Scone Cold Killer
by Lena Gregory
Series: All Day Breakfast Café Mystery, #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Release Date: January 23, 2018
For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .
When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast Café. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder . . .
Gia nodded as she held the door for Savannah to reenter the shop, then hurried through after her. “I want to make sure everything is perfect for tomorrow. I’ll probably do a lot of the prep tonight.”
“So we should swing by the shelter on the way to the house.”
“Shelter?” The glass-domed cake dishes lining the counter distracted her from whatever Savannah was going on about. They’d be perfect to display quiche and breakfast pies, a variety of muffins, and scones. A row of stools allowed for counter seating, which would give her room for an extra ten or twelve customers. She started counting the stools.
“Yeah. Can you believe they just shut down a pet store last week? The animal shelter is overloaded with puppies.”
Her concentration faltered, and she lost count. “Puppies?”
“Yeah.” Savannah grinned.
“You’re getting a puppy?”
“No, you are.”
“Why in the world would I do that?” The thought of a pet was appealing. She’d never had one before, not even as a kid, and the company would be nice, but she’d probably choose something less…intense. Like a fish, or maybe a parakeet.
“For protection.”
Hmm… She hadn’t thought of that. Her ex had left some very angry former clients in his wake, some of whom had pounded on her apartment door and others who had gone into the deli where she worked looking for her on more than one occasion. But surely they wouldn’t find her over a thousand miles away. And, hopefully, whoever had sent the death threats wouldn’t follow through on his promise to hunt her down. Okay…a dog might not be a totally bad idea. “I doubt any of Bradley’s…” The name left a sour taste in her mouth. “Victims would follow me to Florida.”
“Well, you never know. And you’ll be living out at the edge of the forest alone, so you’ll get a dog, because it’ll make me feel better.” She grabbed her bright orange canvas bag from the counter, fished out her car keys, and opened the front door. “Besides, a dog will warn you if there’re any bears around.”
Wait. What! “Bears?”
“Coming?” she tossed over her shoulder with an innocent smile as she walked out.
“Hey,” Gia called, running after her. “You’re kidding about the bears, right?”
“So we should swing by the shelter on the way to the house.”
“Shelter?” The glass-domed cake dishes lining the counter distracted her from whatever Savannah was going on about. They’d be perfect to display quiche and breakfast pies, a variety of muffins, and scones. A row of stools allowed for counter seating, which would give her room for an extra ten or twelve customers. She started counting the stools.
“Yeah. Can you believe they just shut down a pet store last week? The animal shelter is overloaded with puppies.”
Her concentration faltered, and she lost count. “Puppies?”
“Yeah.” Savannah grinned.
“You’re getting a puppy?”
“No, you are.”
“Why in the world would I do that?” The thought of a pet was appealing. She’d never had one before, not even as a kid, and the company would be nice, but she’d probably choose something less…intense. Like a fish, or maybe a parakeet.
“For protection.”
Hmm… She hadn’t thought of that. Her ex had left some very angry former clients in his wake, some of whom had pounded on her apartment door and others who had gone into the deli where she worked looking for her on more than one occasion. But surely they wouldn’t find her over a thousand miles away. And, hopefully, whoever had sent the death threats wouldn’t follow through on his promise to hunt her down. Okay…a dog might not be a totally bad idea. “I doubt any of Bradley’s…” The name left a sour taste in her mouth. “Victims would follow me to Florida.”
“Well, you never know. And you’ll be living out at the edge of the forest alone, so you’ll get a dog, because it’ll make me feel better.” She grabbed her bright orange canvas bag from the counter, fished out her car keys, and opened the front door. “Besides, a dog will warn you if there’re any bears around.”
Wait. What! “Bears?”
“Coming?” she tossed over her shoulder with an innocent smile as she walked out.
“Hey,” Gia called, running after her. “You’re kidding about the bears, right?”
Coming June 19
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Book 2: Murder Made to Order
When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.
Email: lenagregoryauthor@gmail.com
