Jams and Jailbirds
(2026)(The tenth book in the Alphabet Soup Mystery series)
A novel by Erica J Whelton
After thirty years behind bars, Jessica finally has her father home. Now someone is determined to send him back.
Chef Jessica Vasquez has waited most of her life for this. Tito is out, settling into a job at the family furniture store, getting to know the twins, eating at Granny's full table again. The Crock Pot is thriving, her new jalapeño peach jam is selling out by noon, and Ivy and Dove are about to turn nine. For the first time in a long time, Jessica's world feels whole.
Then Zammy, the friend Tito vouched for on the inside, is found murdered.
Within days, the evidence starts pointing in one direction: a coached witness, an anonymous note, and a car that matches the one Tito drives. A formal review hearing is set for two weeks out, and if it goes the wrong way, Jessica loses the father she only just got back. She knows Tito didn't do this. Proving it is another thing entirely.
As Jessica digs into Zammy's death, the long shadow of the Klein Leasing Company stretches over everything. There's a stranger who turned up in Dashwood just before the killing. There's a friend who seems to know a little too much about Jessica's life. And there's the quiet, patient pressure of an organization that has never forgiven her for getting in its way.
When a threat lands on her own car and the danger creeps toward the people she loves, the case turns personal. With Vee, Shayla, and the twins counting on her, Sawyer planning a wedding, and her relationship with Kyle Rafferty suddenly on uncertain ground, Jessica races to find the truth before the system takes her father a second time.
Can Jessica catch a killer and keep her father free? Or will the family she fought so hard to build be torn apart just as it finally came together?
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:
Chef Jessica Vasquez has waited most of her life for this. Tito is out, settling into a job at the family furniture store, getting to know the twins, eating at Granny's full table again. The Crock Pot is thriving, her new jalapeño peach jam is selling out by noon, and Ivy and Dove are about to turn nine. For the first time in a long time, Jessica's world feels whole.
Then Zammy, the friend Tito vouched for on the inside, is found murdered.
Within days, the evidence starts pointing in one direction: a coached witness, an anonymous note, and a car that matches the one Tito drives. A formal review hearing is set for two weeks out, and if it goes the wrong way, Jessica loses the father she only just got back. She knows Tito didn't do this. Proving it is another thing entirely.
As Jessica digs into Zammy's death, the long shadow of the Klein Leasing Company stretches over everything. There's a stranger who turned up in Dashwood just before the killing. There's a friend who seems to know a little too much about Jessica's life. And there's the quiet, patient pressure of an organization that has never forgiven her for getting in its way.
When a threat lands on her own car and the danger creeps toward the people she loves, the case turns personal. With Vee, Shayla, and the twins counting on her, Sawyer planning a wedding, and her relationship with Kyle Rafferty suddenly on uncertain ground, Jessica races to find the truth before the system takes her father a second time.
Can Jessica catch a killer and keep her father free? Or will the family she fought so hard to build be torn apart just as it finally came together?
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:
- A father-daughter reunion at the heart of the danger
Found family bonds tested by an old enemy
Mouthwatering comfort food and small-town Texas warmth
Organized crime lurking beneath a cozy surface
An amateur sleuth racing the clock for the people she loves
Jams and Jailbirds is Book 10 in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries series. While it can be enjoyed on its own, the series is best read in order to fully appreciate Jessica's found family and the storylines that have built across every book.
Genre: Cozy Mystery