MURDER SERVED NEAT by Michelle Hillen Klump ~ Recipe & Giveaway

Murder Served Neat (Cocktails and Catering Mystery, #2)
by: Michelle Hillen Klump
Series: Cocktails and Catering
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lee Hollis will savor every delectable sip of this clever and utterly intoxicating cozy.

Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos.

Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking.

Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?

In Murder Served Neat, my sleuth, Samantha Warren, is just getting her Cocktails & Catering business off the ground. She and her business partner are facing the typical start-up challenges, when she is thrust in the middle of another murder investigation. When she is given the opportunity to cater the victim’s funeral, it’s an opportunity to not only search for new clues, but also to attract new clients for her brand new business. But first, she must impress the guests with her menu. Below is the recipe she serves as part of the funeral reception buffet.

Blackberry Glazed Salmon

1 cup water
12 ounces blackberries
1 ounce lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 large salmon filet (2-3 lbs)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350

In small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, blackberries, lemon juice, ginger and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, allowing the mixture to cook until the berries begin to turn red and break down, about 5-8 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain mixture into a bowl, removing the blackberry seeds.

Add mixture back to the saucepan, add sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture thickens and is reduced, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Divide sauce in half.

Place salmon, skin side down, on an aluminum foil topped baking sheet. Lightly oil the foil, and lightly oil the top of the salmon filets. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush cooled glaze onto the salmon and bake until salmon is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and brush more glaze on top. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes.

Serve salmon with additional glaze on the side.

Purchase Murder Served Neat from:

Amazon | Hardcover | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads

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The Cocktails and Catering Mystery Series:

Michelle Hillen Klump began her writing career as a newspaper reporter, traveling the back roads of central Texas and Arkansas, reporting on everything from natural disasters to crime and corruption. She’s interviewed former presidents, covered a midnight manhunt through the Ozark Mountains, and learned the finer points of how to break a car window from a looter while covering a hurricane. Now, she uses her experiences as fodder for fiction, writing a cozy mystery series about a former reporter turned craft cocktail caterer.

Michelle lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and young daughter. When she’s not writing or working her day job, she enjoys gardening, reading, exploring Houston’s neighborhoods, hiking and biking, and creating craft cocktails for friends and family.

Places to find Michelle Hillen Klump:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

You can follow the Murder Served Neat Blog Tour here.

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