Gourmet Detective

A murder in an expensive restaurant pairs Henry's knowledge of the food business with Maggie's police work. This is the place to learn why a culinary consultant becomes useful to homicide detectives, and why Maggie needs convincing.

A food conference puts Henry at a resort just as Maggie tries to take a vacation. A journalist's death interrupts both plans, bringing professional hospitality and the guests' private dealings into the investigation.

A search for culinary talent becomes another murder investigation in San Francisco's restaurant world. Henry's professional connections make the case personal, while Maggie must examine the people behind a kitchen's public reputation.

Henry brings Maggie to a publisher's birthday celebration, where a staged duel becomes fatal. The public setting changes the question from who could have reached the victim to how someone turned a performance into a killing.

A commission to authenticate an old recipe book draws Henry and Maggie into a dispute with lethal consequences. Food expertise matters through the book's history and value, giving this case a different object of interest from the earlier restaurant murders.