Added by 8 members
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
(2025)(The first book in the Savvy Summers Mysteries series)
A novel by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
A sparkling debut mystery set on the south side of Chicago, featuring the quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, proprietor of a soul food café.
When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.
Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy.
But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart?
After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.
Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy.
But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart?
After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Praise for this book
"A homespun traditional mystery with tons of Chicago culture and great soul food recipes." - Kallie E Benjamin
"Jackson-Opoku's seasoned Sapphire Summers transforms the world and conventions of the mystery novel into allegory of Black women's power to balance the scales tipped by race and class. But for paying homage to African American soul food and Chicago's one-of-a-kind Pan-African population along the way to justice for a senseless inner-city murder, Jackson-Opoku stands alone and may have just begun a new genre for others to follow her into." - Kalisha Buckhanon
"Jackson-Opoku cooks up a delightful tale featuring strong-minded Savvy Summers in the lead; the twisty mystery is sweetened with delicious recipes and witty sayings." - Jennifer J Chow
"Dead guy at table 2! Was owner Savvy Summers' vegan sweet potato pie to blame? Child, hush your mouth! What a fun read! And set in Chicago, too! Jackson-Opoku has given us wonderful characters we can root for. Two whisks up for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." - Tracy Clark
"A whodunit that shines with culture, food, and an interesting murder, or two! Savvy Summer and the Sweet Potato Crimes introduces characters readers will love spending time with, a fun tale of mystery, delicious food descriptions and recipes. Cozy mystery enthusiasts will enjoy this first in series." - Abby Collette
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a very modern take on the traditional cozies I loved as a child, complete with a memorable cast of characters and a shocking ending I definitely didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to more adventures - and recipes - in this mouth watering new series." - Kellye Garrett
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes offers the reader an intimate look into the world of Chicago soul food, plus a fun mystery. Sit back and enjoy but beware the powerful pangs of hunger Sapphire can create. And remember it's a sin to die before you finish your sweet potato pie." - Carolyn Haines
"Is a cozy mystery allowed to be this wild? Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is soul food for cozy readers who carry hot sauce in their bags." - Lori Rader-Day
"Jackson-Opoku's debut cozy crime novel has charm, cadence, and culture." - Raquel V Reyes
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a delightful debut filled with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and unexpected twists. This loving tribute to soul food and its culture will leave you begging for a second helping." - Valerie Wilson Wesley
"Jackson-Opoku's seasoned Sapphire Summers transforms the world and conventions of the mystery novel into allegory of Black women's power to balance the scales tipped by race and class. But for paying homage to African American soul food and Chicago's one-of-a-kind Pan-African population along the way to justice for a senseless inner-city murder, Jackson-Opoku stands alone and may have just begun a new genre for others to follow her into." - Kalisha Buckhanon
"Jackson-Opoku cooks up a delightful tale featuring strong-minded Savvy Summers in the lead; the twisty mystery is sweetened with delicious recipes and witty sayings." - Jennifer J Chow
"Dead guy at table 2! Was owner Savvy Summers' vegan sweet potato pie to blame? Child, hush your mouth! What a fun read! And set in Chicago, too! Jackson-Opoku has given us wonderful characters we can root for. Two whisks up for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." - Tracy Clark
"A whodunit that shines with culture, food, and an interesting murder, or two! Savvy Summer and the Sweet Potato Crimes introduces characters readers will love spending time with, a fun tale of mystery, delicious food descriptions and recipes. Cozy mystery enthusiasts will enjoy this first in series." - Abby Collette
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a very modern take on the traditional cozies I loved as a child, complete with a memorable cast of characters and a shocking ending I definitely didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to more adventures - and recipes - in this mouth watering new series." - Kellye Garrett
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes offers the reader an intimate look into the world of Chicago soul food, plus a fun mystery. Sit back and enjoy but beware the powerful pangs of hunger Sapphire can create. And remember it's a sin to die before you finish your sweet potato pie." - Carolyn Haines
"Is a cozy mystery allowed to be this wild? Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is soul food for cozy readers who carry hot sauce in their bags." - Lori Rader-Day
"Jackson-Opoku's debut cozy crime novel has charm, cadence, and culture." - Raquel V Reyes
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a delightful debut filled with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and unexpected twists. This loving tribute to soul food and its culture will leave you begging for a second helping." - Valerie Wilson Wesley
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Sandra Jackson-Opoku's Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes