Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles

by A.L. Herbert

Overview

Welcome to Mahalia's Sweet Tea-the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George's County, Maryland. In between preparing her famous cornbread and mashed potatoes so creamy "they'll make you want to slap your Momma," owner Halia Watkins is about to dip her spoon into a grisly mystery... Halia Watkins has her hands full cooking, hosting, and keeping her boisterous young cousin, Wavonne, from getting too sassy with customers. Having fast-talking entrepreneur Marcus Rand turn up in her kitchen is annoying enough when he's alive-but finding his dead body face-down on her ceramic tile after hours is much worse. Marcus had his enemies, and the cast iron frying pan beside his corpse suggests that at last, his shady business deals went too far. Halia is desperate to keep Sweet Tea's name out of the sordid spotlight but her efforts only make Wavonne a prime suspect. Now Halia will have to serve up the real villain-before the killer returns for a second helping...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617731747
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	02/24/2015
Series:	Mahalia Watkins Series , #1
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	573,829
Product dimensions:	5.49(w) x 8.23(h) x 0.73(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

A.L. Herbert grew up in both Prince George's County and Charles County, Maryland. A.L. is currently working on the next Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery and more delicious comfort food recipes. Readers can e-mail the author at [e-mail]. And please visit www.alherbert.com and https: //www.facebook.com/a.l.herbert123.

Editorial Reviews

01/05/2015
Foodies will welcome Herbert’s amusing debut, the first in a new cozy series complete with recipes. Mahalia “Halia” Watkins, inspired by love for her grandmother’s cooking, has opened a classy restaurant, Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, in Maryland’s Prince George’s County. One evening at Sweet Tea, Halia’s silent business partner, smarmy Marcus Rand, offers to lock up after dining with some clients. Halia leaves with her outspoken cousin and employee, Wavonne. When Wavonne realizes she’s forgotten her purse, the women return to Sweet Tea, where they find Marcus lying dead on the floor. Nearby is the murder weapon: a frying pan, which Halia decides to wash, fearful of bad publicity. Halia and Wavonne make a few more mistakes en route to unmasking Marcus’s killer. The authentic local history seamlessly woven into the story sets the book apart from most light mysteries. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Soul food and sassy characters combine in this series debut for a feast that will satisfy the appetites of readers." -- Library Journal

"Foodies will welcome Herbert's amusing debut, the first in a new cozy series complete with recipes. The authentic local history seamlessly woven into the story sets the book apart from most light mysteries." --Publishers Weekly

"This first in a planned series, complete with recipes, is funny and refreshingly straightforward." --Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

02/01/2015
In Prince George's County, MD, if you want the best soul food, you head to Mahalia's Sweet Tea. Halia Watkins runs a tight ship in her restaurant, but when it comes to family—especially her sassy young cousin Wavonne—sometimes the tightest thing is Wavonne's uniform. Trying to keep her cousin out of trouble, Halia also has to deal with fast-talking investor Marcus Rand in her kitchen, messing with her cooking and her schedule. So when Marcus ends up dead with a dent in his head the size of her frying pan, Halia needs to keep Sweet Tea and Wavonne safe. VERDICT Soul food and sassy characters combine in this series debut for a feast that will satisfy the appetites of readers hungering for light African American mysteries and food-related cozies. Recipes included.

Library Journal

2014-12-07
A restaurant owner puts her cooking aside long enough to do some sleuthing. Mahalia "Halia" Watkins, who learned to cook soul food at her Grandmommy's knee, is the force behind Mahalia's Sweet Tea, one of the premier dining establishments in Prince George's County, Maryland. Halia's matchmaking momma makes the desserts, and her cousin Wavonne, who lives with them, waits tables, although she's more interested in hairstyles and clothes than working. Smooth, fast-talking Marcus Rand, whose money most likely comes from underhanded schemes, has made Halia a loan to get started. Now he talks her into making some special dishes for a dinner he's hosting. The guests include Marcus' sister Jacqueline; his date, Régine; a business partner; and an unhappy-looking white couple. After dinner, Marcus' business acquaintances stay late enough for Halia to let him lock up while she goes grocery shopping. Halia and Wavonne return to find him dead, a cast-iron frying pan by his side. Afraid that murder will ruin the business, the pair drag his body out in the alley and go home. They await his discovery on pins and needles, but his body vanishes, turning up several days later in a pond. Wavonne, who figures that since Marcus is dead she might as well use his credit card, spends a lot of money on clothes and makeup, making herself the main suspect. Realizing that in order to get Wavonne off the hook, she'll have to find the real killer, Halia devises ways to talk to the dinner guests, who are all, it turns out, involved in a Ponzi scheme that's the source of Marcus' income. The number of angry investors makes Halia's task formidable. This first in a planned series, complete with recipes, is funny and refreshingly straightforward.

Kirkus Reviews