Pickle Parade Murder: A Cozy Culinary Mystery with Festivals, Food Rivalries, and Small-Town Suspects (Brine & Punishment Cozy Mysteries Book 4)
By Liora Dawn
Saltmarsh Cove turns “heritage pickling” into a spring parade and expects everyone to smile like it is normal.
Mara Delaney is pressured to sponsor the festival, which means her business is now part of the town’s brand machine whether she wants it or not. The crowds are good for sales, but the spotlight is dangerous. One rumor about “unsafe food” could sink Delaney Preserves overnight. Sprig, now a minor local celebrity after a camera-friendly pickle-stealing moment, only makes Mara more visible.
Then the festival judge is found dead inside the oversized pickle float staging area, staged to look like a ridiculous accident among brine tubs, slick tarps, and ladders. Mara knows the key move was not the fall. It was the tasting.
A swapped tray, a missing judging ribbon, and a narrow handling window pull the suspect list into a small, ugly overlap of people with access and motive. Sheriff Cal Reed backs Mara’s documentation, even as town leadership pushes him to “keep the story clean.” The deeper Mara digs, the clearer it becomes that someone is using festivals and optics to control who gets to thrive in Saltmarsh Cove.
Next up: Murder in the Salt Cellar, Hot Sauce Homicide, Cold Murder, and Fermentation Festival Murder.
Perfect for fans of Ellie Alexander, Joanne Fluke, Paige Shelton, and Jenn McKinlay.
Saltmarsh Cove turns “heritage pickling” into a spring parade and expects everyone to smile like it is normal.
Mara Delaney is pressured to sponsor the festival, which means her business is now part of the town’s brand machine whether she wants it or not. The crowds are good for sales, but the spotlight is dangerous. One rumor about “unsafe food” could sink Delaney Preserves overnight. Sprig, now a minor local celebrity after a camera-friendly pickle-stealing moment, only makes Mara more visible.
Then the festival judge is found dead inside the oversized pickle float staging area, staged to look like a ridiculous accident among brine tubs, slick tarps, and ladders. Mara knows the key move was not the fall. It was the tasting.
A swapped tray, a missing judging ribbon, and a narrow handling window pull the suspect list into a small, ugly overlap of people with access and motive. Sheriff Cal Reed backs Mara’s documentation, even as town leadership pushes him to “keep the story clean.” The deeper Mara digs, the clearer it becomes that someone is using festivals and optics to control who gets to thrive in Saltmarsh Cove.
Next up: Murder in the Salt Cellar, Hot Sauce Homicide, Cold Murder, and Fermentation Festival Murder.
Perfect for fans of Ellie Alexander, Joanne Fluke, Paige Shelton, and Jenn McKinlay.