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Scam Chowder
Final Fondue
By Cook or by Crook
Ebook series7 titles

A Five-Ingredient Mystery Series

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this series

When Santa is sleighed by a poison gingerbread cookie at a holiday party, Val Deniston's reputation is on the line . . .
 
This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival's costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.
 
But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head—okay, Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it—hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year's sour Santa has none of the big fellow's mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it's no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year . . .
 
Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!
 
PRAISE FOR CRYPT SUZETTE
 
“Grandad is a hoot and his jobs as a food reviewer and part-time detective provide endless possibilities for fun and murder . . . Charming.”
—Kirkus Reviews

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 1, 1991
Scam Chowder
Final Fondue
By Cook or by Crook

Titles in the series (7)

  • By Cook or by Crook

    1

    By Cook or by Crook
    By Cook or by Crook

    “Maya Corrigan’s concept of Five Ingredients, Five Suspects, Five Clues fits this scrumptious culinary mystery like a five-fingered glove.” —Barbara Ross, author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries Take one burned-out city girl. Add a crusty codger, a pinch of gossip, and a dash of romance. Stir in a generous helping of murder and you’ve got the ingredients for one truly delicious mystery . . .   Haunted by the car accident that ended her career as a cookbook publicist, Val Deniston has traded in the chaos of New York City for a quieter life near the Chesapeake Bay. Living with her curmudgeonly grandfather in the tourist town of Bayport is hardly glamorous, but she enjoys working at the Cool Down Café at the local fitness club, and she finally has time to work on her long-planned cookbook. But when one of the club’s patrons is found dead, she’ll have to cook up a scheme to find the killer. As the number of suspects rises like crabs in a bucket, it’s out of the pan and into the fire for Val. If she can’t find the culprit soon, she might as well be chum in the water . . .   Includes Five Delicious Recipes from Val’s Cookbook!   “Cozy mystery readers will love the puzzle and the enjoyable look into this small tourist town by the sea.” —Nancy Coco, author of the Candy-Coated Mysteries   “Suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy . . . With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich.” —Library Journal

  • Scam Chowder

    2

    Scam Chowder
    Scam Chowder

    The author of By Cook or By Crook serves up a delectable novel that's “perfect for fans of good food, small towns and lighthearted mysteries” (Blue Moon Mystery Saloon). Thirtyish Val Deniston loves the Chesapeake Bay tourist town she now calls home. Running the fitness club's Cool Down Café—and perfecting her five-ingredient recipes—is a dream come true. But keeping her grandfather out of trouble can be a challenge . . . Especially when one of his dinner party guests winds up face down in the chowder. The deceased diner apparently scammed Granddad's best buddy, and since the other dinner guests have suddenly clammed up, the police have all the ingredients to cook up a conviction for Granddad. With his freedom—and Val's café job—on the line, Val is in a sweat trying to avert disaster. But dredging up old secrets might just be a recipe for murder . . . Includes six five-ingredient recipes! Praise for the Five-Ingredient Mysteries “Cozy mystery readers will love the puzzle and the enjoyable look into this small tourist town by the sea.” —Nancy Coco, author of the Candy-Coated Mysteries “Suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy . . . With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich.” —Library Journal “Corrigan keeps her simple mixture of pleasant characters, murder, and recipes in the oven.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • Final Fondue

    3

    Final Fondue
    Final Fondue

    The author of Scam Chowder dishes up “a lighthearted mystery involving romance, revenge, and chocolate fondue . . . a tasty mixture” (Blue Moon Mystery Saloon). Val Deniston certainly has her plate full running a café, dabbling with recipes, and helping her grandfather prepare for the town's upcoming tri-centennial celebration, but she's grown fond of her new life in the Chesapeake Bay town of Bayport . . . So when Val is asked to reclaim her old position as a cookbook publicist in New York City, she puts off her decision in order to help her grandfather perfect his chocolate fondue for the weekend festivity's dessert cook-off. But after the opening ceremonies, Val finds a houseguest strangled to death in her grandfather's backyard. She suspects a classic case of mistaken identity, especially when another guest nearly bids her life a fondue farewell. Now it's up to Val to keep the killer from making another stab at murder . . . Includes six five-ingredient recipes! Praise for the Five-Ingredient Mysteries “Cozy mystery readers will love the puzzle and the enjoyable look into this small tourist town by the sea.” —Nancy Coco, author of the Candy-Coated Mysteries “Suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy . . . With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich.” —Library Journal “Corrigan keeps her simple mixture of pleasant characters, murder, and recipes in the oven.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • S'more Murders

    5

    S'more Murders
    S'more Murders

    A sleuthing chef tries to keep her head above water when her Titanic-themed dinner turns into a prelude to murder—from the author of The Tell-Tale Tarte. Managing a fitness club café and collaborating on a cookbook with her grandfather are Val Deniston's usual specialties, but she's about to set sail into nearby Chesapeake Bay—straight into a murder case . . . Since catering themed events is a good way to make extra cash, Val agrees to board the Titanic—or at least cater a re-creation of the doomed journey on a yacht. The owner of the yacht, who collects memorabilia related to the disaster, wants Val to serve the last meal the Titanic passengers ate . . . while his guests play a murder-mystery game. But it is the final feast for one passenger who disappears from the ship. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Now Val has to reel in a killer before s'more murders go down . . . Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes! Praise for the Five-Ingredient Mysteries “Cozy mystery readers will love the puzzle and the enjoyable look into this small tourist town by the sea.” —Nancy Coco, author of the Candy-Coated Mysteries “Suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy . . . With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich.” —Library Journal “Corrigan keeps her simple mixture of pleasant characters, murder, and recipes in the oven.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • The Tell-Tale Tarte

    4

    The Tell-Tale Tarte
    The Tell-Tale Tarte

    The life and work of Edgar Allan Poe spices up this culinary mystery from the author of Final Fondue. Includes recipes!   It’s a cold January in the Chesapeake Bay area, but Cool Down Café manager Val Deniston has plenty to sweat over—like catering a book club event, testing recipes for her Granddad’s cookbook, and catching the author of a deadly tale of murder . . . The last thing Val needs in her life is an unsolved murder, especially when the victim, an actor famed for impersonating Edgar Allan Poe, happens to be dressed exactly like her Granddad. To keep an eye on Granddad, whose latest job takes him to the home of Rick Usher, a local author inspired by Poe, Val gets herself hired as a cook in Rick’s House of Usher. When she discovers the actor wasn’t the only one doing an impersonation, separating the innocent from the murderous becomes a real-life horror story. But Val must decipher a killer’s M.O. sooner rather than later . . . or she can forget about finding poetic justice. Includes 6 delicious five-ingredient recipes!   Praise for the Five-Ingredient Mysteries   “Cozy mystery readers will love the puzzle and the enjoyable look into this small tourist town by the sea.”—Nancy Coco, author of the Candy-Coated Mysteries   “Suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy . . . With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich.”—Library Journal   “Corrigan keeps her simple mixture of pleasant characters, murder, and recipes in the oven.”—Kirkus Reviews

  • Gingerdead Man

    7

    Gingerdead Man
    Gingerdead Man

    When Santa is sleighed by a poison gingerbread cookie at a holiday party, Val Deniston's reputation is on the line . . .   This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival's costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.   But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head—okay, Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it—hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year's sour Santa has none of the big fellow's mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it's no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year . . .   Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!   PRAISE FOR CRYPT SUZETTE   “Grandad is a hoot and his jobs as a food reviewer and part-time detective provide endless possibilities for fun and murder . . . Charming.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • Crypt Suzette

    6

    Crypt Suzette
    Crypt Suzette

    Val Deniston is catering the debut of Bayport’s newest bookstore—but the death of a customer is about to draw her into a real-life murder mystery … Suzette Cripps has been occupying a spare bedroom at Val’s granddad’s house while she takes classes in this Maryland Eastern Shore town—but she’s always seemed a little secretive and fearful, and any talk about her past is a closed book.   After winning the costume contest at the Halloween-themed bookstore party, Suzette is mowed down by a hit-and-run driver—and Val and her grandfather start to wonder whether it was really an accident or if someone was after Suzette. Granddad is a little distracted by his new enterprise as a ghost-buster, but as Val talks to Suzette’s coworkers and fellow creative writing students, she grows more convinced that the dead woman’s demons weren’t imaginary—and that she needs to rip the mask off a killer …   Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!

Author

Maya Corrigan

Maya Corrigan lives near Washington, D.C., within easy driving distance of Maryland's Eastern Shore, the setting for this series. She has taught courses in writing, detective fiction, and American literature at Georgetown University and NOVA community college. A winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, she has published essays on drama and short stories under her full name of Mary Ann Corrigan. Visit her at mayacorrigan.com.

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