Today, I’m hosting award-winning author Marla A. White’s latest release, Recipe for Murder, book two in the Pine Cove Mystery series, a cozy mystery. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway.
“Welcome to Pine Cove. The Mayor is a dog, B&B guests are fugitives, and the pancakes are burnt.”
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Title: Recipe For Murder
Series: A Pine Cove Mystery, Book 2
Author: Marla A. White
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Blurb: Mel O’Rourke traded her LAPD badge for the quiet life, running a bed-and-breakfast in tiny, quirky Pine Cove.
But when Jackson Thibodeaux, the charming café owner who broke her heart, stumbles back into town, her tranquil second act is toast. While attending a culinary academy in New Orleans, Jackson found the body of a classmate. The police rule it a suicide, but Mel’s instincts—and Jackson’s near miss with a bullet—scream murder.
Between a cooking school full of shady suspects, a reformed cat burglar for a sidekick, and a complicated love triangle involving the deputy sheriff, Mel has her hands full.
Perfect for fans of the sweetness of Jenn McKinlay and the snark of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan.
Available at:
Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google | Kobo
“You’d better hope your boss never finds out you know all the words to that musical or he’ll insist on drug testing you.” Mel laughed as Gregg opened the lobby door for her, still murmuring away in a surprisingly pleasant singing voice. She didn’t normally wait for any man to open a door, but her hands were full, holding the box of pizza they’d gotten to bring back for the vultures she knew would be waiting for her at the inn. He held the door with one hand, a bottle of wine they planned on sharing while binging episodes of a British cop series they loved gripped in the other.
As she expected, Gemma, Grandma, and Poppy materialized from the great room at a speed that suggested they’d been sitting near the window watching for their return. Their grim expressions, however, made her stop short. “All right, out with it. Why are you three acting so weird? We’re twenty feet inside the door, and there hasn’t been one smart ass remark yet. Who died?” When no one answered, a cold dread bloomed in the pit of her stomach. She might have dropped the pizza if Poppy hadn’t snatched it out of her numb hands. “Seriously, is everyone okay? Did something happen? Is it Liam?”
“No, Mel, it’s me,” a voice said with a distinctly more pronounced Southern drawl than he’d had the last time they spoke. An exhausted, pale, but determined Jackson emerged from the shadows, rubbing at his temple as if to ease an ache. “I really need your help.”
Relief, anger, hope, and about a dozen other emotions Mel couldn’t identify came crashing down all at once. “I’m going to need you to open that wine,” she told Gregg.
He twisted the top off with his bare hand since their favorite brand of chardonnay didn’t use a “cork. “Done,” he said as he handed her the chilled bottle, the outside damp with sweat.
She took a healthy gulp straight out of the bottle before addressing Jackson. “All right, out with it. What do you want, and it better be good after the bullshit you pulled on me.”
“There’s been a murder.”
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Title: Framed for Murder
Series: A Pine Cove Mystery, Book 1
Author: Marla A. White
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Blurb: After a life-changing injury, Mel O’Rourke trades in her badge for bed sheets, running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine Cove. Her peaceful life is interrupted when an old frenemy, the notorious and charismatic cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, shows up on her doorstep, claiming she’s been framed for murder. While she’s broken plenty of laws, Mel knows she’d never kill anyone. Good thing she’s a better detective than she is a cook as she sets out to prove Poppy’s innocence.
The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay? Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?
Available at:
Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google | Kobo
The echoes of laughter led the siblings into the Great Room where their grandmother sat in front of the fireplace chatting away with Poppy. They turned toward Mel and Liam as they entered.
“Mel, your mother is a hoot,” she gushed.
She narrowed her eyes at the alleged ex-thief, who had to know perfectly well the woman in front of her was too old to be her mother. Grandma O, however, took the compliment to heart and patted Poppy’s hand, gracing her with one of her rare beaming smiles.
To Mel’s surprise, Liam skidded to a dead halt. She turned back to see why and received the icy blast of the unmistakable storm in his eyes. She’d seen the same dark expression in the mirror when she was furious. What did he have to be so angry about? Before she could ask, he dropped their bags and launched into full hissy fit mode.
“You!” he bellowed at Poppy.
The brunette seemed sincerely surprised at his response. Swiveling her head to see who else was in the room and finding no one, she met his gaze and pointed to herself with an exaggerated, “Who, me?” expression.
Her brother spun, targeting his rage at her. “Don’t tell me this is who you hired?”
“You’re only being a grump because you haven’t tried her bacon,” she joked, hoping to deflate the situation. Years of trying to nail her for any number of jobs she’d pulled off had frustrated Mel, but she had to admit she always liked her style. Despite her suspicions when she found Poppy in the lobby this morning, so far she’d been nothing but charming and kind of fun, so what had she done to piss off easy-going Liam in the two minutes since they met?
Her brother crossed his arms, stubbornly jutting out his square jaw. “There’s no way that woman is working here. She nearly killed you once, I’m not giving her a second chance.”
“You two have met?” The information surprised her, so she let the macho b.s. slide for now. She didn’t need anyone to protect her, but his anger rolled off him so calling him on his chauvinism skittered close to throwing gasoline on a fire.
“We had to watch her on the news sound bites, taking her bows for saving your life, while you lay in that hospital bed, broken and in agony.” Mel had never seen his eyes blaze with such fury before. She’d been so focused on her own suffering she’d never thought about what her family had gone through. Liam clearly had been carrying steamer-trunk sized baggage. “Nobody bothered to mention she’s the one who put you in danger in the first place. Or that you’re crippled for life, thanks to her.”
“Crippled?” Poppy’s brows furrowed, her eyes darkening.
“Easy, drama queen,” Mel snarled, “nobody’s crippled.”
“We used to go rock climbing and now you can’t even mount a set of stairs without getting dizzy.” His exasperation exploded as he paced to the far end of the Great Room to stare out the floor-to-ceiling glass door at the patio and brook beyond. What really hurt was he sounded more bummed out for himself losing a climbing partner than concerned about her.
“Is that true?” Poppy sprang up.
“I’m working on it.” Embarrassed by the whole conversation, she busied herself with tidying the morning newspapers the guests had left strewn around the sitting area.
“She nearly killed you, she’s not working here,” Liam repeated without turning away from the view outside.
Grandma O’Rourke rose to her feet with more nobility than agility, stood between her two grandchildren, and pronounced, “I like her, and I say she stays,” before tottering off to the kitchen in a self-professed search for the infamous bacon.
Of course, she liked Poppy, she just paid her a huge compliment. Never mind if she was guilty of what Liam accused her of doing or not. After putting the last section of the newspaper back in place, Mel noticed the below the fold story on the front page and tightened her fist until she almost tore the paper in two.
Scientist Killed in Daring Heist
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Marla White is an award-winning novelist who prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life. Her first full-length mystery novel, “Cause for Elimination,” placed in several contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite, and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic Suspense. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry. She currently teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage.
When she’s not working on the next book, she’s out in the garden, hiking, cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.
Follow Marla: Website | Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | Bluesky | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads
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Maggie Blackbird 