THEMES

Hungry for a good read? Follow your nose into the sometimes deadly world of gastronomical delights, where seemingly ordinary culinary experts--chefs, caterers and food writers--find themselves enmeshed in murder. These popular series offer plenty of puzzles to whet your appetite.

• HEMLOCK FALLS Mystery Series by Claudia Bishop
  Sarah and Meg Quilliam own an inn in Hemlock Falls, New York. Widowed chef Meg is the culinary expert and Sarah, who has the advantage of dating the local police chief, is the amateur detective. The most recent installment, Puree of Poison (Berkley, 2003), finds the sisters digging into the murders of three patrons. Recipes included. Book 1: A Taste for Murder (1994).



• GOLDY SCHULZ Mystery Series by Diane Mott Davidson
  Colorado caterer cum amateur sleuth Goldy B. Schulz juggles her clients, her son and her love life in between unofficial cases. In the 11th installment, Chopping Spree (Bantam, 2003), Goldy is hired by friend Barry to create a lavish spread for the Westside Mall's Elite Shoppers Club. Recipes included. Book 1: Catering to Nobody (1990).



• HANNAH SWENSEN Mystery Series by Joanne Fluke
  Owner of Lake Eden, Minnesota's popular bakery, The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a penchant for solving crime. Most recently, in book 5, Fudge Cupcake Murder (Kensington, 2004), Hannah discovers the town sheriff in a dumpster—and his body has her name smeared all over him, in the guise of fudge frosting from the cupcake she gave him earlier that morning. Book 1: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2000).



• SOPHIE GREENWAY Mystery Series by Ellen Hart
  Food critic for the Minneapolis Register, Sophie Greenway investigates more than good food. Book 7, Death on a Silver Platter (Fawcett, 2003), leads her to unravel a family mystery that's connected to a friend's current troubles. Book 1: This Little Piggy Went to Murder (1994).



• THE GOURMET DETECTIVE Mystery Series by Peter King
  A former British chef, known only as the Gourmet Detective, King's protagonist tracks rare and exotic culinary ingredients as well as murderers. Book 7, Dine and Die on the Danube Express (St. Martin's, 2003), is reminiscent of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, with a gourmet twist. Includes fascinating food and wine details. Book 1: The Gourmet Detective (1996).



• PENNSYLVANIA-DUTCH Mystery Series by Tamar Myers
  Proprietor and cook of the Hernia Inn in Pennsylvania Mennonite country, plain-spoken Magdalena Yoder has the added burden of bailing out the town's bungling police chief by solving his crimes. The 12th book, Thou Shalt Not Grill (NAL, 2004), is no exception. A bicentennial barbeque weekend, attracting lots of visitors, turns deadly. Recipes included. Book 1: Eat, Drink, and Be Wary (1998).



• FAITH FAIRCHILD Mystery Series by Katherine Hall Page
  Faith is a mother, wife to minister Tom and caterer turned amateur sleuth. Book 13, The Body in the Attic (William Morrow, 2004), brings the Fairchild family to Boston, where they settle in for Tom's semester of teaching at Harvard. Recipes included in the back. Book 1: The Body in the Belfry (1990).



• ANGIE AMALFI Mystery Series by Joanne Pence
  Pence's award-winning series stars Angie Amalfi, an often unemployed food writer and gourmet chef. Like many of her culinary sleuth colleagues, Angie also has a romantic connection in the police force. In Two Cooks A-Killing (Avon, 2003), book 11, Angie takes her dream job catering the reunion party for her favorite TV soap. Book 1: Something's Cooking (1993).



• EUGENIA POTTER Mystery Series by Virginia Rich/Nancy Pickard
  After the death of culinary cozy pioneer Virginia Rich, Nancy Pickard continued the series based on Rich's unfinished manuscripts. Her latest is The Secret Ingredient Murders (Dell, 2001), set in Rhode Island. Includes recipes. Book 1: The Cooking School Murders (1982).



• HEAVEN LEE Mystery Series by Lou Jane Temple
  Midwestern restaurateur and chef Heaven Lee is no angel. She's an ex- stripper and disbarred lawyer with a string of broken marriages. But she is a good friend. In Book 7, Death Is Semisweet (St. Martin's, 2002), Heaven comes to the aid of someone who may have been framed for murder and the sabotage of Foster's Chocolates' 50th anniversary celebration. Recipes included. Book 1: Death by Rhubarb (1996).