Oh, how the mighty have fallen, I thought as the flight attendant finally approached my row with his cart. In the past, I had flown first class, enjoying delicious meals and tasty drinks.

Now, I was squished into the middle seat flying economy class, waiting to receive my one packet of pretzels and a ginger ale.

I couldn’t complain—although I guess I was, internally—since this was all my fault. I had enjoyed those tasty drinks too much. Alas, addiction to alcohol led to the loss of my Gourmet Channel cooking show, my restaurant, and my marriage.

But today was a fresh start, a new beginning. Today I would rebuild my career from the ground up. Well, once I was back on the ground.

I glanced to my left, where my brother Daniel was sleeping peacefully in the window seat, and to my right, where some bartender named Rolando was zonked out as well, occasionally resting his head on my shoulder.

Every passenger on the flight from San Francisco to Houston seemed to be sleeping, except me. I was too nervous, thinking about my upcoming gig: judging cooking competitions for a crab festival.

I wondered who the other judges would be. Most of my fellow celebrity chefs were based in California or New York. Some of my classmates from the Culinary Institute might have moved to Texas—one in particular came to mind. I didn’t need to be thinking of an ex-boyfriend right now, not while I was in the midst of a divorce, so I pushed that thought out of my head.

“What can I get you to drink?” The flight attendant passed me a bag of pretzels.

“I’ll take a—” I had to stop myself from my usual order of red wine. “I’ll take a ginger ale. He’ll have pretzels and an orange juice.” I’d flown enough with Daniel to know his preferences.

As I lowered Daniel’s tray, he woke, rubbing at his eyes. He brightened when he saw the snacks. “Thanks, Jackie.” He ripped open the pretzel bag. “Did I miss anything?”

“We flew over the Grand Canyon. But it was cloudy, so I didn’t wake you.” I leaned over him. “It looks worse now. The clouds before were fluffy white. These are dark and menacing.” We watched as lightning flashed below.

“That doesn’t look good.” Daniel had barely finished speaking when a tone chimed, announcing that the pilot was about to speak.

“Good afternoon, folks. I regret to say that due to thunderstorms, we’ll be diverted to Lubbock, Texas. Obviously, this will delay our arrival into Houston.”

I added my groan to those around me. “We’ll probably be late for the opening ceremonies. That’s not a very auspicious start to my new career of judging festivals.”

Daniel patted my hand. “It’ll be fine, Jackie. Everyone understands these things happen. And the mayor picked the flight, so he can’t blame us.”

“True. Maybe we should negotiate adding a day before the festival to future bookings.”

Daniel, who had taken a sabbatical from his IT job to be my business manager, nodded. “Will do. I’ve already made arrangements for the frog legs festival in July and the mushroom festival in September, but I’ll keep that in mind for any others I book. In the meantime, relax. I’m sure everything will be fine once we get there.”

I tried to listen to him and leaned back in my seat, taking a deep cleansing breath. “You’re right. It’s a food festival. What could possibly go wrong at a simple food festival?”

Claws of Death, A Fatal Food Festival Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Release: July 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Join Jackie Norwood, a down-and-out celebrity chef, as she judges the first gig on her comeback quest—a Texas Crab Festival cooking contest.

This new venture takes an unexpected twist when she discovers that her archnemesis, Heather Curtis, is her co-judge. As if that weren’t enough to stir the pot, one of the competitors is Chef Benjy Hayes, Jackie’s long-lost ex-boyfriend.

Disaster strikes as Heather takes a fatal taste of Benjy’s dish. Determined to clear Benjy’s name—and her own—Jackie relies on her wits and the unique skills of her friends and family. The kitchen timer is ticking as Jackie races to bring the killer to justice before her own goose is cooked.

Don’t miss the first installment of this cozy culinary mystery series, where a spicy blend of murder, rivalry, and second chances will have you salivating for the next serving. Get ready for “Claws of Death” and embark on a culinary adventure you won’t soon forget.

About the author
Cathy Wiley is the author of the Fatal Food Festival series, featuring a former celebrity chef who’s trying to regain her career. There have been three short stories in this series published in the Destination Murders anthologies, and the first full-length novel, Claws of Death, came out in July. Mushroom Capped, the second in the series, comes out in November 2023.

For more information, visit cathywileyauthor.com.

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