Weekend Cooking: 6 Culinary Cozy Mysteries

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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It's been a while since I did a round-up of Berkley Prime Crime cozy culinary mysteries, so I thought I share a half dozen new releases, each of which provides some fun escape reading. Plus, because the stories all involve food and drink, you'll find some recipes included with each book. Pour some tea (make sure it isn't poisoned!), make yourself comfortable, and get ready to meet some friendly foodie crime solvers.

• Tangled up in Brew by Joyce Tremel: Max O'Hara brews the beer and her boyfriend, Jake, slings the burgers at their Pittsburgh-area brew pub. When they enter a local food and drink festival, a food critic takes a bad bite and ends up dead, leaving Jake as the prime suspect. Will the duo be able to find the real criminal before poor Jake is hauled off to jail? This is the 2nd in the Brewing up Trouble series.
• Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathy Aarons: Women Power and chocolate goodness infuses this Halloween-themed cozy set in a small town in Maryland. Holiday prep at the chocolate shop is going well for business partners Michelle and Erica, until one of their teenage helpers is accused of murder. The kid may be troubled, but the friends are sure he's innocent of the crime; can they convince the cops? This is the 4th in the Chocolate Covered Mystery series.
• Grilling the Subject by Daryl Wood Gerber: Hold on to your hats, the rodeo is coming to town! Cookbook store owner Jenna is looking forward to both the events and the food, but her plans are turned upside down after her father's neighbor is killed. Can Jenna remove her father from the suspect list and find the real killer before he or she strikes again? This is the 5th in the the Cookbook Nook series, which is set in California.

• Cheddar Off Dead by Julia Buckley: Christmas in the city can be exciting, with the lights and the pretty store fronts. For Chicago caterer Lilah, it's also a busy season thanks to her clients' parties. Life is made more stressful after she witnesses the murder of a Santa--in a school parking lot, no less! Will she and cute detective Jay find the bad guy before Lilah becomes the next victim? This is the 2nd in the Undercover Dish series.
• Dead to the Last Drop by Cleo Coyle: Who doesn't like a good cup of custom-roasted coffee? Claire has build a strong reputation as a coffee master, until her Washington, DC, coffeehouse becomes a crime scene, involving a murder and a possible political kidnapping. Can she and her NYPD boyfriend solve the case before Claire loses everything . . . including her life? This is the 15th in the Coffeehouse Mystery series.
• Much Ado About Muffin by Victoria Hamilton: After leaving the city for rural upstate New York, you'd think Merry would never again see the yellow strips of crime tape, but you'd be wrong. The town's favorite muffin baker finds herself caught up in a murder case. Can she prove the postmistress is innocent of doing in a famous opera singer? This is the 4th in the Merry Muffin series.

For all of you in Canada and the United States, hope you're enjoying the long holiday weekend!