A Secret in Thyme: An Italian-American Culinary Cozy Mystery

About A Secret in Thyme: An Italian-American Culinary Cozy Mystery

An old flame, a boorish houseguest, and a skeleton in the town's time capsule - is this a recipe for disaster? A deliciously witty cozy mystery perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith, M. C. Beaton, Louise Penny—and anyone who loves food, family, and a good old-fashioned whodunit. Welcome back to Acorn Hollow, where the pasta is homemade, the gossip is spicy, and Italian-American matriarch Rita Calabrese is cooking up more than just meals—she’s solving murders. On the eve of her 40th wedding anniversary and Acorn Hollow’s tercentenary celebration, Rita’s peaceful life is upended by the arrival of two very different men from her past: her husband’s shady cousin from Jersey, and her high school sweetheart, Stefano, a successful and charming historian who is still bellissimo—but definitely hiding something. When the town’s time capsule is flung open to reveal a skeleton, Rita hopes that solving this cold case will be just the diversion she needs. But if identifying the victim proves difficult, managing the men in her life becomes nearly impossible. A flirtatious ex-flame and a boorish, cigar-smoking houseguest are enough to deal with, but it's another thing entirely when her husband, normally so skeptical of Rita’s nose for crime, begins insisting his recently deceased grappa-swilling, red-meat-loving septuagenarian friends did not die of heart attacks, but were murdered…Are Rita’s small-town ties, journalistic instincts, and killer recipes enough to crack the case before the killer strikes again? Full of laugh-out-loud moments, heartfelt family dynamics, and mouthwatering Italian dishes, this second entry in the Rita Calabrese Culinary Mystery Series delivers a warm and satisfying mystery that will leave you hungry for more.

Includes the recipe for chocolate-dipped peanut butter biscotti!