Bike shop owner Mac Almeida is hurrying to get her store ready for business one morning when she’s stopped in her tracks by a hastily flung open door. Out of the Rusty Anchor pub flies its chef and manager, Yvonne Flora. Yvonne has just found what might be a dead man behind the bar, and she’s desperate for someone to help her.

Mac, of course, drops everything to go to Yvonne’s aid. She confirms that the man is dead, recognizing the victim as her former high school English teacher, Bruce Byrne. Bruce had not been the most popular person with his students or with his peers. When the police confirm that Bruce did not die of natural causes but had been deliberately murdered, Mac is saddened but not surprised.

However, what does come as a shock to Mac and to the rest of Westham, Massachusetts, is the subsequent police interrogation of Flo Wolanski, the town’s head librarian and one of Mac’s closest friends. The two are part of the Cozy Capers Book Group, who spend almost as much time reading about crime as they do helping the local police solve homicides. When it becomes clear that the cops consider Flo to be their prime suspect in Bruce’s murder, the members all mobilize to clear her name and figure out whodunit. Bruce had so many enemies though, that sorting through all the people who hated him enough to kill him might take more time than Flo has to remain free. Will Mac and her friends be able to find the real culprit before Flo is arrested or before the crafty killer can strike again?

It is always a delight to return to Westham to spend time with Mac and her charming family and friends. Their investigations are always merged so seamlessly with their day-to-day lives that reading each book feels genuinely like spending time with real people who just so happen to team up to solve crimes every so often. Their teamwork is on full display in this installment of the series, even when one member proves suddenly reluctant to help–for reasons that the rest of the group eventually discovers. Maddie Day’s gentle social commentary is a big plus as well, as Mac muses on how siblings can become such vastly different people despite growing up in very similar circumstances.

There are six food and drink recipes included, all for dishes deliciously described in the text. I decided to try out this one:

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

½ cup red seedless grapes, halved

½ cup pecans

1 tablespoon capers, drained

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon curry powder

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

Toast pecans in a dry, cast-iron skillet (or other dry frying pan) for about ten minutes or until fragrant, shaking frequently. Roughly chop.

Mix mayonnaise and curry powder in bottom of mixing bowl. Add other ingredients, plus pecans, and mix thoroughly. Increase mayo if you like and curry powder to taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over salad greens with a sliced baguette or a side of potato salad.

Don’t let the unassuming name fool you: this is one of the most well-rounded, delicious chicken salads I’ve ever had. I was a little skeptical of adding nuts to it, but the toasted pecans added just the right touch of both crunch and earthiness to the dish. The grapes gave it a lovely sweetness, while the capers were the perfect tart counterbalance to the richness of the savory curry mayonnaise.

I did employ several hacks while making this recipe. For starters, I used leftover rotisserie chicken. I also found it simpler to chop the pecans before toasting them rather than after. Just make sure to watch that the nuts don’t burn, which is easier to accidentally allow to happen when they’re in smaller chunks than when they’re whole. I also chose to enjoy this in sandwiches instead of the recommended serving options, though I was not above snacking on it as is either. 

Next week, we head west to whip up a delicious baked good while investigating a play’s fatal first night. Do join me!

See also: Cooking the Books: Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs