Hi, I’m Allie Catt. The earliest reference to the surname Catt is Catford, a name of medieval English origins, which initially meant a ford frequented by wildcats. I consider myself pretty wild, so the name fits. But, ahem, how many “alley cat” jokes do you guess I’ve endured in my lifetime? What were my parents thinking?

I am the proud owner of Dream Cuisine, a catering business in Bramblewood, North Carolina, a small town outside of Asheville, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I didn’t always intend to move back home, but after college, when I was looking for and not finding a position as an English professor, and after my fiancé dumped me for a younger model—I was twenty-two at the time; how much younger could he find without robbing the cradle?—I decided to return to Bramblewood and start a catering business. I’d worked for a caterer to make ends meet during college, and I am an excellent cook. At the tender age of five, my parents decided it was time for me to plan my meals. Kid you not.

I love catering. I adore all my clients. I can’t say I cherish getting up at four or five in the morning to slice and dice, but a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. After making deliveries around town, I fill my heart and soul with books. I head to Feast for the Eyes, the most darling bookshop owned by a dear friend, Marigold. She’s the aunt of my best friend, Tegan, who also works at the shop. I bring in treats for them to enjoy while I browse. Often we discuss classics, like Pride and Prejudice, or any of the Agatha Christie mysteries. I’m a mystery buff.

But my day isn’t done. No sir. Depending on the day, I either go shopping for produce or baking supplies or attend to dozens of other errands. Often I return to my ghost kitchen—a ghost kitchen is one that is used for professional purposes, but I never serve meals in it—and I bake or prep for the next day.

And so it goes.

Today, I’ve been hustling because Marigold decided she needed a few more items for the Bramblewood Community Theater Foundation tea she’s throwing—she sits on the board—and, well, I didn’t have everything I needed.

The rain is giving me a bit of a challenge. I’m doing my best not to slip and fall while juggling two bags of goods. I’m plowing ahead and I’m almost at Dream Cuisine when someone comes up behind me and punches me in the shoulder!

The nerve.

I whirl around and glower at my assailant. She’s lucky I’m not wielding a carving knife.

Murder On The Page, A Literary Dining Mystery Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this new series from the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of several much loved series, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries, is a delicious treat for mystery lovers, especially fans of Ellery Adams, Krista Davis, and Lauren Elliott.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?

Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.

With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .

About the author
Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Fairy Garden Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, as well as the Cheese Shop Mysteries written under the name Avery Aames. She also writes standalone suspense novels and the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense. Prior to her career as a novelist, she was an actress with roles in television shows including “Murder, She Wrote,” and she wrote for the popular TV sitcom “Out of this World.” Originally from the Bay Area, she now lives in Southern California where she likes to cook, garden and spend time with her frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit her online at DarylWoodGerber.com.