buckle baking lesson. But when Clara dies in a house fire blamed on carelessness in the kitchen, Sam doesn’t believe it.

After her philandering husband's boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she's got a whole new life - including some amateur sleuthing...Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father's catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more. Soon she's planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed.

Santa Cruz restaurateur Sally Solari’s life is already boiling over as she deals with irate cooks and other staffing issues at the busy Gauguin restaurant. The rainy December weather isn’t cooling things down, either. So, she’s steamed when her dad persuades her to take in Evelyn, her estranged blind cousin whose mother has just died of a drug overdose. Evelyn may be blind, but she can see all too clearly that her chef mother’s death wasn’t an accidental overdose - she was murdered.

When Jamison Vaughn - billionaire real estate mogul, Virginia vineyard owner, and unsuccessful US presidential candidate - drives his gold SUV into a stone pillar at the entrance to Montgomery Estate Vineyard, Lucie Montgomery is certain the crash was deliberate. But everyone else in Atoka, Virginia, is equally sure that Jamie must have lost control of his car on a rain-slicked country road. In spite of being saddled with massive campaign debts from the recent election, Jamie is seemingly the man with the perfect life.

Baker Winnie Johnson does her best work when the heat is on. As owner of the Emergency Dessert Squad, she has a deft touch in the kitchen and a soft spot for lost causes. So when her business professor beau, Jay Morgan, expresses misgivings over having to fail one of his fourth-year students, Winnie cooks up a sweet solution. She'll offer an extra credit opportunity in exchange for a little help with her growing business. But when her protégé's first dessert delivery poisons a student journalist, the publicity threatens to burn Winnie's business to a crisp.

From the moment Kate arrives at the imposing Mohawk Mountain Resort, not even luggage brimming with hot fudge can sweeten her stay. Instead of savoring alone time with her on-again boyfriend Jake and leading workshops on whipping together delectable frosty treats, she finds herself stranded at the isolated hotel with a small group of nutty characters - and a dead body.

Kate receives the shock of a lifetime when she's blindsided by an offer she can't refuse. An assistant movie director desperately wants to shoot a key scene at Lickety Splits and she's willing to pay big bucks to sweeten the last-minute deal. All Kate has to do is tolerate a bustling film crew for a few hours and provide one important prop - a scoop of handmade ice cream. But when up-and-coming actress Savannah Crane drops dead after spooning down some chocolate almond fudge, Kate's first taste of Hollywood might be her last.

Between trying to get her gluten-free baking business off the ground and helping her aunt remodel her old Victorian into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, Poppy is ready to call "Mayday"! And now Aunt Ginny - who's a handful wide-awake - is sleepwalking on her new sleeping-pill prescription and helping herself to neighbors' snacks and knickknacks. Even more alarming, a local humanitarian who worked with troubled teens is found murdered, and the police suspect the "Snack Bandit".

In Death in Florence (book number two), Diana arrives in Florence, ready to shake off the events of Paris and fulfill her lifelong dream of being proposed to on the romantic Ponte Vecchio bridge. But Diana can never possibly anticipate what she is about to find on that bridge and how it may just turn her romantic dream into a ridiculous nightmare!

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?

While the Pretty Jam Good kitchen is under renovation, Hadley is thrilled to be a judge in the annual Grande Bake Off. That all changes when the front-runner is murdered, and Hadley's friend Mickie becomes the main suspect. Positive she can help clear her friend's name, Hadley begins sifting through the clues. Snow is on the ground, and fear is in the air.

A new year, a new town, and a mysterious murder... Traveling bakers, Ruby and Bee, are ready to start their next adventure, in the quaint town of Muffin, Massachusetts. Their food truck is set up in front of the lake, peddling donuts, cakes, and cookies when they’re confronted by the less-than-friendly owner of the local bakery, Misty Murphy. When Ruby goes to see her with an offering of peace - strawberry glazed donuts - she finds Misty’s dead body instead. Once again, Ruby’s suspect number one in the murder case.

Ruby Holmes has never been a huge fan of birthdays, particularly not her own. But Bee, her partner in baking and best friend, has decided that she’s throwing Ruby a surprise party. It’s their last few weeks in Carmel Springs, Maine, and they’re going out with a bang. When Ruby enters the darkened guesthouse, the last thing she expects is all her friends yelling "surprise!" She’s delighted until the lights click on to reveal the dead body of Ruby’s sworn enemy lying in a pile of her birthday presents. Can she solve the mystery of the birthday killer?

Ruby Holmes is plenty excited to serve her cakes and goodies to the many trick-or-treaters in Carmel Springs, Maine. Costumes range from fearsome to the funny, and when Ruby sees a clown jostling with a vampire to get to her cakes, she doesn’t think anything of it. That is, until the corpse of the ‘vampire’ washes up on the beach, right in front of her food truck. Ruby’s not going to let this mystery go unsolved, even if it means annoying the local detective and the murderer themselves. Can Ruby discover the identity of the killer clown? Or will he get the last laugh?

Ruby Holmes has finally settled into her four-week "vacation" in cozy town Carmel Springs, Maine. She’s thrilled when she lands a catering gig for a local wedding, even if the client is a bridezilla of epic proportions. When Ruby arrives to meet with the bride, the last thing she expects to find is her corpse instead, face plastered in Ruby’s highly unique marzipan frosting.

What's the worst that can go wrong on a date? Murder. Ruby Holmes wants to travel, sell delicious baked treats from her food truck, and never stay in one place for too long. Then, the unexpected happens: upon arriving in Carmel Springs, Maine, she's asked on a date by a handsome fisherman. When Ruby goes to meet him, she finds his dead body instead. A murderer has struck, and the cunning detective who "runs" the town names her as the prime suspect. Ruby can't run, but staying might mean falling victim herself. Can she solve the murder in time?

Emily Cherry may be retired, but she’s not about to roll over and die! Defying the doubts of her three adult children this plucky computer-shy grandma embarks on a unique path by launching her very own food blog. The only problem is that during her inaugural restaurant review, she stumbles upon a lifeless body.

All Parker Hayes wanted was a fresh start, serving up frothy lattes and decadent desserts at her charming new cafe, Catch You Latte. But just as she's perfecting her caramel drizzle, her grand opening takes a bitter turn when a face from her past turns up dead… right behind the cafe. Suddenly, Parker's at the center of town gossip—and the prime suspect. Dodging murder accusations was definitely not part of her business plan. Then an ominous text turns everything upside down, and the clues start pointing to one of Magnolia Grove's most upstanding citizens.

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. But their first big client is a nightmare. She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead - by cupcake - Mel becomes the prime suspect. To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer, before the cupcake killer ices someone else.