Chef Jessica Vasquez had a rough childhood. With her father in prison for murder and her mother remarrying, then favoring her new siblings over her, she becomes the forgotten child. With her friends Sawyer and Vee, she gets in trouble after trouble until one day she is given an ultimatum, “Get a skill or you will find yourself on the same path as your father.”
That’s when she meets Duncan Jones, the culinary arts teacher at the alternative high school. He sparks her new found passion for cooking. In her final year, she learns of a cooking competition. The theme is “Schoolhouse Recipes.” It can be anything from foods you would eat at school to education inspired.
Jess enters with an Alphabet Soup. It is her grandmother’s Chicken Noodle soup recipe paired with Jess’s flair. She won and the price gave her an idea. Save for her own restaurant.
Years of grinding and participating in many competitions, have finally led to this day. Opening Night of her new restaurant….
This will be a 26 Books Series! The first three books are previewed below. Links for all will be coming soon.
Appetizers and Alibis
The first in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries and opening night.
Chef Jessica Vasquez’s dream comes true when she opens The Crock Pot restaurant in Dashwood, featuring her award-winning alphabet soup. But opening night ends in tragedy when her sous chef Earl is found murdered in the parking lot. As the police investigation stalls, Jessica discovers she’s being targeted by someone connected to her troubled past. With her best friends Sawyer and Vee, and manager Noah by her side, Jessica reluctantly becomes an amateur sleuth. She must solve Earl’s murder while keeping her business afloat and staying alive. Can this rookie restaurateur catch a killer?
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Biscuits and Bodies
Just when Chef Jessica thinks she can focus on running The Crock Pot, murder strikes Dashwood again. Still adjusting to her new sous chef June after Earl’s death, Jessica is devastated when her blind date turns up dead. Making matters worse, the victim was Noah’s best friend, turning the case deeply personal for both of them. As she investigates between prep work and dinner service, Jessica discovers multiple suspects with motives and opportunities. With her signature alphabet soup simmering and her detective skills sharpening, Jessica must solve the murder before the killer strikes again. Her determination to bring justice to Dashwood grows stronger.
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Cornbread and Coffins
Chef Jessica is hired to cater a funeral reception, but the somber occasion turns sinister when suspicious circumstances surrounding the death come to light. As she prepares comforting dishes, including a cornbread recipe created by her culinary apprentices from the local high school, Jessica notices unusual behavior among the mourners. The case hits close to home as she discovers connections between the victim and people she knows. Balancing restaurant management with her reputation as Dashwood’s “crime-fighting chef,” Jessica investigates long-buried grudges and betrayals. With danger lurking and her murder board growing complex, she must uncover the truth while serving her award-winning dishes.
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Dumplings and Disaster
Chef Jessica is finding her rhythm running The Crock Pot when disaster strikes the Dashwood community. As she introduces new menu items and trains Parker as sous chef, one of her employees, a local veteran, becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. Jessica knows her employee is innocent and feels compelled to investigate and clear his name. This case is different with higher stakes, more danger, and personal connections. Jessica must navigate military protocols and a killer who covers their tracks well. With her roommates Vee and Shayla supporting her investigation, Jessica uncovers a conspiracy reaching beyond Dashwood’s borders.
Eclairs and Executions
Chef Jessica’s life gets complicated when Shayla, one of her employees and a culinary student, moves in with her after being beaten by her abusive stepfather. Just as Shayla is settling into her new home and preparing for her éclair competition at the culinary school, tragedy strikes. Shayla’s stepfather and mother are found shot, and Shayla is discovered at the scene holding the gun and covered in blood. When police arrive, she becomes the prime suspect in their murders. Jessica knows Shayla is innocent and must prove it before her young charge is arrested. As she investigates between managing The Crock Pot and supporting a traumatized teenager, Jessica uncovers family secrets, dangerous enemies, and motives that run deeper than anyone imagined.
Falafel and Fatalities
When Samir Saad, owner of the beloved Spicy Fig Bistro, is murdered, Chef Jessica is devastated. Samir had become a friend in Dashwood’s culinary community. His widow Fatima personally asks Jessica to find his killer, providing her with security footage from the night of the murder. As Jessica investigates, she discovers Samir’s death is connected to a dangerous organized crime ring operating through restaurant equipment leasing companies. The criminals steal equipment and lease it back to unsuspecting restaurant owners, trapping them in impossible contracts. Meanwhile, celebrity chef Garrett Majors arrives in town and challenges Jessica to a gumbo cook-off at the upcoming Art Festival. Between managing The Crock Pot, preparing for the competition, and tracking down murderers, Jessica must navigate threats from powerful criminals who don’t want her asking questions.
Gumbo and Grudges
The Art Festival cook-off between Chef Jessica and celebrity chef Garrett Majors should be a triumph. Jessica wins the competition with her grandfather’s gumbo recipe, but Garrett throws a public tantrum, accusing her of cheating and vowing revenge. Hours later, Garrett is found murdered at the festival, stabbed with Jessica’s custom chef’s knife. Suddenly, Jessica goes from winner to prime suspect. With security footage showing a mysterious person in all black stealing her knife, and Garrett’s dying words naming her, Jessica must clear her name while managing her restaurant and caring for her household that now includes roommate Shayla and her twin sisters Ivy and Dove. As she investigates Garrett’s life, she uncovers affairs, bitter divorces, angry assistants, and dangerous enemies, all while dodging police suspicion and staying one step ahead of the real killer.
Honey and Homicide
When local beekeeper and bakery owner Honey discovers all 150,000 of her bees slaughtered by deliberately introduced Asian Giant Hornets, Chef Jessica knows this is more than sabotage. It’s attempted murder. The exotic murder hornets could have killed Honey if she’d been checking her hives during the attack. As Jessica investigates, she uncovers multiple suspects with motive and means. Honey’s business partner May is drowning in debt and pushing for a land sale. Aggressive developer Clark Marlowe has been pressuring Honey for over a year to sell her farm. The struggling Douglas couple, whose competing bakery is failing, could benefit from eliminating Honey’s business. With Shayla’s job at the bakery threatened and the twins now part of Jessica’s household, the case becomes personal. Jessica must navigate dangerous suspects, illegal insect trafficking, and escalating threats to expose whoever planned this calculated attack before they strike again.
LINKS COMING SOON!
More names and covers will be revealed in the near future! As mentioned above, this is a 26-book series and you guessed it, it will follow the alphabet. I hope you are as excited about this new series as I am.