Death al Dente
(2025)(The second book in the Pepper Rossie Cozy Mystery series)
A Story by Fern Fieldstone and Maisy Marple
When you're a chef, impressing critics comes with the territory... but murder shouldn't be on the menu.
Pepper Rossi is finally getting her restaurant back on track after being cleared of murder charges when disaster strikes again. Rossi's Pies & Pasta has been selected to host the prestigious Basil Bay Chef's Showcase, featuring the town's most talented Italian chefs. It should be the perfect opportunity to restore her reputation—until renowned chef Matteo "Matt" Bellini takes one bite of her grandmother's famous fettuccine Alfredo and drops dead on the spot.
With her restaurant shuttered for the second time and Detective Dominic Ferrara eyeing her as a suspect once more, Pepper has no choice but to don her amateur detective hat again. Aided by her quick-witted cousin Val and handyman Luca Romano, Pepper dives into the cutthroat world of professional kitchens where she discovers Matt had a talent for stealing recipes, backstabbing colleagues, and making powerful enemies.
Was it temperamental rival chef Marco Calabrese, whose signature techniques Matt had stolen years ago? Rocco Moretti, still fuming after Matt poached his talented sous chef? Or perhaps Gabriella Costa herself, the poached sous chef with secrets of her own?
When Pepper uncovers evidence that Matt was planning to steal her grandmother's cherished fettuccine Alfredo recipe for his new restaurant—while simultaneously running a money laundering operation that would put her out of business—the case takes a personal turn. But getting too close to the truth could make Pepper the killer's next target.
With the clock ticking, suspicious financial dealings simmering, and rival chefs stirring the pot, Pepper must solve the case before her family legacy goes up in flames—or worse, she becomes the final course in a murderer's deadly feast.
Death al Dente is the deliciously satisfying second installment in the Pepper Rossi Culinary Mystery series, where the sauce is rich, the suspects are plentiful, and murder is always on the specials board.
Genre: Mystery
Pepper Rossi is finally getting her restaurant back on track after being cleared of murder charges when disaster strikes again. Rossi's Pies & Pasta has been selected to host the prestigious Basil Bay Chef's Showcase, featuring the town's most talented Italian chefs. It should be the perfect opportunity to restore her reputation—until renowned chef Matteo "Matt" Bellini takes one bite of her grandmother's famous fettuccine Alfredo and drops dead on the spot.
With her restaurant shuttered for the second time and Detective Dominic Ferrara eyeing her as a suspect once more, Pepper has no choice but to don her amateur detective hat again. Aided by her quick-witted cousin Val and handyman Luca Romano, Pepper dives into the cutthroat world of professional kitchens where she discovers Matt had a talent for stealing recipes, backstabbing colleagues, and making powerful enemies.
Was it temperamental rival chef Marco Calabrese, whose signature techniques Matt had stolen years ago? Rocco Moretti, still fuming after Matt poached his talented sous chef? Or perhaps Gabriella Costa herself, the poached sous chef with secrets of her own?
When Pepper uncovers evidence that Matt was planning to steal her grandmother's cherished fettuccine Alfredo recipe for his new restaurant—while simultaneously running a money laundering operation that would put her out of business—the case takes a personal turn. But getting too close to the truth could make Pepper the killer's next target.
With the clock ticking, suspicious financial dealings simmering, and rival chefs stirring the pot, Pepper must solve the case before her family legacy goes up in flames—or worse, she becomes the final course in a murderer's deadly feast.
Death al Dente is the deliciously satisfying second installment in the Pepper Rossi Culinary Mystery series, where the sauce is rich, the suspects are plentiful, and murder is always on the specials board.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Maisy Marple's Death al Dente
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