Murder And Macaroni

A Maryland soul food chef catches a bitter killer while catering her high school reunion in this “sweet-tart and wickedly wholesome” mystery (Publishers Weekly). Halia Watkins loves her life as proprietor of Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, serving the best soul food in Prince George’s County, Maryland. And what better way to celebrate than catering her own high school reunion? Soon she’s serving up her signature macaroni and cheese and famous chicken wings to a host of appreciative ex-classmates. Some folks have blossomed since graduation. But Halia’s high school nemesis Raynell Rollins—currently married to a former football star—hasn’t changed nearly enough. When Raynell is found dead the morning after the reunion, the roll call of possible suspects could fill the school gymnasium. Extra-marital affairs, mega-church scandals and sports secrets—Raynell had her perfectly manicured hand in a lot of sticky situations. With her young cousin’s bungling assistance, Halia is on course to track down the killer. But if she doesn’t make the grade, she’ll be the alumna most likely to meet an untimely end. Features delicious recipes including Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie and Chocolate Marshmallow Cake!

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!

As the owner of Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, Halia Watkins is famous in Maryland’s Prince George’s County for her down-home cuisine. But when she has the chance to showcase her talents on national TV, she becomes the star of a murder mystery that’s too hot to handle! When Halia is invited to serve as a guest judge on the popular cooking competition show Elite Chef, she’s delighted to add some extra flavor to the mix. But as filming ramps up in Washington D.C., there are too many fiery personalities in the kitchen. Halia discovers that pulling off her small screen debut unscathed means contending with a longtime competing restaurant owner, an infamously crass hospitality mogul, and a group of cutthroat contestants vying for culinary glory . . . The competition sizzles with only a few finalists left standing—and goes cold when the gorgeous young frontrunner is found dead. As murder accusations are slathered over a recently eliminated contestant, Halia, with some bungling assistance from her wise-cracking cousin Wavonne slides into an investigation of their own. A little snooping reveals the victim burned lots of bridges, leaving a slew of alleged affairs and stolen recipes in her wake. With a fast-rising list of potential suspects, Halia must sort through mindboggling clues to fry the flaky culprit before someone else gets baked to a crisp . . .

Mahalia’s Sweet Tea boasts the most flavorful soul food in all of Prince George’s County, Maryland. But as events at the beauty industry’s leading trade show turn ugly, owner Halia Watkins needs to bite into an unsavory new item on the menu—murder! When the chicest hair convention of the year gets cooking in town, so does business at Mahalia’s Sweet Tea. Halia can barely handle the influx of customers looking to satisfy their appetites after spending the day surrounded by outrageous runway styles. As buzz builds around beauty mogul and pop culture icon Monique Dupree, collard greens start moving out of the kitchen faster than models strutting down the catwalk . . . But the glitz fades the moment Monique is found shot to death. Turns out, the glamorous entrepreneur’s vanity empire was stained by bitter rivalries, explosive affairs, and backstabbers scheming for fame and fortune. With more suspects than ingredients listed on a bottle of deep conditioner, Halia and her cousin Wavonne rush to discover who pulled the trigger—before the conniving culprit dishes another deadly surprise . . .

More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA

Grandma Sal's Soup-To-Nuts Cooking Challenge is coming to town, and Skye Denison is entering. And though she can't solve the mystery of the perfect mousse, murder is another story. Because a cocky contestant has been found delectably drowned in a chocolate fountain...

Death by cannoli...When Rosewood Gazette reporter Stuart Helm is poisoned and murdered by eating a cannoli from Nicole Capula's cafe, she is determined to solve the murder and clear the name of her beloved establishment, the Cannoli Cafe. Once again, Nicole's warm and spunky best friend Lia is ready to help solve the mystery along with Nicole's admirer, Private Investigator Dean Coogan.Stuart Helm ruffled many feathers over the years as he investigated his stories. Who wanted to get him "out of the way" while ruining the reputation of the Cannoli Cafe?Was is it Business Administrator Thomas Gornick, who was vehemently angry his son could not attend a prestigious university after Stuart wrote a shameful article about him? Or was it Detective Dwight Dawkins, a man who bitterly hated Stuart for his write-up about how Nicole solved the last murder in town, effectively painting him as an inept investigator? Could it have been Danielle Pruitt, a jealous reporter at the Rosewood Gazette who was tired of getting the boring stories and no recognition? Or perhaps it was the owner of the dwindling Rosewood Coffee Shoppe, Bert Davison, or one of his mob-friend "associates."Join Nicole, Lia, Dean, and Nicole's dog, Ringo, as they try to determine who murdered Stuart Helm while clearing the reputation of the Cannoli Cafe (and Nicole) in the process!This is the second book in the new Cannoli Cafe Cozy Mystery Series by Lizzie Benton, set in a quaint town in New Jersey, in close proximity to New York City and its gorgeous skyline.Please note that this book can be read as a stand-alone!

Recipes from a talented corps of writers who know how to cook, with delicious anecdotes, some sound advice on where and when to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook, and even recipes for foods you’ve never heard of. Some contributors are Lilian Jackson Braun, Donald E. Westlake, Anne Perry, Tony Hillerman, Carol O’Connell, Parnell Hall and, of course, Anthony Bourdain.