by Alana Ling
‘See you soon,’ he said and let go of me, approaching his front door.
‘See you,’ I repeated, standing at the door, with a beautiful sad smile on his scruffy face, glowing blue eyes staring at me, and took a mental picture of him, along with his sweet, irresistible flavour.
Then, he was gone and I was standing in his empty apartment. A little tear escaped my eyes and I wiped it quickly as I made my way downstairs.
* * *
‘You okay, honey?’ Devi asked me as soon as she saw me.
I nodded, but didn’t say anything. I was scared I would burst into tears if I did.
Sam and Ollie approached me.
‘Hey, what happened? Where is Kit going?’
‘Home,’ I answered.
After a generous glass of gin and serving of my exotic apple and pear crumble, which I brought over from my house, I was able to relax and share with them what had been said.
‘It sounds as if he needs it,’ Ollie said. ‘Oh my God. This is so good, Jo.’
‘I know, but it sounds like he’s leaving for good,’ I said.
‘Hey.’ Sam jumped in. ‘He can’t leave. He owns this place. Also, I need a whole tray of this’. She pointed at the dessert.
I shrugged.
‘Anyway. At least we’ve got our hands full while he’s away,’ I said.
‘Yeah, I bet you can’t wait to see your mum’s rehearsals.’ Sam laughed.
I took a deep breath and another sip of my drink.
‘Well, it beats murder, but only by an inch.’ I giggled.
It was going to be okay. I was going to be okay. I still had my friends and my family, no matter how quirky they were. Kit would be back in no time. At least that’s what I told myself over and over, not allowing myself to treat our last encounter as goodbye.
‘I’ll drink to that,’ Sam said and she and Devi raised their glasses.
Ollie joined them and I reluctantly copied him.
‘To a Christmas fair with no murder!’ Sam said and we clinked glasses.
Never miss an update
If you enjoyed this book please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads, and spread the word to your friends who also love mysteries. You can use the official hashtags #TastingMurder and #OfficialHavener and join the online conversation.
Click here to review this book on Amazon and Goodreads.
If you would like to know when the next book is out, as well as get more insight into the world of Haven-on-Sea and its inhabitants, follow the link below to join Alana’s Reading Group, where you will get first dibs on new content, cover reveals and join in on competitions.
SIGN UP TO ALANA’S NEWSLETTER
* * *
The next book in the series, Naughty and Iced, is coming in 2019.
Follow me on BookBub and Amazon to get notified when it’s released!
Acknowledgments
I learn so much with every book I write and I overcome bigger challenges. You’d think writing a series would be easier, and while writing the characters I’ve come to love (who didn’t love Devika’s bigger role in this book?) it seems that every instalment it becomes easier for Joanna to solve her murders, but harder for me to write.
This book couldn’t be what it is now if not for the support and help of my dear friends Ana and George. They’ve helped me push through when I didn’t want to go on and encouraged me every day.
A big shout-out to Katie and Ginny who beta read the first drafts of Gin & Toxic and gave me their invaluable help.
Also, a big thank you to Katie (again), Shirley, Mary, Paula, Linda, and Catherine for giving me the names of the suspects’ companies. They helped me create a more rounded picture of the characters in this book.
And of course, as with every book, I’d like to thank you for following Joanna, Sam and me on our journey. Without you, none of this would be a reality.
Also by Alana Ling
MURDER, SHE TASTED SERIES
In Sickness and in Death, Book 1
A Plummet in the Polls, Book 2
Gin and Toxic, Book 3
About Alana Ling
Alana Ling loves mysteries of any kind and spending time in the kitchen. When she's not planning parties, she can be found writing the adventures of her sleuth, Joanna. She currently resides in London with her husband and their dog, Alfie, who features in her debut series "Murder, She Tasted".
Joanna’s Recipes
Cranberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 24 cookies | Prep Time 10’ | Cook Time 10’
These cookies are to die for and it’s not just myself that thinks so. They were a big hit with my colleagues and friends alike and even if Henry wasn’t your favourite character (I don’t know how that would be possible. He’s hilariously infuriating!) his flavour is my favourite cookie to-dat, along with oatmeal cookies (Alfie’s taste), of course.
It’s also a dead-easy recipe. So get on baking and don’t forget to post your pictures and show me your creation. Tag @cosyalanaling and #OfficialHavener #TastingMurder.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup light brown soft sugar
½ cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
50g of dried cranberries
50g of crushed pistachio
100g white chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat the oven at 175° C/ 350 °F / gas mark 4.
In a bowl, beat the butter and both the brown and caster sugar together until fluffy.
Add the egg and whisk again.
Add the flour in quarters and once it has just about mixed add the pinch of salt and the vanilla extra.
Lastly add the cranberries, the crushed pistachio* and the white chocolate chips.
Shape the dough into even balls and place on the baking tray lined with kitchen foil (aluminum foil). Make sure to spread them out so they don’t meld together once they start baking.
Bake for just under 10 minutes if not less (make sure you check them as they can go from soft and fluffy to crunchy and burned in a matter of minutes.
Leave them on the tray for a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack. If you leave them longer the bottoms of the cookies will continue to bake.
It took me a few attempts to get them soft and fluffy. So if the first batch comes out a bit harder than you like, don’t be defeated. Just make sure to reduce the baking time.
*To crush your pistachio, if you don’t have a pestle and mortar, take the measurement of pistachio and put in the middle of a clean tea towel. You can then use a plate or a mug to push down on the kernels and crush (don’t start banging on the towel as you will most likely break whatever you use). You don’t want to make them into a fine dust anyway, as you won’t be able to taste them if you crush them too much.