Mise en Death : A Bittersweet Mystery, Book #1

A gourmet airship banquet takes dinner—and murder—to the next level.

For Alex LeBeau, everything is finally mise en place—falling into place.

She’s ready to put her clandestine part in the Insurrection of 1856—and a romantic entanglement that broke her heart—behind her and just be herself. A simple, unassuming chocolatier.

When an opportunity to teach at a friend’s struggling cooking school lands in her lap, Alex moves with her almost-grown son, Pierre, back to her sleepy hometown of Honfleur, Louisiana. And she’s determined not to ruin it by falling for the first beautiful woman who crosses her path.

Naturally, as she rushes to prepare for a catered airship banquet that will save the school, she does exactly that. Literally sprawling at the feet of Josephine Campbell, a bundle of warm-eyed, kilted good humor with a baffling accent that melts Alex’s heart into a puddle of ganache.

But when a mishap with the banquet’s engineering-marvel centerpiece leaves the hostess dead and Pierre charged with murder, Alex, with Josephine at her side, must risk everything—including exposing her past—to save her son. And stop the real killer from striking again.

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Note: This alternate-history steampunk mystery contains lesbian and transgender characters, a multicultural romance, mechanical wonders, mouth-watering dishes, horny old ladies, sweet kisses, bitter memories, and murder-by-popcorn. Bon appetit!