The truth always rises, even when someone tries to punch it down.
Food critic Harper Wilde arrives in San Francisco to write about Bread & Salt, an acclaimed artisanal bakery famous for its supposedly century-old sourdough starter. But when the bakery's financial manager is found dead—face-down in the precious sourdough culture she was supposed to protect'''Harper's culinary assignment quickly transforms into her fourth murder investigation.
As Harper digs deeper, she discovers that Bread & Salt's famous sourdough contains more secrets than just wild yeast. The bakery's success rests on a stolen recipe with mysterious origins, a corporate acquisition deal with hidden motives, and a proprietary bacterial strain that someone is willing to kill to control.
With the help of Detective Alex Rivera, food historian Amelia Hoffman, and elderly customer Ruth Goldstein, Harper must follow a trail of breadcrumbs through San Francisco's rich baking heritage to uncover the truth. Who murdered the financial manager? Was it the obsessive baker protecting his family legacy, his business-minded brother desperate to save the bakery, or a corporate executive with millions at stake in the industrial sourdough market?
For Harper Wilde, this investigation proves that in San Francisco, sourdough isn't just a bread—it's a culture worth killing for.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Food critic Harper Wilde arrives in San Francisco to write about Bread & Salt, an acclaimed artisanal bakery famous for its supposedly century-old sourdough starter. But when the bakery's financial manager is found dead—face-down in the precious sourdough culture she was supposed to protect'''Harper's culinary assignment quickly transforms into her fourth murder investigation.
As Harper digs deeper, she discovers that Bread & Salt's famous sourdough contains more secrets than just wild yeast. The bakery's success rests on a stolen recipe with mysterious origins, a corporate acquisition deal with hidden motives, and a proprietary bacterial strain that someone is willing to kill to control.
With the help of Detective Alex Rivera, food historian Amelia Hoffman, and elderly customer Ruth Goldstein, Harper must follow a trail of breadcrumbs through San Francisco's rich baking heritage to uncover the truth. Who murdered the financial manager? Was it the obsessive baker protecting his family legacy, his business-minded brother desperate to save the bakery, or a corporate executive with millions at stake in the industrial sourdough market?
For Harper Wilde, this investigation proves that in San Francisco, sourdough isn't just a bread—it's a culture worth killing for.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Maisy Marple's Sour Rising