Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Delicious Mysteries

As days start to get a bit cooler, other things start to change, too.  Iced tea gets traded for mugs of hot chai.  Comforting stews and chilis start to sound appealing.  Even light beach reads get traded for something a bit meatier.  So if you’re looking to sink your teeth into a tasty mystery this autumn, you know I have you covered!  (Enough with the puns, too, ok?  Ok.) 


Alexander Campion, the Capucine Culinary Mysteries.  Start with The Grave Gourmet.  Young, elegant Parisian judicial police Lt. Capucine Le Tellier is bored with her desk job investigating white collar crimes.  So when a high profile businessman turns up dead in the refrigerator of a three-star restaurant, Capucine leaps at the chance to aid in the investigation.  Gastronomy, Paris, and murder--who could ask for anything better?

Isis Crawford, Mysteries with Recipes series.  Start with A Catered Murder.  Sisters Libby and Bernie, daughters of a retired police chief, become amateur sleuths when a nasty local author dies at a party celebrating his best-selling status.  As he was surrounded by more than a few ill-wishers, the list of suspects is a long one.  Clever prose and likable characters will keep you coming back to Longely, NY again and again.

Joanne Fluke, the Hannah Swensen Mysteries.  Start with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.  After her father's death, Hannah Swenson returns to her hometown of Lake Eden, Minnesota and opens The Cookie Jar, which soon becomes a center for gossip as well as sweet treats.  When she comes to the shop early one morning to find the well-liked milkman dead in the alley behind the shop, Hannah begins collecting clues as well as gossip.  Plenty of plot twists, red herrings, and great recipes (readers have recommended the Pecan Chew recipe, particularly!).

Feeling the need for something a little more serious?  I'll be back on Thursday with some suggestions

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