Devil's food: a Corinna Chapman mystery

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date
2009.
Language
English

Description

If there's one thing that Corinna Chapman, baker extraordinaire and proprietor of the Earthly Delights Bakery, can't abide, it's people not eating well, particularly when there are delights like her very own, just-baked, freshly buttered sourdough bread to enjoy. So when a strange cult which denies the flesh and eats only famine bread turns up, along with a malnourished body, Corinna is very disturbed indeed.

On top of that, her hippie mother, Starshine, has turned up out of the blue, hysterical that Sunlight, Corinna's father, has absconded to Melbourne with all their money and a desire for a new young lover. Someone is poisoning people with weight loss herbal teas, and then odd things are happening at the nearby Cafe Vlad Tepes, which attracts a very strange clientele indeed. It's a delicious recipe for murder, mayhem, and mystery.

More Details

ISBN
9781590586747
9781590584286

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Also in this Series

  • Earthly delights: a Corinna Chapman mystery (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 1) Cover
  • Heavenly pleasures: a Corinna Chapman novel (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 2) Cover
  • Devil's food: a Corinna Chapman mystery (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 3) Cover
  • Trick or treat: a Corinna Chapman mystery (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 4) Cover
  • Forbidden fruit: a Corinna Chapman mystery (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 5) Cover
  • Cooking the books: a Corinna Chapman mystery (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 6) Cover
  • The spotted dog (Corinna Chapman mysteries Volume 7) Cover

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
The Corinna Chapman (Australia) and China Bayles (Texas) culinary mysteries feature feisty, very capable women who solve mysteries that may involve a social or cultural problem, while running their food businesses, engaging with quirky sidekicks, and forming romantic relationships. -- Katherine Johnson
Boston (Gourmet Girl) and Melbourne (Corinna Chapman) are the settings for these mysteries starring culinary connoisseurs who double as amateur sleuths. Marked by a strong sense of place and rich detail, both series bring food and crime tastefully to life. -- Mike Nilsson
Corinna Chapman bakes breads in Melbourne, Australia, while Hanna Denton of Crystal Cove, California specializes in pies; her Pie Shop mysteries are a bit cozier than Corinna's. Hanna's small town feels a lot like Corinna's close-knit neighborhood within Melbourne, though. -- Katherine Johnson
These series have the appeal factors offbeat, sardonic, and witty, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subject "women amateur detectives."
These series have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genres "mysteries" and "australian fiction"; and the subjects "women amateur detectives," "food columnists," and "murder suspects."
These series have the appeal factors strong sense of place and atmospheric, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subject "women amateur detectives."
These series have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genres "australian fiction" and "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "pastry chefs."
These series have the appeal factors strong sense of place and atmospheric, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "bakeries."
These series have the appeal factors well-crafted dialogue, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subject "women amateur detectives."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genres "australian fiction" and "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "bakeries."
These books have the appeal factors offbeat and witty, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "murder suspects."
These books have the appeal factors leisurely paced, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "missing persons," and "women amateur detectives."
Kneaded to death - Archer, Winnie
These books have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "bakeries."
NoveList recommends "Pie Shop mysteries" for fans of "Corinna Chapman mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the appeal factors strong sense of place and atmospheric, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women amateur detectives" and "amateur detectives."
These books have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "women restaurateurs."
These books have the appeal factors strong sense of place and evocative, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "women bakers," "women amateur detectives," and "bakeries."
These books have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subject "women amateur detectives."
These books have the appeal factors fast-paced and strong sense of place, and they have the theme "culinary mysteries"; the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subject "women amateur detectives."
NoveList recommends "Gourmet girl mysteries" for fans of "Corinna Chapman mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "China Bayles mysteries" for fans of "Corinna Chapman mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These authors are known for their witty, atmospheric historical mystery series about spirited women who solve crimes in twentieth-century Melbourne (Kerry Greenwood) or New York City (S.K. Greenwood). -- CJ Connor
Kerry Greenwood and Ashley Weaver's historical mysteries feature likeable and capable characters, witty dialogue, and strong settings that depict both the upper levels and fringes of society between the wars in England (Ashley Weaver) and Australia (Kerry Greenwood). -- Laura Cohen
These authors' works have the appeal factors suspenseful, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "historical fiction"; and the subjects "murder" and "missing persons."
These authors' works have the appeal factors well-crafted dialogue, and they have the subjects "women amateur detectives" and "missing persons"; and characters that are "likeable characters" and "spirited characters."
These authors' works have the genres "australian fiction" and "realistic fiction"; and the subject "australian history."
These authors' works have the appeal factors strong sense of place, and they have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "murder," "teenage detectives," and "murder suspects."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Originally published in 2006 and making its first U.S. appearance, the third Corinna Chapman mystery finds the Australian baker and amateur sleuth trying to determine who's been distributing poison-tainted herbal teas and why. As usual, there are complications on the home front: Corinna's hippie mother, Starshine, has unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere after her husband, Sunlight, has left her for a younger woman. The Chapman novels take the best elements of the author's more popular 1920s-era Phryne Fisher series strong female protagonist, solid mystery, offbeat humor and transport them to the present day. Greenwood has a definite knack for character and story, and, while the Chapman series is a mere toddler compared to the longer-running Fisher novels, Corinna shows every indication of sticking around for a good long time.--Pitt, David Copyright 2009 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

A missing parent, a lethal herbal tea and a sinister cult are a few of the mysterious ingredients in Greenwood's lively third cozy to feature cheerfully fat baker Corinna Chapman (after 2008's Heavenly Pleasures). Chapman's estranged hippie mother, who organizes her time by the phases of the moon, arrives on the doorstep of Melbourne's Earthly Delights Bakery to announce her spouse's disappearance during an apparent midlife crisis. Further complications for Chapman include a toxic tea imbibed by two of her employees and a strange group of monks. To assist in finding the tea's supplier, locating her wandering father and determining the monks' activities, Chapman has a devoted, if eccentric, cohort-a sexy PI lover, a weaver, a follower of Wicca, a grand dame, a dominatrix, a retired classics professor and a nun or two. While a glossary of Australian terms would've helped the American reader, this doesn't detract from the warmhearted message that it takes a village to solve a mystery. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Booklist Reviews

Originally published in 2006 and making its first U.S. appearance, the third Corinna Chapman mystery finds the Australian baker and amateur sleuth trying to determine who's been distributing poison-tainted herbal teas and why. As usual, there are complications on the home front: Corinna's hippie mother, Starshine, has unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere after her husband, Sunlight, has left her for a younger woman. The Chapman novels take the best elements of the author's more popular 1920s-era Phryne Fisher series—strong female protagonist, solid mystery, offbeat humor—and transport them to the present day. Greenwood has a definite knack for character and story, and, while the Chapman series is a mere toddler compared to the longer-running Fisher novels, Corinna shows every indication of sticking around for a good long time. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

Welcome back to Corinna Chapman's Earthly Delights Bakery in this third series entry from Greenwood. Disturbed by a cult that eats only famine bread, Corinna tries to connect them to a malnourished corpse and weight-loss tea that led to numerous poisonings. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

A missing parent, a lethal herbal tea and a sinister cult are a few of the mysterious ingredients in Greenwood's lively third cozy to feature cheerfully fat baker Corinna Chapman (after 2008's Heavenly Pleasures). Chapman's estranged hippie mother, who organizes her time by the phases of the moon, arrives on the doorstep of Melbourne's Earthly Delights Bakery to announce her spouse's disappearance during an apparent midlife crisis. Further complications for Chapman include a toxic tea imbibed by two of her employees and a strange group of monks. To assist in finding the tea's supplier, locating her wandering father and determining the monks' activities, Chapman has a devoted, if eccentric, cohort—a sexy PI lover, a weaver, a follower of Wicca, a grand dame, a dominatrix, a retired classics professor and a nun or two. While a glossary of Australian terms would've helped the American reader, this doesn't detract from the warmhearted message that it takes a village to solve a mystery. (May)

[Page 33]. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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