Iced Tea and Intrigue
(2026)(The ninth book in the Alphabet Soup Mystery series)
A novel by Erica J Whelton
A dead woman crashes through the front doors of The Crock Pot. The message is loud and clear: stay out of it.
Chef Jessica Vasquez has worked hard to rebuild her life. Her restaurant is thriving, her family is whole, and for the first time in a long time, things feel steady. Then a car smashes through the front doors of The Crock Pot during the lunch rush, carrying a woman who was already dead before the crash.
The victim is Penny Galindo, and this is no accident.
Someone sent her as a warning.
Jessica has tangled with the Klein organization before, and they haven't forgotten. Now that the man who once protected the small restaurants of Dashwood is gone, Klein is making their move, pressuring business owners, invalidating leases, and reclaiming what they believe is theirs. Penny was handling the operation. Penny got in the way. And now Jessica has been put on notice: stay out of it this time, or the next target won't be her restaurant.
She should walk away. She can't.
With her doors boarded up and her staff displaced, Jessica launches her own investigation. The suspects are many: Penny's grieving husband, her cold and estranged sister, a former client who lost everything, and a new face inside Klein who seems too eager to help. But the deeper Jessica digs, the more she realizes she may be following exactly the trail someone has laid out for her.
And somewhere behind it all, someone dangerous is watching, waiting, and hiding in plain sight.
With her boyfriend Kyle studying for his detective exam, her best friend Vee navigating a new romance, her father's parole hearing suddenly on the horizon, and a new baby arriving in the family, Jessica has never had more to protect. Or more to lose.
Can she catch a killer before Klein closes in on everything Dashwood loves? Or will this time be the one that costs her everything?
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:
Chef Jessica Vasquez has worked hard to rebuild her life. Her restaurant is thriving, her family is whole, and for the first time in a long time, things feel steady. Then a car smashes through the front doors of The Crock Pot during the lunch rush, carrying a woman who was already dead before the crash.
The victim is Penny Galindo, and this is no accident.
Someone sent her as a warning.
Jessica has tangled with the Klein organization before, and they haven't forgotten. Now that the man who once protected the small restaurants of Dashwood is gone, Klein is making their move, pressuring business owners, invalidating leases, and reclaiming what they believe is theirs. Penny was handling the operation. Penny got in the way. And now Jessica has been put on notice: stay out of it this time, or the next target won't be her restaurant.
She should walk away. She can't.
With her doors boarded up and her staff displaced, Jessica launches her own investigation. The suspects are many: Penny's grieving husband, her cold and estranged sister, a former client who lost everything, and a new face inside Klein who seems too eager to help. But the deeper Jessica digs, the more she realizes she may be following exactly the trail someone has laid out for her.
And somewhere behind it all, someone dangerous is watching, waiting, and hiding in plain sight.
With her boyfriend Kyle studying for his detective exam, her best friend Vee navigating a new romance, her father's parole hearing suddenly on the horizon, and a new baby arriving in the family, Jessica has never had more to protect. Or more to lose.
Can she catch a killer before Klein closes in on everything Dashwood loves? Or will this time be the one that costs her everything?
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:
- Amateur sleuths facing organized threats
Found family dynamics and chosen community
Restaurant life and small-town Texas charm
Slow-burn romance and layered character relationships
Edge-of-your-seat suspense with genuine heart
Iced Tea and Intrigue is Book 9 in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries series. While each book can be enjoyed on its own, the series is best read in order for full character development and the ongoing organized crime storyline.
Genre: Cozy Mystery