‘Cook the Books’ a delicious mystery

With "Cook the Books," foodies and mystery addicts alike will enjoy a delicious new Gourmet Girl mystery from the mother/daughter author team of Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant.

When Chloe Carter’s boyfriend, Josh, left her to take a job in Hawaii as a personal chef, Chloe thought her world had pretty much ended. But when she has a chance to work with Kyle Boucher, son of famed chef Hank Boucher, on a cookbook project, Chloe jumps at the opportunity, even though she knows she’s bound to experience heartache along the way.

As she and Kyle begin to gather recipes from some of the top chefs in Boston, Chloe soon realizes that she is doing most of the work while Kyle is trying to please his obnoxious father. Scoring what seems to be a coup for the project, Chloe contacts one of Josh’s friends, Digger, the top chef at one of the newest and trendiest restaurants in town, and asks if he would share some of his signature dishes. Digger agrees, but when Chloe goes to his apartment for a combined tasting/meeting with Kyle and his father, she finds the building ablaze and Digger dead in what police have ruled a homicide.

Reeling from the tragedy, Chloe is determined to find out who would kill her friend. Making matters more complicated is Kyle’s obvious obsession with Chloe’s friend Adrianna and Josh’s unexpected return to Boston. But the clues soon begin to fall together, and the murderer’s identity will rock the restaurant world.

The Gourmet Girl is back for another exciting adventure in Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant’s fifth collaborative book. Mother and daughter combine their talents to bring an enjoyable, suspense-filled story with a healthy helping of humor for their readers to enjoy — as well as some yummy recipes.