In book 4, Disaster strikes Dashwood! Dumpling recipe included at the end of the book. Alphabet Soup recipe is available when signing up for my newsletter.
A fire burns down an abandoned building that was set to be renovated into a high-end apartment complex. It was part of a larger improvement and beautification project for the city with boutique shops, restaurants, and art galleries.
This doesn't impact the Crock Pot or Chef Jessica, at least not until the police show up to arrest Marco, one of the bussers, for murder.
It turns out that there was a man killed inside the building. Initially, they thought he died from the fire, but the autopsy showed blunt force trauma, and Marco was the last one to see him alive.
Chef Jess believes his pleas of innocence and decides to lean into her new nickname. The crime-fighting chef is determined to find the real killer and prove Marco's innocence, unless she lets the handsome project manager distract her from her goal.