Book: Fudge Brownies & Murder (Culinary Competition #4) by Janel Gradowski
Genre: Cozy mystery
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing
Publication date: December 17, 2015
Pages: 209

Source: e-book ARC from the author, a Weekend Cooking participant

Solving a murder, planning (maybe) a baby shower, and working in the local market

Summary: In the fourth installment of the Culinary Competition mystery series, amateur cook and accidental sleuth Amy Ridley can handle a brownie-obsessed pregnant friend. But when said friend refuses a baby shower, Amy resorts to secrets and subterfuge. It turns out that a surprise baby shower isn’t the only clandestine activity to fill Amy’s life. What is going on at the new arts and food market in Kellerton, Michigan? When one of the booth owners ends up dead, Amy finds herself  investigating the hidden underbelly that no one suspects in such a wholesome space.

Thoughts: I’ve always loved the setting of the Culinary Mystery series, a small town in Michigan. In Fudge Brownies & Murder we get to explore a new part, the sort of market we all like to shop in when we get a chance, with colorful displays, homemade goods, and interesting vendors.

Since we just welcomed a new great-nephew to the family, I was also entranced by the activities surrounding Carla’s pregnancy. Carla is Amy’s best friend and through this series, she’s gone through two big life changes. In the last book, she got married. In this one, she’s pregnant and on complete bed rest. Fortunately, she has Amy to satisfy her cravings for brownies of all varieties.

Appeal: Cozy mystery lovers should eat this series up! Although the stories stand on their own as mysteries, the regular characters develop from book to book, so I recommend reading the series in order:

1. Pies & Peril
2. Chicken Soup & Homicide
3. Doughnuts & Deadly Schemes

Challenges: This is my third book for the Foodies Read Challenge of 2015 — all three were books in the Culinary Competition series!

Thanks, Beth Fish Reads, for hosting Weekend Cooking each week.

Have you read this book? What did you think?