Plus-sized P.I. Savannah Reid and her pals at the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency know a thing or two about fine dining. But when murder shows up on the menu, it's time to go back to the kitchen. . . When the Moonlight Magnolia gang learns their friends Ryan Stone and John Gibson are planning to open a chic new restaurant, they eagerly offer their input on everything. But all Ryan and John can think about is how excited they are to have hired the temperamental but talented chef Baldwin Norwood. Too bad the only thing being sliced and diced in the kitchen is the chef himself. . . As Savannah turns her attention from munchies to murder, she quickly realizes the cantankerous chef left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Now, Savannah has her work cut out for her, and just when she thinks there couldn't be any more suspects, she uncovers a plot more precarious than a perfect souffl . . .

From the Champs-Élysées to the twinkling banks of la Seine, chic Parisian policewoman Capucine LeTellier plunges into a uniquely Parisian affair of gastronomic delights and bureaucratic intrigue to close a case that could make her career--or kill it. . . After dining on such delicacies as oyster sorbet and avocado soufflé, Jean-Louis Delage, président of automotive giant Renault, has been found dead in the freezer of Le Diapason, a three-star restaurant owned by Chef Jean-Basille Labrousse, a renowned restaurateur extraordinaire. Capucine is uniquely suited to the case, as her husband Alexandre is a food critic well-connected to the culinary world. In between sharing sumptuous meals and fine wine with Alexandre at Paris' finest eateries, Capucine struggles to win the respect of her new squad of detectives and crack both the case and the guarded secrets of the restaurant staff. Praise for Alexander Campion's The Grave Gourmet "Full of amusing characters. . . Readers will want a second helping." --Publishers Weekly "A delicious mystery. . . a fun book with a very different flavor." --Carolyn Haines, author of the Bones Mysteries "An astonishing debut that raises the bar on today's detective novel." --Aram Saroyan, author of Door to the River "Saucy, spicy, tasty. . .ooh-la-la!" --Kate Collins

With an eye for style and appreciation for seasonal ingredients, the proprietors of Chowgirls Killer Catering, one of the Midwest's leading catering companies, share their inspired ideas for delicious appetizers, small plates, and cocktails that are perfect for home entertaining. Amy Lynn Brown and Heidi Andermack were early adopters of the local, organic, sustainable, and seasonal approach to cooking; their ethos is clearly reflected in this cookbook, which offers fun, elegant, and yet easy-to-prepare recipes arranged by season that will be the hit of your next social gathering. For your party to welcome spring, impress your guests with Spring Pea Toasts with Gouda, Mint-Crusted Lamb Chops, and Wasabi Crab Cakes. For that backyard summer fest, try Flank Steak Skewers with Chimichurri, Sweet Corn Risotto with Grilled Shrimp, and Gazpacho Jars. On that chilly fall gathering, offer the Grilled Sirloin with Farro Tomato Salad, Bacon-Pecan Tartlets, and Roasted Fall Vegetables with Saffron Aioli. And for that festive winter blow-out, make the Italian Beef Sliders, Crab & Green Chile Gratin, and Artichoke Tapenade. Then to wash it all down, make sure there's plenty of Mint Julep Sweet Tea, White Sangria, and Strawberry Basil Daiquiris! Andermack and Brown's shared passion for cooking and entertaining shines throughout this beautiful and inspiring cookbook. Their "righteous bites" will impress your guests with dazzling, organic, locally sourced recipes that show you care. Party on! Michigan-born Heidi Andermack and Kentucky-born Amy Lynn Brown co-founded Chowgirls Killer Catering in 2004. They both live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with their respective families.

First in the series: A full-figured Southern police detective transplanted to sunny California untangles the murder of a politician’s husband. Detective Sergeant Savannah Reid is a long way from Georgia, but she’ll go anywhere for good food and good friends. And policing the exclusive Southern California town of San Carmelita is as tasty as sausage-gravy-and-biscuits with super-spicy home fries. Until city councilwoman Beverly Winston’s husband turns up dead—and an unprecedented media frenzy sweeps the elite beach community like a tsunami. The good news—Savannah is put in charge of the case. The bad—she’s pressured to investigate any person of interest except the main one: Beverly herself. And when Savannah refuses to play ball, she’s summarily fired for “being overweight.” But when another suspect hires her to find the truth, Savannah turns up the heat on an unsavory mess of triple-dealing, infidelity, and betrayal that will rock San Carmelita’s sun-soaked elegance to its core—and put a calculating murderer’s target dead on Savannah’s back. Starring a “warm, winsome, and weight-bedeviled” heroine whose down-home savvy can solve the most sophisticated crimes, this series is a delight for mystery fans (Publishers Weekly).

"For Stella 'Granny' Reid, the 1980s in McGill, Georgia could be seriously predictable. Gossip would flow, her grandkids would stumble into the kind of harmless trouble only encountered when growing up, and a deadly mystery was all it took to make the tranquil Southern town unravel"--Book jacket flap.

When a notorious gang leader is found poisoned in small-town McGill, Georgia, Stella "Granny" Reid investigates a flood of suspects who reveal dark secrets about the victim and several respected locals.

The roots of the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency reach back to the 1980s in the little town of McGill, Georgia—where Stella Reid and her seven grandkids enjoy some spooky Halloween fun and stumble into murder . . . Even if she has to stick to a budget, Stella Reid always makes holidays like Halloween memorable for twelve-year-old Savannah and the rest of her grandchildren. After joining trick-or-treating and the annual parade down Main Street, Granny Reid and the kids head to Judge Patterson’s antebellum mansion, where a corn maze awaits. Most of the youngsters are too terrified to make it all the way to the middle. It’s lucky for them, because when Savannah and Granny get there, it proves to be even scarier than they expected—half buried in the mud at the center of the maze lies a human skull. The grisly discovery uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades—and seems to be related to the long-unsolved murder of Granny Reid’s own part-Cherokee mother. After all this time, the culprit may be long gone . . . or still hiding among them. It’ll be up to Granny to dig into this Southern town’s history and a mess of old family secrets . . .