The chili in Texas is red-hot . . .
and so is murder!
Phyllis, Sam, Carolyn, and Eve head
for West Texas to compete in a Fourth of July chili cookoff. Thousands of
people have descended on a sleepy little ghost town, turning it into a boomtown
for chili mavens, gamblers, musicians, and media. Raucous excitement fills the
air, but so does chili when a sabotaged propane cooker explodes, killing the
much-hated current champion. The victim leaves behind a tangled trail of sleeping
with other men’s wives, cheating at cards – and maybe at chili cooking – and
deadly anger. With Sam a possible
suspect in the murder, emotions run hot as a bowl of Texas red as Phyllis has
to untangle these threads in order to put her finger on the killer!
Livia J. Washburn's beloved Fresh
Baked Mystery series is back with another novel full of tasty recipes,
dastardly doings, and brilliant sleuthing by Phyllis Newsom and her friends.
THE GREAT CHILI KILL-OFF is a delicious dish of murder and detection.
EXCERPT:
“Are you sure
this is the right way?” Carolyn asked. “This road doesn’t look like it leads
anywhere.”
“Isn’t this the
way a lot of horror movies start out?” Eve added.
“This is the
way the GPS said to go,” Sam told them.
“Yes,” Carolyn
replied, “but you said you didn’t trust the thing!”
Sam smiled and
said, “Don’t worry, we’re headin’ the right way. I studied the map real good
before we ever started. At least this road’s paved . . . sort of. There are
plenty out here that aren’t.”
The smaller
road wound through low, rocky hills. In places the route was cut through bluffs
and ridges, so that rough walls loomed on both sides of the vehicle. They
rattled over a couple of old plank bridges spanning deep, dry washes. Phyllis
thought the landscape looked a lot like that in the Western movies Sam loved so
much.
The sun was
still hanging just above the mountains to the west when the pickup went through
a saddle in some rolling hills and the road dropped down a long slope into a
broad valley.
“There it is,”
Sam said. “Cactus Bluff.”
“Oh,
my,” Phyllis said.
I can't wait to get a chance to read this, Livia! Super cover, as always!
ReplyDeleteAs busy as you stay, I expect it'll take a while. Thanks Cheryl.
DeleteI know this is going to be a wonderful story and the cover is "killer". Sorry. I couldn't help myself.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best, Livia.
LOL! Thanks Sarah.
DeleteSounds great and glad to see Phyllis and the gang back, can't help but love them!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad others feel the same about them as I do. They've become family for me.
DeleteI wasn't aware that cooking chili could be used as a murder weapon. This is fabulous. *grin*
ReplyDeleteThanks Kaye. This was a plot I actually had when I originally created the series. There was a bidding war to buy the series between NAL and St. Martin. NAL offered the best deal, but then the editor changed the cooking contest to baking, and that took the chili plot out of the mix. I was happy to have a chance to bring it back.
DeleteOh, this sounds great!!! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deborah. I really appreciate the support you give other authors. Amazing!
DeleteI love who done its. And the cute little camper on the cover. So 1960's. Best wishes Livia.
ReplyDeleteThe characters are pretty 1960's, too. LOL! Thanks Barb.
DeleteThis sounds like a fun book...and I do like chili.
ReplyDeleteLivia, I just love the cover, just so darn cute that it draws you right in. And the story sounds more than intriguing and lots of fun for sure. Looking forward to this one for sure. Wishing you much success. Good grief--shame on me--I think I missed the first one and will have to look it up too.
ReplyDeleteLove the title!
ReplyDelete