Fresh-Baked Mystery Series by Livia J Washburnseeders: 5
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Fresh-Baked Mystery Series by Livia J Washburn (Size: 2.5 MB)
Description        Livia J Washburn's first story was published in 1978 in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. Her first novel was published in '83 by Fawcett as by Livia James. In the eighties she had several westerns published in hardback by M. Evans, while she was writing mysteries for TorBooks under her maiden name Washburn. It wasn't until recently that Livia went back to her first love, mysteries with the October 2006 release of A PEACH OF A MURDER 1. A Peach of a Murder All year round, retired schoolteacher Phyllis Newsom is as sweet as pie peachpie, of course, made with Parker County peaches, the sweetest in the state of Texas. All year, that is, except during the Peach Festival whose blue ribbon has slipped through Phyllis's fingers more than once.... Everyone's a little shaken when the corpse of a no-good local turns up underneath a car in his own barn. But even as Phyllis engages in some amateur sleuthing, she won't let it distract her from outbaking her rivals and winning the upcoming Peach Festival contest. She and all the other contestants guard their secret original recipes with their lives--and talk a whole lot of trash. With her unusual spicy peach cobbler, Phyllis hopes to knock 'em dead. But that's just an expression--never in her wildest dreams does she think her cobbler will actually kill a judge. Now she's suspected of murder, and she's got to bake this case wide open.... 2. Murder By the Slice Retired schoolteacher Phyllis Newsom's scrumptious baked creations are known throughout Weatherford, Texas, for many things, but being healthy isn't one of them. So this year's contest should be quite a challenge, because even though the entries must be low-cal and low-fat, Phyllis will never, ever scrimp on taste.... You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Unfortunately, nobody ever told Shannon Dunston, despotic president of Oliver Loving Elementary's Parent-Teacher Organization. With Shannon at the helm of the upcoming fund-raising carnival, Phyllis Newsom and her friends agree that they wouldn't mind if she were to go to a much hotter place than Texas.... Even though the carnival fare is heart-healthy, Shannon won't get a chance to see the benefits after someone stabs her in the chest in a school hallway. Distraught, Phyllis learns she may have used the knife that killed Shannon and that it left incriminating traces of frosting on the corpse. Now clearing her name will be no piece of applesauce-and-granola cake... 3. The Christmas Cookie Killer It's Christmastime in Weatherford, Texas, and retired teacher, amateur sleuth, Phyllis Newsom is looking forward to finishing up what has been one unlucky year. But she won't be hanging up her apron quite yet, because this year's Christmas bake-off is going to be cutthroat. Phyllis would like to think she's entering the Christmas cookie contest just for fun. But that's not exactly true. She can't imagine anyone beating her delicate snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies, although her neighbor Mrs. Simmons gingerdoodles might give her a run for her money. Then, during her annual Christmas cookie exchange Phyllis heads over to elderly Mrs. Simmons's home and finds the poor thing in a pile of lime sugar cookies, strangled by the belt of her own bathrobe. With a number of names on Santa's naughty suspect list, this case is a cookie Phyllis mea to crumble.... 4. Killer Crab Cakes In this bake-off, people get knocked off. The irresistible new entry in the national bestselling series. When Phyllis's cousin asks her to look after her Oak Knoll bed-and-breakfast for a few weeks, Phyllis jumps at the chance, mostly because the inn is located close to the annual Rockport, Texas, Just Desserts competition. Determined to beat her friendly rival and enjoy some peaceful downtime with her boyfriend Sam, Phyllis concocts the ultimate sweet treat. But Phyllis's holiday turns bitter when she and Sam discover a dead body-and all signs point to murder. Dismayed that bad luck seems to pop up wherever she goes, Phyllis wants to stay out of this one. But as the list of suspects gets too close for comfort, she decides to throw herself into the mix. Because when it comes to solving murders, Phyllis is one smart cookie. 5. The Pumpkin Muffin Murder Phyllis loves to spend quality time with her grandson. She'll be taking him to a festival with hopes of winning the baking contest now that her friendly competitor, Carolyn, is judging and not competing. But when a decorative scarecrow is actually a dead body in disguise, it's Phyllis's sleuthing skills that are needed. The dead body is that of the festival's organizer and his wife, Carolyn's friend, falls under suspicion. Carolyn turns to Phyllis for help, because who's better at dishing out some justice than a baker extraordinaire who can handle the heat... 6. The Gingerbread Bump Off A Christmas killer has been icing Phylis Newsom's friends in the sixth Fresh-Baked mystery. Not only will Phyllis Newsom's house be featured in the annual Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes, she also has a Christmas Eve bridal shower and a New Year's Eve wedding to bake goodies for. But like her tasty treats, she rises to the occasion. Before the tour gets under way, Phyllis makes a gruesome discovery on her porch: someone has tried to kill her friend. As Santa's naughty list gets longer, Phyllis tries to catch a half-baked killer. 7. Wedding Cake Killer Wedding bells will be ringing in Weatherford, Texas, this Christmas when Phyllis Newsom opens up her home for her best friend’s wedding. And although the bride is wearing white, no one suspects that she’ll soon be wearing black… After all the planning—and the cake tasting—the big day has arrived. Eve Turner, one of Phyllis’s boarders—and her best friend—is moving out and getting married to the affable Roy Porter. While she’s sad to see Eve go, Phyllis is more than happy to host the event in her house and to bake the bride and groom a delicious three-tiered coconut wedding cake. Even though a snowstorm in the forecast seems like a recipe for disaster, the day runs as smoothly as butter cream. But the marriage doesn’t last long past the honeymoon. When Roy’s found dead at a Weatherford bed-and-breakfast, Eve’s the top suspect. Now Phyllis must find out who iced Roy before her friend finds herself behind bars… 8. The Fatal Funnel Cake It's time for the State Fair of Texas—and cooking contests galore! Fryers are heating up and stomachs are growling. But Phyllis Newsom had better watch out. Someone's brought an appetite for murder.... Phyllis and her friends Carolyn and Sam are ready to whip up their best dishes and win some ribbons in Dallas. And they're excited to learn that one of their favorite celebrity chefs—Joye Jameson of The Joye of Cooking—is broadcasting her TV show from the fair. When Phyllis's funnel cake is picked as one of the best of that category, Joye invites her and the other finalists to prepare their delicious recipes live on the air. But Phyllis's moment in the spotlight is spoiled after Joye suffers a deadly allergic reaction from one bite of her funnel cake. Now she's gone from top entry to top suspect. So in order to clear her name, Phyllis will have to turn up the heat on this investigation before the real killer slips through her fingers... Sharing Widget |