Welcome to Pine Cove.
The Mayor is a dog, B&B guests are fugitives, and the pancakes
are burnt.
Recipe For Murder
A Pine Cove Mystery Book 2
by Marla A. White
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Mel O'Rourke traded her LAPD badge for the quiet life,
running a bed-and-breakfast in tiny, quirky Pine Cove.
But when Jackson Thibodeaux, the charming café owner who broke her heart,
stumbles back into town, her tranquil second act is toast. While attending a
culinary academy in New Orleans, Jackson found the body of a classmate. The
police rule it a suicide, but Mel’s instincts—and Jackson’s near miss with a
bullet—scream murder.
Between a cooking school full of shady suspects, a reformed cat burglar for a
sidekick, and a complicated love triangle involving the deputy sheriff, Mel has
her hands full.
Perfect for fans of the sweetness of Jenn McKinlay and the snark of Elle
Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan.
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The aroma of maple bacon and coffee
wafted into her office as Poppy interrupted her pondering with a plate full of
breakfast and a mug to replace the one that had already gone cold on her desk.
“Thanks,” she murmured, still studying the computer screen.
“Don’t get used to the service,
mate. Liam talked me into checking on you after I told him about Jackson’s
sudden appearance.”
“And the food?” Mel cocked an
eyebrow at her friend, who she suspected was just as worried about her mental
state as her brother after their chat last night. The lithe, vertically
challenged woman might resemble a brunette pixie, but that brain of hers worked
with devious speed.
“Figured you’d holed yourself up in
here without getting a proper brekkie. Besides, I have a small favor to ask,
but not while you’re sporting that glower on your phiz. What’s got you frowning
so hard?” She didn’t wait for an answer but came around the desk to have a look
for herself. “You’re reading about the cooking school?”
“Can you believe these gullible
idiots, and yes, I’m including Jackson among them, pay for the honor of working
for free in Isabelle Fontaine’s restaurant?” Taking a piece of bacon, Mel
absently munched on it until the flavor of maple, meat, and unbridled joy
exploded in her mouth. Poppy wasn’t as diversely talented in the kitchen as
Jackson, but she was the master of the breakfast dishes she made. Mel moaned in
appreciation before asking, “All right, out with it. What’s this favor?”
“Well,” her friend gave her a sly
grin. Never a good sign. Whatever was about to follow would almost certainly be
illegal. But when she said, “I need your advice on how to win over Doctor
Hart.” Mel’s jaw actually dropped open.
“You’ve never struck me as the kind
of person who worries about other people’s opinions.” She eyed the other woman
suspiciously. “Why do you care what Doc thinks?”
Poppy wandered around the office,
tidying a crooked photo and pulling out one of Mel’s hospitality course
textbooks. The only purpose for all of her movement, as far as Mel could tell,
was to avoid letting her see her face. “Because she’s important to you and it
seems life would be much easier for you if the two of us got along.”
“Really?” She sat back in the
creaky desk chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she tried to figure out
the ex-thief’s actual motivation.
“Okay, fine.” The woman whirled on
her in a huff. “I’ve never had anyone not like me. Ever. Pathetic loser Agnes
Mary Nobel? Sure. But since I transformed myself into the fabulous Poppy
Phillips? Even people I’ve stolen from end up liking me.”
“Kind of judgey of poor Aggie,
aren’t you?” She’d only recently discovered Poppy’s true identity when Gregg
investigated her as a murder suspect. Abandoned by her single mother, she’d
grown up in Cleveland in various foster homes that ran the gambit from kind to
truly horrific. Given that, she understood her friend’s choice to reinvent
herself, fake English accent and all. She claimed she identified as British,
whatever that meant. If Mel had to put money on it, she’d bet it was because
the accent meant she could get away with murder. And she had to admit, it had
come in handy more than once to soothe the ruffled feathers of a guest. But Doc
Hart, who’d been suspicious of her from the start, remained an aloof skeptic.
“You could try dropping the
accent.”
For the first time, she saw a flash
of vulnerability in the bold ex-thief’s eyes.
“What would I even sound like
without it?” Poppy murmured, then switched to a flat, nasal tone that
presumably she thought people from Cleveland sounded like. “My name is Agnes
from Cuyahoga County. I like cheese. Blch.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re confusing
Cleveland with Milwaukee, but I see your point.”
Framed For Murder
A Pine Cove Mystery Book 1
After a life-changing injury, Mel O’Rourke trades in her
badge for bed sheets, running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine
Cove. Her peaceful life is interrupted when an old frenemy, the notorious and
charismatic cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, shows up on her doorstep, claiming
she’s been framed for murder. While she’s broken plenty of laws, Mel knows
she’d never kill anyone. Good thing she’s a better detective than she is a cook
as she sets out to prove Poppy's innocence.
The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy
Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the
criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson
Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a
lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay?
Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?
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Mel
gaped slack-jawed at her brother, whose palm covered his face. “Why did you
kidnap Grandma?”
“I
did not—ugh!” He answered from behind his hand before shaking off his
frustration and moving to the back seat of the truck to grab their bags. “Mom
forced me to bring her. That’s what the delay was all about. She’s been driving
her crazy, and then this morning she lit the kitchen on fire.”
“She
what?!”
“I
wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly, something about the toaster and a
curtain. Anyway, Mom convinced her she should come help you out and halfway up
the mountain she wove this kidnapping story.”
“Help
me? How, by greeting guests with her charming personality?” She loved her
grandmother, but her salutation and scathing condemnation of the inn with just
one glance were pretty mild for the old woman. When she really got on a tear,
the best thing was to go to a movie until she wore herself out.
“Beats
me but pro tip, do not let her in the kitchen.” Balancing the bags in one hand,
Liam enveloped her with his free arm. “At least, not until we make sure the
insurance covers curtain fires.”
“No
need to worry, I just hired someone today who is great in the kitchen.”
He
looked at her askance. “Great as in better than you or someone who is actually
a good cook?”
“Shut
up.” She laughed in response to the insult. “The guests this morning raved
about the food. For however long she stays, I think she’ll be a plus in the
breakfast department, anyway.”
“Where
did you find this culinary genius? Did you put out an ad already?” He held the
door open for Mel and they entered the lobby.
“We
didn’t, she found me.” She looked around. “Where’s Grandma?”
The
echoes of laughter led the siblings into the Great Room where their grandmother
sat in front of the fireplace chatting away with Poppy. They turned toward Mel
and Liam as they entered.
“Mel,
your mother is a hoot,” she gushed.
She
narrowed her eyes at the alleged ex-thief, who had to know perfectly well the
woman in front of her was too old to be her mother. Grandma O, however, took
the compliment to heart and patted Poppy’s hand, gracing her with one of her
rare beaming smiles.
To
Mel’s surprise, Liam skidded to a dead halt. She turned back to see why and
received the icy blast of the unmistakable storm in his eyes. She’d seen the
same dark expression in the mirror when she was furious. What did he have to be
so angry about? Before she could ask, he dropped their bags and launched into
full hissy fit mode.
“You!”
he bellowed at Poppy.
The
brunette seemed sincerely surprised at his response. Swiveling her head to see
who else was in the room and finding no one, she met his gaze and pointed to
herself with an exaggerated, “Who, me?” expression.
Her
brother spun, targeting his rage at her. “Don’t tell me this is who you hired?”
“You’re
only being a grump because you haven’t tried her bacon,” she joked, hoping to
deflate the situation. Years of trying to nail her for any number of jobs she’d
pulled off had frustrated Mel, but she had to admit she always liked her style.
Despite her suspicions when she found Poppy in the lobby this morning, so far
she’d been nothing but charming and kind of fun, so what had she done to piss
off easy-going Liam in the two minutes since they met?
Her
brother crossed his arms, stubbornly jutting out his square jaw. “There’s no
way that woman is working here. She nearly killed you once, I’m not giving her
a second chance.”
“You
two have met?” The information surprised her, so she let the macho b.s. slide
for now. She didn’t need anyone to protect her, but his anger rolled off him so
calling him on his chauvinism skittered close to throwing gasoline on a fire.
“We
had to watch her on the news sound bites, taking her bows for saving your life,
while you lay in that hospital bed, broken and in agony.” Mel had never seen
his eyes blaze with such fury before. She’d been so focused on her own
suffering she’d never thought about what her family had gone through. Liam
clearly had been carrying steamer-trunk sized baggage. “Nobody bothered to
mention she’s the one who put you in danger in the first place. Or that you’re
crippled for life, thanks to her.”
“Crippled?”
Poppy’s brows furrowed, her eyes darkening.
“Easy,
drama queen,” Mel snarled, “nobody’s crippled.”
“We
used to go rock climbing and now you can’t even mount a set of stairs without
getting dizzy.” His exasperation exploded as he paced to the far end of the
Great Room to stare out the floor-to-ceiling glass door at the patio and brook
beyond. What really hurt was he sounded more bummed out for himself losing a
climbing partner than concerned about her.
“Is
that true?” Poppy sprang up.
“I’m
working on it.” Embarrassed by the whole conversation, she busied herself with
tidying the morning newspapers the guests had left strewn around the sitting
area.
“She
nearly killed you, she’s not working here,” Liam repeated without turning away
from the view outside.
Grandma
O’Rourke rose to her feet with more nobility than agility, stood between her
two grandchildren, and pronounced, “I like her, and I say she stays,” before
tottering off to the kitchen in a self-professed search for the infamous bacon.
Of
course, she liked Poppy, she just paid her a huge compliment. Never mind if she
was guilty of what Liam accused her of doing or not. After putting the last
section of the newspaper back in place, Mel noticed the below the fold story on
the front page and tightened her fist until she almost tore the paper in two.
Scientist Killed in Daring Heist
Marla White is an award-winning novelist who
prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life. Her
first full-length mystery novel, “Cause for Elimination,” placed in several
contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite,
and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic
Suspense. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before
settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry. She currently
teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage.
When she’s not working on the next book, she’s out in the garden, hiking,
cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.
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