The Record Shop Mysteries aren’t food cozies per se, but main character Juni Jessup freely admits that food is the way to her heart, as she eats her way through the tasty food vendors at the annual Cedar River Bluebonnet Festival in A Fatal Groove, all while solving the mayor’s murder. Juni knows her way around a cappuccino maker and has an exceptional knowledge of music from working at her family vinyl records shop/coffee café, Sip & Spin Records, but one thing Juni has never been good at is making up her mind—not when it comes to making the hard choice between two suitors, and especially not when her stomach is hungry. In honor of summertime, and Juni’s indecisiveness, here’s a delicious picnic menu made of cozy mystery treats, with plenty of options to choose from!
First up, we need some cocktails to set the mood. If you’re a wine drinker, you’re going to want to pour yourself a big glass of Kate Lansing’s Till Death Do Us Port, where Colorado vintner Parker Valentine provides the wine—and her sleuthing services—when her cousin’s wedding planner drops dead before the I-dos. If you’re in the mood for a little sand and sun, check out Sherry Harris’ Rum and Choke, where Florida bartender Chloe Jackson dives into adventure and finds a dead body instead of pirate treasure. If you’re the adventurous sort, Diane Kelly has you covered in Fiddling with Fate, with moonshiner Hattie Hayes’ famous homebrew cocktails pairing perfectly with the disappearance of a local bluegrass musician.
Every picnic needs a fun and easy main dish (especially after those appetizing drinks!) Korina Moss carves up a cheese platter in Curds of Prey, as cheese monger Willa Bauer navigates a summer wedding disaster. Mindy Quigley dishes the pizza in Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust, where pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary learns that baking competitions can be murder. And for that special summer feeling, Nicole Asselin has all-American hot dogs, perfect for a picnic or the ballpark, in Concession Stand Crimes, where Madeline Boucher finds a dead body instead of the Cracker-Jack surprise.
Everybody’s favorite part of a meal is desert (or is that just me?). Mia P. Manansala’s Blackmail and Bibingka is serving up all the sweets from baker Lila Macapagal’s café (I can’t get enough of her ube crinkles), while solving the case of the dead-beat cousin. Craving something deadly? Misha Popp’s piemaker Daisy Ellery has to put a little extra magic in her crust in A Good Day to Pie if she’s going to figure out whodunit at the bakeoff. In Fatal Fudge Swirl, Meri Allen’s Riley Rhodes scoops up a delicious ice cream cake while bringing the killer to justice. And if you’re worried about it melting, no one will judge you if you eat your ice cream before the meal!
After all this decadence, you probably can’t eat another bite, but there’s always room for coffee. In CJ Connor’s Board to Death, Ben Rosencrantz has his hands full running the family game shop/café where they boast the best selection of games, along with a charming tea and coffee shop…and an occasional murder investigation. Raquel V. Reyes’ Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith has the recipe for sleuthing in Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking, along with the best Cuban coffee in Miami. Or, if you’re in the mood for something musical, pop on into A Fatal Groove’s Sip & Spin Records, where vinyl records aficionado/barista Juni Jessup and her sisters are always serving up special caffeinated treats—until the mayor drops dead holding one of their take-out coffees. When the Frappuccino hits the fan, Juni and her sisters will be in hot water if they can’t solve this murder!
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Olivia Blacke’s newest cozy mystery, A Fatal Groove, is in bookstores July 25, 2023.
