Cornbread and Coffins

Jessica catered one funeral as a favor. Finding a dead body wasn't part of the deal.

Chef Jessica Vasquez has finally found her rhythm at The Crock Pot. Business is booming, her team is thriving, and life is good. When her grandmother asks her to cater a funeral for her friend Lois as a special favor, Jessica agrees, even though catering isn't something she wants to do regularly. The service goes smoothly, and Jessica heads to the funeral home office to drop off her invoice.

That's when she finds Donna Overton's body slumped over her desk.

Donna, the funeral home's office secretary, was poisoned with oleander, the same deadly plant used by Dashwood's infamous "Morality Killer" years ago. A serial murderer who was never caught.

Now Jessica is a suspect, her restaurant's reputation is under scrutiny, and someone wants to make sure she stays quiet. When an oleander plant appears on her doorstep as a sinister warning, Jessica realizes the killer isn't finished. But who would want Donna dead? The town troublemaker had a gift for ruining lives, flirting with married men, causing scenes at sacred moments, and leaving a trail of angry spouses in her wake.

As Jessica digs deeper, she discovers Donna had enemies everywhere. There's Lolly, her grandmother's dear friend, who had a very public confrontation with Donna at her own husband's funeral. There's Tilly Franco, whose marriage was destroyed by Donna's affair with her husband. And there's Darcy, who makes no secret of her hatred for the victim. Even the funeral home itself seems to hide dark secrets behind its respectable facade.

With her roommates Vee and Sawyer, her protective Aunt Rita, and her loyal restaurant team by her side, Jessica must untangle a web of jealousy, adultery, and long-buried grudges. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her investigation becomes. The Morality Killer has returned, and Jessica might be the next person judged unworthy of living.

Can Jessica expose a killer before she becomes the next victim? Or will seeking justice cost her everything, including the grandmother who raised her?

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:

•Small-town secrets and twisted motives
•Wrong place, wrong time discoveries
•Complex relationships and family drama
•Amateur sleuths facing moral dilemmas
•Southern charm with a sinister edge

Cornbread and Coffins is Book 3 in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries series. While it can be enjoyed standalone, it's best read in order to fully appreciate character relationships and Jessica's growth as both a chef and reluctant detective.