A Brine to Die For: Murder on the Brine Line: A Cozy Culinary Mystery with an Amateur Female Sleuth and a Small-Town Whodunit (Brine & Punishment Cozy Mysteries Book 3)
By Liora Dawn
In Saltmarsh Cove, even wholesome hobbies can turn lethal when money, reputation, and old power get involved.
Delaney Preserves is gaining momentum, and Mara Delaney leans into it by launching a bread-pairing line during the Hearth & Grain starter-swap weekend. It is cozy chaos, competitive smiles, and the kind of event that brings customers through the door. Mara should be focused on recipes, not damage control.
Then a beloved local baker collapses during a community-kitchen demo, and the town rushes to call it a “natural tragedy.” Mara knows better. The starter was off before the demo began, and the details scream interference. In her kitchen, the line between a perfect ferment and a deadly toxin is a matter of millimeters. A tiny shift in timing, acidity, or flour can become a weapon.
Sheriff Cal Reed takes Mara seriously, which makes her a problem for the people who want this buried. A reformed food critic turned sustainable-food writer shows up asking sharp questions, and the town’s pressure campaign gets louder. With Sprig sniffing out what others miss, Mara follows the trail from flour bins to locked doors and discovers the case is tied to something older than the town’s tourist brochures.
Keep going with Pickle Parade Murder, Murder in the Salt Cellar, and Hot Sauce Homicide, Cold Murder.
Perfect for fans of Ellie Alexander, Joanne Fluke, Paige Shelton, and Jenn McKinlay.
In Saltmarsh Cove, even wholesome hobbies can turn lethal when money, reputation, and old power get involved.
Delaney Preserves is gaining momentum, and Mara Delaney leans into it by launching a bread-pairing line during the Hearth & Grain starter-swap weekend. It is cozy chaos, competitive smiles, and the kind of event that brings customers through the door. Mara should be focused on recipes, not damage control.
Then a beloved local baker collapses during a community-kitchen demo, and the town rushes to call it a “natural tragedy.” Mara knows better. The starter was off before the demo began, and the details scream interference. In her kitchen, the line between a perfect ferment and a deadly toxin is a matter of millimeters. A tiny shift in timing, acidity, or flour can become a weapon.
Sheriff Cal Reed takes Mara seriously, which makes her a problem for the people who want this buried. A reformed food critic turned sustainable-food writer shows up asking sharp questions, and the town’s pressure campaign gets louder. With Sprig sniffing out what others miss, Mara follows the trail from flour bins to locked doors and discovers the case is tied to something older than the town’s tourist brochures.
Keep going with Pickle Parade Murder, Murder in the Salt Cellar, and Hot Sauce Homicide, Cold Murder.
Perfect for fans of Ellie Alexander, Joanne Fluke, Paige Shelton, and Jenn McKinlay.