by Linda Wiken
PRAISE FOR
TOASTING UP TROUBLE
“A savory morsel of mystery and culinary goodness. Food lovers will delight in the meal planning and the mystery as both are rich with surprising ingredients. Wiken has a winning recipe with spunky heroine J.J. Tanner and the Culinary Capers Dinner Club. I can’t wait to be invited to their next event.”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries
“Wiken serves up generous portions of suspense and food lore … I’m already looking forward to a second helping with book two.”
—Victoria Abbott, national bestselling author of the Book Collector Mysteries
“This story has it all: murder, mystery and food. Wiken weaves a tale that will have readers guessing up until the very end. With the introduction of characters who are fun, quirky and quite charming, fans will want to come back to Half Moon Bay for more. The pace of the book is quick and the writing is solid, so it keeps the interest of readers. Great new cozy series!”
—RT Book Reviews
“A delicious new culinary mystery that is absolutely to die for … a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to see what happens next for these characters.”
—Moonlight Rendezvous (5 stars)
Titles by Linda Wiken
TOASTING UP TROUBLE
ROUX THE DAY
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
Copyright © 2017 by Linda Wiken
Excerpt from Marinating in Murder copyright © 2017 by Linda Wiken
All recipes originally appeared in The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook © 2015 by Quirk Books
Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
BERKLEY is a registered trademark and BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the B colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
ISBN: 9780425278222
First Edition: March 2017
eBook ISBN: 9780698183216
Cover art by Anne Wertheim
Cover design by Katie Anderson
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the productof the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book have been created for the ingredients and techniques indicated. The Publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require supervision. Nor is the Publisher responsible for any adverse reactions you may have to the recipes contained in the book, whether you follow them as written or modify them to suit your personal dietary needs or tastes.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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Contents
Praise for Toasting Up Trouble
Titles by Linda Wiken
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
Recipes
Preview of Marinating In Murder
About the Author
ACKNOWLEGMENTS
As usual, I’d like to thank everyone who has taken this journey with me: the amazing team at Berkley Prime Crime, including my editor, Kate Seaver; editorial assistant Katherine Pelz; copyeditor Randie Lipkin; and cover artist Anne Wertheim. Their guidance and contributions are very deeply appreciated.
Thanks also to my wonderful agent, Kim Lionetti at BookEnds Literary Agency. I owe it all to her! Of course, I also owe great friend and terrific author Mary Jane Maffini, aka Victoria Abbott, for her ongoing support. To my sister, Lee, as always, thanks for being there for me!
The wonderful gals of the Ladies’ Killing Circle, my dangerous critiquing group that’s been together for over twenty-five years now—I continue to appreciate your friendship. Thanks also to the two creative and energetic blog groups to which I belong—Killer Characters and Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. These blogs add a dash of fun to the business of writing.
Thanks, in particular, to the amazing librarians and booksellers who believe in the written word and strive to match each book with the readers who will enjoy it. And, of course, thanks to you the reader and all your cronies, for whom we write. I love hearing from you, especially when it’s to say how much you enjoyed the book!
CHAPTER 1
“What’s the worst that can happen? Another dead body?”
J.J. Tanner stared at her best friend and boss, Skye, her mouth hanging open.
Words eluded her.
Skye noticed the look. “Sorry, I guess that was insensitive, given what happened after your last event. Anyway, it couldn’t possibly happen again, so what’s got you worried?”
“Only the fact that this is my first event for a nonprofit,” J.J. answered, finding her voice. “And, I truly believe in their cause, so I’d hate to see it bomb because I forgot to do something or, even worse, made some wrong choices.”
Skye flung her hands up in the air. “I hadn’t realized you were uptight about this one. Look, J.J., I’ve read your proposal and love the idea. You practically forced me to go through your bible for the casino night, and I can attest that you’ve covered all the bases. This is a casino fund-raiser for the People and Causes Foundation, so any monies coming in—no matter how minuscule, if that’s the unfortunate case—will make it a success in their book. And in my experience, it’s hard not to make money with a casino night. Now, I’m going to take you out for a glass of wine, some free advice, and a lift home. Grab your stuff.”
J.J. let out a long sigh, shut down her computer, and stuffed her makeup bag into her purse. “You’ve already given me a lot of free advice,” she said, closing and locking the door of Make It Happen, Skye’s event planning business, behind them.
“Did I say the advice is from me? No, I don’t think I said who it’s from. Do not assume. You know the old saying.”
J.J. made a face just as Tansy Paine exited her office across the hall from them.
“Very dignified, J.J.,” Tansy commented, and strode ahead of them, reaching the bottom of the stairs before they started down.
/> “Four-inch,” J.J. said.
“Uh-uh. At least six, I’d guess. One of these days the stiletto diva is going to do a nosedive down these stairs.”
“You are in a morbid mood this afternoon, Skye Drake. I think I’d better buy you a drink.”
“I was hoping it would work,” Skye said as she hooked her arm through J.J.’s. They’d made it to the front door of the two-story historic home where they had their office, along with Tansy Paine’s law office, when the door to the left opened.
“Drinks?” Evan Thornton sang out. “Am I invited? I am, aren’t I?”
“Of course.” J.J. glanced at Skye, who nodded. “Are you ready or do you want to meet us at … where exactly are we going?”
Skye’s eyebrows curved upward and her lips flattened out. “All will soon be revealed.”
Evan caught up to them on the sidewalk as they turned left onto Gabor Avenue. He quickly linked arms with J.J.’s free arm, and the three of them walked a block toward Lake Champlain and then hurriedly crossed the street at the corner of Claymore.
J.J.’s eyes lit up as they approached the outdoor patio of McCreedy’s, Half Moon Bay’s newest Irish pub. Beth Brickner and Alison Manovich were already seated at one of the tables and waved them over. J.J. glanced at Skye, who shrugged. “I thought you needed your friends around you at a time like this, so I gave Beth a call and she set it up. There’s nothing like talking about food to bring back the sanity.”
J.J. smiled and squeezed Skye’s hand.
“Connor’s going to be late,” Beth explained. “Something came up at the radio station.”
At the mention of his name, J.J. felt her stomach do that flip-flop again. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, but since she’d signed him on to be one of the emcees at the casino night, Connor Mac’s name was now synonymous with her fears for the evening. Skye noticed the look on her face and quickly ordered a glass of Shiraz for them both.
“It might be hard to stay away from talk of the casino night once Connor gets here,” J.J. said, “but I’m really hoping we won’t be discussing it all night. I really need to think about something else for a while.”
Skye jumped in. “And, I hope you don’t mind my joining in. I promised her a drink. Or she promised me one. Anyway, we both need it right about now.”
“Happy to have you along, Skye,” Beth grinned as she plopped a brown paper bag on the table. “Well, I thought I’d take advantage of this opportunity to do the reveal for our next dinner club night.” She patted the bag. “It’s this baby right here, and you’ll have to wait until Connor arrives.” She smiled and tilted her glass of wine toward each of them in turn.
“Yikes, I’ve totally lost track of time,” J.J. admitted. “It’s coming up way too fast.”
“That’s because you’re thinking too much work and not enough cooking. Hope you at least remember it’s at my house.” Beth tapped the top of the bag again. “I think this will be a surprise and we’ll have lots of fun with it.”
“Are you insinuating we haven’t been having fun?” Evan asked, a look of affront on his face. J.J. noticed his blue eyes twinkling, and she tried to stifle a grin, waiting to see how this would play out.
Beth looked abashed. “No, of course not. I’d never suggest that.” She leaned forward and squinted at Evan across the table. “Nice one, Evan. You really had me going there for a few seconds.” She started laughing and they all joined in.
J.J. looked around the table at the three, of four, members of the Culinary Capers club. They all took turns hosting the monthly dinner, and that host got to choose a cookbook and the entrée. The others would bring along an accompanying dish, also from that cookbook. Evan had been the one who’d invited her to join, and now, after many months of shared meals and laughter, she considered them all to be close friends. Food could do that.
“Well, while we’re waiting for Connor, can’t you at least update us on the casino night?” Alison asked. “After all, you know we’ll be there in spirit for you.”
J.J. thought about it for a moment. I’m just being silly. She nodded. “As you know, it’s the big fund-raiser for People and Causes. It’s happening next week, and it’s on board the Lady of the Lake. That’s the largest cruise boat in the Crowder Sightseeing Line, so you can imagine how cool that will be. We cast off at six thirty P.M., weave our way along the islands in Champlain Lake, and return to the dock in Burlington at one A.M. Besides the roulette wheel, there’ll be blackjack, craps, and three-card poker. We’ll serve a buffet dinner at ten P.M., and there’ll be a great DJ at the back of the boat for those wanting to dance.”
“Aft,” Connor said, sinking into the chair beside J.J.
She looked at him.
“Aft. That’s the back of the boat. Hi, everyone. Sorry I’m late. Glad you didn’t wait for me.” He nodded at the drinks.
“And,” J.J. said, taking over again, “our celebrity masters of ceremonies are our very own Connor Mac of radio WHMB morning show fame, and TV personality Miranda Myers, host of Tonight’s Entertainment on WBVT.” She looked at Connor and noticed the flicker pass over his face, almost so fast that she wondered if she’d really seen it. And what had it meant?
Connor signaled the waiter and ordered a beer. “No one’s ordered any food yet? Are we doing dinner or what?”
“It’s my night to cook,” Evan explained, “so I’m not eating. Well, maybe an appetizer.”
“Okay, then let’s get a variety of small dishes on the table.” Connor signaled the waiter again and ordered one of each of the four appetizers on the menu. “I hope that’s all right with everyone,” he asked.
They all nodded, and Alison did the equivalent of a shrug with her eyes.
“Well, I’d like to take over the floor while we’re all waiting,” Beth said in a loud voice. The patio had filled up quickly, and what with the music and talking, it was getting harder to hear. She stared at Connor. “I’m doing the cookbook reveal tonight.” She pulled the narrow but large dark book out of the bag. “There’s nothing like a good murder to whet the appetite.”
Someone gasped. J.J. realized she’d been the culprit, and she suspected that Beth was pleased with the reaction. The others chuckled and gave Beth their full attention.
“So, my choice for the next Culinary Capers dinner is The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook.” She handed it to Connor, and he started flipping through the pages. “The recipes are contributed by some of the most dangerous crime writers in the country. And I’m hoping they’re all safe to use.”
She grinned, and J.J. thought it made her look so much younger than her sixty-four years. “I’m really sorry, though, J.J. There are only a few full-page color pictures. I know how much you like those, but I’m hoping you’ll bear with me for this one time.”
J.J. tried to make it look like she was giving her answer a lot of thought. “Okay. But just this once.” She smiled to show she was kidding. Sort of. “Have you chosen an entrée yet?”
“I have. I’m going to do the Chicken Gabriella, which is contributed by Sara Paretsky, one of my favorite mystery authors. And I thought it might be fun for us to each talk a bit at the dinner about the authors whose recipes we’ve chosen. Maybe, if everyone has time, we could each read a book written by our author and just say a few words about it, too. I think it would be fun and a bit different. What do you all say?” She looked so expectant, J.J. knew no one would dare to pan the idea.
“Great.” Evan chimed in first. “You’re right—it will be fun adding another element, and I put dibs on a side dish.”
“Wow, right in there. We’re taking a big leap here, not having a good look at what’s offered before claiming a dish, but I’ll volunteer for the dessert,” Alison said, moving aside some glasses to allow the first two dishes they’d ordered to be set on the table. “Over to you, J.J.”
“Hm. Probably another side dish.”
“Do we need two of those?” Connor asked. “I see they have a soups and s
alads section, also.”
“I trust your judgment,” Beth answered. “You can let me know what you think after taking a closer look at what’s there.” She glanced around the table. “Thank you. I appreciate you all getting into this. I think it will be memorable and quite delicious.”
Evan raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to an evening of mystery!”
CHAPTER 2
J.J. slipped her right foot into the black sandal with the two-inch heel and stood staring at her foot. Maybe she should have opted for a more subtle nail polish at the pedicure she’d treated herself to earlier in the day. She’d hoped a mani-pedi would calm her before tonight’s big event. But right now, with her color choice of Mandarin Orange glowing on the floor, she could feel the tension settling right back into her shoulders.
She didn’t know why she was so uptight about the casino night. Okay, she did know. It was her first attempt at planning an event for a not-for-profit group, and she knew her reputation depended on its outcome. She also was a strong supporter of the group’s mandate so she wanted to make lots of money to help them continue with all their projects, from literacy to music programs for children living in poverty.
Sure, she was great at planning birthday parties, retirement parties, and other social gatherings. But an evening designed to raise money—that was higher stakes, for sure. She was only partly mollified knowing that Skye had confidence in her. That should have been all she needed to know. After all, Skye owned Make It Happen and it really was her company’s reputation on the line.