Today joining #BerkleyMystery

in celebrating author

Kylie Logan

and her June 26 release of

ITALIAN ICED

Book 3 in the Ethnic Eats Mysteries

Hot pasta and a cold corpse make for quite a combination in the latest book in the Ethnic Eats mystery series.

When Laurel Inwood features Italian cuisine on the Terminal at the Tracks menu, she knows she'll need to stock the shelves, the fridge, and the freezer with plenty of wonderful delicacies. She just never expected one of them to be her former employer, Hollywood superstar Meghan Cohan.

And one day, when Laurel is at the restaurant early to get ready for the regular rush of customers, that's exactly what she finds--Meghan dead in the Terminal freezer.

What's a Hollywood A-lister doing in Hubbard, Ohio? 

For Laurel, that's the real question, because the first question she'd ask in any other murder investigation--who would want the victim dead?--seems pretty much a no-brainer in this case.

Who would want Meghan dead?

Just about anybody who had ever met her.

Kylie Logan

            Readers often ask where writers get their ideas, and I always have the same answer.

            It depends on the book.

            Some ideas come from the news, some from snatches of overheard conversations, some from dreams.  The idea for my Ethnic Eats mystery series came from . . . what else . . . food!

            See, I live outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and around here, we’re blessed with a diverse population.  Some of the people here have roots that go back to early in the last century and places like Greek and Ukraine, Poland and Italy.  Others are more recent transplants from places like Central America and Asia.  What they all have in common–and what the rest of us benefit from–are their wonderful culinary traditions.

            Why not take advantage of it? 

            That’s how Ethnic Eats was born and so far in the series, I’ve explored Irish food (my husband is from an Irish family) and French cuisine.  The newest book in the series is “Italian Iced.”  I’ll let you guess what kind of food is the star!

            What the books have also given me an opportunity to do is explore each ethnic culture.  For “Irish Stewed,” of course, I had the experience of my husband’s family, big and boisterous and fiercely loyal.  To add a dash of France to book #2, I had the pleasure of studying not only French food, but French countryside decorating (so pretty!) as well as the music of Piaf.  And now, for “Italian Iced,” I’ve pulled out all the stops.  In addition to a surprise Italian character (I don’t want to give anything away), I’ve added a handsome Italian race car driver and even an Italian countess. 

            All that along with a big dose of oregano, Romano, and of course, murder, makes for a fun mystery.

            Enjoy!

ITALIAN ICED is available now!

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