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    Guilty as Cinnamon
    Chai Another Day
    Assault and Pepper
    Audiobook series7 titles

    Spice Shop Mysteries Series

    Written by Leslie Budewitz

    Narrated by Dara Rosenberg

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this series

    Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market, loves a good festival, especially one serving up tasty treats. So what could be more fun than a food walk in the city's Chinatown-International District?

    But when her friend Roxanne stumbles across a man's body in the Gold Rush, a long-closed residential hotel, questions leap out. Who was he? What was he doing in the dust-encrusted herbal pharmacy in the hotel's basement? Why was the pharmacy closed up-and why are the owners so reluctant to talk?

    With each new discovery, Pepper finds herself asking new questions and facing more brick walls.

    Then questions arise about Roxanne and her relationship to Pepper's boyfriend Nate. Between her worries and her struggle to hire staff at the Spice Shop, Pepper has her hands and her heart full. Still, she can't resist the lure of the Gold Rush and its tangled history of secrets and lies stretching back nearly a century.

    But the killer is on her tail, driven by hidden demons and desires. As Pepper begins to expose the long-concealed truth, a bigger question emerges: Can she uncover the secrets of the Gold Rush Hotel without being pushed from the wok into the fire?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 21, 2016
    Guilty as Cinnamon
    Chai Another Day
    Assault and Pepper

    Titles in the series (7)

    • 1

      Assault and Pepper
      Assault and Pepper

      Assault and Pepper

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 13 ratings
      4/5 - 13 ratings

      Pepper Reece, owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, thinks she can handle any kind of salty customer-until a murderer ends up in the mix . . . After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and Market regulars. But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store's doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle-especially after the police arrest one of Pepper's staffers, Tory Finch, for murder. Tory seems to know why she's a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she's not careful, Pepper's nosy ways might make her next on the killer's list . . .

      Pepper Reece, owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, thinks she can handle any kind of salty customer-until a murderer ends up in the mix . . . After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and Market regulars. But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store's doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle-especially after the police arrest one of Pepper's staffers, Tory Finch, for murder. Tory seems to know why she's a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she's not careful, Pepper's nosy ways might make her next on the killer's list . . .

    • 2

      Guilty as Cinnamon
      Guilty as Cinnamon

      Guilty as Cinnamon

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 11 ratings
      4/5 - 11 ratings

      Springtime in Seattle's Pike Place Market means tasty foods and wide-eyed tourists, and Pepper's Spice Shop is ready for the crowds. With flavorful combinations and a fresh approach, she's sure to win over the public. Even better, she's working with several local restaurants as their chief herb and spice supplier. Business is cooking, until one of Pepper's potential clients, a young chef named Tamara Langston, is found dead, her life extinguished by the dangerously hot ghost chili-a spice Pepper carries in her shop. Now stuck in the middle of a heated police investigation, Pepper must use all her senses to find out who wanted to keep Tamara's new cafe from opening-before someone else gets burned . . .

      Springtime in Seattle's Pike Place Market means tasty foods and wide-eyed tourists, and Pepper's Spice Shop is ready for the crowds. With flavorful combinations and a fresh approach, she's sure to win over the public. Even better, she's working with several local restaurants as their chief herb and spice supplier. Business is cooking, until one of Pepper's potential clients, a young chef named Tamara Langston, is found dead, her life extinguished by the dangerously hot ghost chili-a spice Pepper carries in her shop. Now stuck in the middle of a heated police investigation, Pepper must use all her senses to find out who wanted to keep Tamara's new cafe from opening-before someone else gets burned . . .

    • 4

      Chai Another Day
      Chai Another Day

      Chai Another Day

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 11 ratings
      4/5 - 11 ratings

      Seattle Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece probes murder while juggling a troubled employee, her mother's house hunt, and a fisherman who's set his hook for her. As owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece is always on the go. Between conjuring up new spice blends and serving iced spice tea to customers looking to beat the summer heat, she finally takes a break for a massage. But the Zen moment is shattered when she overhears an argument in her friend Aimee's vintage home decor shop that ends in murder. Wracked by guilt over her failure to intervene, Pepper investigates, only to discover a web of deadly connections that could ensnare a friend-and Pepper herself.

      Seattle Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece probes murder while juggling a troubled employee, her mother's house hunt, and a fisherman who's set his hook for her. As owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece is always on the go. Between conjuring up new spice blends and serving iced spice tea to customers looking to beat the summer heat, she finally takes a break for a massage. But the Zen moment is shattered when she overhears an argument in her friend Aimee's vintage home decor shop that ends in murder. Wracked by guilt over her failure to intervene, Pepper investigates, only to discover a web of deadly connections that could ensnare a friend-and Pepper herself.

    • 3

      Killing Thyme
      Killing Thyme

      Killing Thyme

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 11 ratings
      4/5 - 11 ratings

      In Seattle's Pike Place Market, Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer . . . Pepper Reece's to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she's got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun. While browsing in the artists' stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper's surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family's past. After Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

      In Seattle's Pike Place Market, Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer . . . Pepper Reece's to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she's got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun. While browsing in the artists' stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper's surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family's past. After Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

    • 5

      The Solace of Bay Leaves
      The Solace of Bay Leaves

      The Solace of Bay Leaves

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 4 ratings
      4/5 - 4 ratings

      The Solace of Bay Leaves is the fifth Spice Shop mystery, featuring Pepper Reece, a forty-something single city girl. When her life fell apart at forty, after she stumbled over her husband, a Seattle police officer on the downtown bike beat, and a parking enforcement officer practically plugging each other's meters, and the law firm where she worked as an HR manager imploded in scandal, taking her job with it, Pepper never expected to find solace in bay leaves. But season after season, as the new owner of Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, Pepper faces danger head-on, determined to work for justice, protect those she loves, and live a spicy life.

      The Solace of Bay Leaves is the fifth Spice Shop mystery, featuring Pepper Reece, a forty-something single city girl. When her life fell apart at forty, after she stumbled over her husband, a Seattle police officer on the downtown bike beat, and a parking enforcement officer practically plugging each other's meters, and the law firm where she worked as an HR manager imploded in scandal, taking her job with it, Pepper never expected to find solace in bay leaves. But season after season, as the new owner of Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, Pepper faces danger head-on, determined to work for justice, protect those she loves, and live a spicy life.

    • 6

      Peppermint Barked: A Spice Shop Mystery
      Peppermint Barked: A Spice Shop Mystery

      Peppermint Barked: A Spice Shop Mystery

      Leslie Budewitz
      4/5 - 2 ratings
      4/5 - 2 ratings

      A Dickens of a Christmas turns deadly . . . As the holiday season lights up Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece's beloved Spice Shop is brimming with cinnamon, nutmeg, and shoppers eager to stuff their stockings. Add to the mix a tasty staff competition-a peppermint bark-off-along with Victorian costumes for this year's Dickensian Christmas theme, and Pepper almost forgets to be nervous about meeting her fisherman boyfriend's brother for the first time. But when a young woman working in her friend Vinny's wine shop is brutally assaulted, costumed revelers and holiday cheer are the last things on Pepper's mind. Who would want to hurt Beth? Or were they looking for Vinny instead? As the secrets of the market come to light, long-held grudges, family ties, and hidden plans only further obscure the truth. Is it a ghost of the past rattling its chains, or a contemporary Scrooge with more earthly motives? As Pepper chases down a killer, someone is chasing her, and in the end, the storied market itself may hold the final, deadly clue.

      A Dickens of a Christmas turns deadly . . . As the holiday season lights up Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece's beloved Spice Shop is brimming with cinnamon, nutmeg, and shoppers eager to stuff their stockings. Add to the mix a tasty staff competition-a peppermint bark-off-along with Victorian costumes for this year's Dickensian Christmas theme, and Pepper almost forgets to be nervous about meeting her fisherman boyfriend's brother for the first time. But when a young woman working in her friend Vinny's wine shop is brutally assaulted, costumed revelers and holiday cheer are the last things on Pepper's mind. Who would want to hurt Beth? Or were they looking for Vinny instead? As the secrets of the market come to light, long-held grudges, family ties, and hidden plans only further obscure the truth. Is it a ghost of the past rattling its chains, or a contemporary Scrooge with more earthly motives? As Pepper chases down a killer, someone is chasing her, and in the end, the storied market itself may hold the final, deadly clue.

    • 7

      Between A Wok and a Dead Place
      Between A Wok and a Dead Place

      Between A Wok and a Dead Place

      Leslie Budewitz
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market, loves a good festival, especially one serving up tasty treats. So what could be more fun than a food walk in the city's Chinatown-International District? But when her friend Roxanne stumbles across a man's body in the Gold Rush, a long-closed residential hotel, questions leap out. Who was he? What was he doing in the dust-encrusted herbal pharmacy in the hotel's basement? Why was the pharmacy closed up-and why are the owners so reluctant to talk? With each new discovery, Pepper finds herself asking new questions and facing more brick walls. Then questions arise about Roxanne and her relationship to Pepper's boyfriend Nate. Between her worries and her struggle to hire staff at the Spice Shop, Pepper has her hands and her heart full. Still, she can't resist the lure of the Gold Rush and its tangled history of secrets and lies stretching back nearly a century. But the killer is on her tail, driven by hidden demons and desires. As Pepper begins to expose the long-concealed truth, a bigger question emerges: Can she uncover the secrets of the Gold Rush Hotel without being pushed from the wok into the fire?

      Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market, loves a good festival, especially one serving up tasty treats. So what could be more fun than a food walk in the city's Chinatown-International District? But when her friend Roxanne stumbles across a man's body in the Gold Rush, a long-closed residential hotel, questions leap out. Who was he? What was he doing in the dust-encrusted herbal pharmacy in the hotel's basement? Why was the pharmacy closed up-and why are the owners so reluctant to talk? With each new discovery, Pepper finds herself asking new questions and facing more brick walls. Then questions arise about Roxanne and her relationship to Pepper's boyfriend Nate. Between her worries and her struggle to hire staff at the Spice Shop, Pepper has her hands and her heart full. Still, she can't resist the lure of the Gold Rush and its tangled history of secrets and lies stretching back nearly a century. But the killer is on her tail, driven by hidden demons and desires. As Pepper begins to expose the long-concealed truth, a bigger question emerges: Can she uncover the secrets of the Gold Rush Hotel without being pushed from the wok into the fire?

    Author

    Leslie Budewitz

    Leslie Budewitz blends her passion for food, great mysteries, and the Northwest in two cozy mystery series, the Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. She also writes moody suspense under the pen name Alicia Beckman. Leslie is the winner of three Agatha Awards—2013 Best First Novel for DEATH AL DENTE, the first Food Lovers' Village mystery; 2011 Best Nonfiction, and 2018 Best Short Story, for “All God’s Sparrows,” her first historical fiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a former board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives and cooks in NW Montana.

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