Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles

January 5, 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.

December 15, 2014
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, Regine; 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.

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February 1, 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.

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