Sunday, April 15, 2018

Mysteries and Menus- Linda Wiken


Meow!

My guest blogger this week is author Linda Wiken!



Linda Wiken writes the Dinner Club Mysteries as herself, is writing the new Castle Bookstore Mysteries as Essie Lang, and has written the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries as Erika Chase.  She was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel and has also been short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada for Best Short Story. She is a former mystery bookstore owner and still loves reading all the mysteries she can get her hands on.  She also loves singing in a choir, which is not always so pleasant for her Siamese cat, Keesha, who must endure hours of practice.

Thanks ROCCO!

Do you have to be a foodie to enjoy reading the Dinner Club Mysteries? No, but it does help. I mean, if you’re a fan of the cozy mystery, that’s really enough. Because, try as she may, event planner J.J. Tanner feels compelled to do some sleuthing in each of the three books.

The food is integral to her pals and cohorts, the Culinary Capers Dinner Club, but not to solving the mystery. I mean, poison is never the weapon, I’ll declare that up front. That’s because the Culinary Capers, for their monthly dinners together, use a real cookbook found on the bookshelves of your local bookstore. So, not wanting to be sued, poison is never an added ingredient.

In the first two books, events that J.J. had planned included a murder that wasn’t on the agenda. So, what’s a conscientious planner to do but try to solve the crime. Add the fact that one of the dinner club members just happens to be a suspect – sometimes more than one, and even J.J. herself – then it’s her duty to get involved.
It helps that she’s aided by sexy P.I. Ty Devine, although he’s usually doing it to keep her out of his investigation. Or out of danger. And those Culinary Capers are proving to be as good at following clues as at following recipe directions.

In the newest book, Marinating in Murder, which just came out last month, one of their own, police officer Alison Malkovich is the prime suspect after the body of her estranged husband is found in the back of her SUV. All hands aboard for this one.
If you are a foodie, you’ll enjoy being part of their many meals and, hopefully you’ll try the recipes included at the end of each book. In Roux the Day, the second one, they used the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook and with the authors’ permission, I included some of their recipes. It was a lot of fun to do and the Culinary Capers enjoyed talking about their books, too.

Food and mystery? They do go together and present a deliciously satisfying menu.

Thanks Linda!

If you like food, you will definitely enjoy the Dinner Club Mysteries!
Titles in Order:
Toasting Up Trouble
Roux the Day
Marinating In Murder

Hope y’all caught my review of Marinating in Murder on last weeks’ blog post!

NOW IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

Linda will give away a copy of Marinating In Murder to one lucky commenter!
To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:


* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/
* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Contest ends midnight, April 22! Good luck!


11 comments:

  1. Can't wait to get my hands on this newest title in the Dinner Club Mystery series. Andra - mommy_to_zoe@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to read this book! Thank you for the chance. Donamaekutska7@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not a fan of picnics myself, but I do love this cover.

    Follow & Fb.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Being a successful author is impressive. Doing it with three different personas is quite amazing! How do you keep it all straight in your head?

    I visit regularly
    We are FB friends and I linked this to my page
    I don't blog or tweet
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  5. Facebook
    Follow
    Oneponychick66@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am friends on Facebook.
    I follow the blog.
    I don't tweet.
    robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great interview, Rocco. I really like this series and I'm looking forward to reading "Matinating in Murder".
    Following your blig and on Twitter, we are friends on Facebook and shared post on Facebook and Twitter.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I always love to read your interviews Rocco. I would love to read a print copy and review on goodreads and amazon when I am done! Following blog,facebook and shared on facebook I don't tweet otherwise I would of course do it there. ptclayton2(at)aol(dot)com peggy clayton

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  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. Good to see Linda! I had Linda on a guest myself.I wish her continued success,
    Tonette
    tonettemjs@gmail.com
    I follow the blog
    I follow on Twitter
    I tweeted
    I am a FB friend
    I shared on FB

    ReplyDelete