Murder for the Halibut
Read Murder for the Halibut Online
Authors: Liz Lipperman
Praise for
THE CLUELESS COOK MYSTERIES
“Highly entertaining and filled with unique and lovable characters…A series to watch.
The first book was very enjoyable with a good mystery.
Beef Stolen-Off
is even better.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“An entertaining, wickedly hilarious and thoroughly addictive debut. Supported by
excellent dialogue, a skillfully plotted mystery, and an assortment of well-drawn
characters that make for a spectacular reading experience.”
—Diane Morasco,
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“A fast-paced mystery that moves in unexpected directions.”
—
Mystery Scene Magazine
“[An] engaging series debut. Jordan’s personality and supporting cast suggest a winning
season ahead.”
—
Library Journal
“Liz Lipperman delivers a sparkling new cozy star! Readers will cheer for Jordan,
a Clueless Cook with charm and spunk in a mystery that really sizzles.”
—Cleo Coyle, national bestselling
author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries “Jordan McAllister heads up an appealing cast of characters in the fun new Clueless
Cook series from Liz Lipperman…Plot twists, action, and lots of scrumptious food make
this a mystery not to be missed!”
—Misa Ramirez, author of the Lola Cruz Mysteries “A culinary critic mystery with good taste, charming characters, and plenty of delicious
twists. It’s a recipe for a truly enjoyable story.”
—Linda O. Johnston, author of the Pet Rescue Mysteries
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Liz Lipperman
LIVER LET DIE
BEEF STOLEN-OFF
MURDER FOR THE HALIBUT
MURDER FOR
THE HALIBUT
Liz Lipperman
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3,
Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand,
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27 East Third Ring Road North, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed
exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy
needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for
any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / January 2013
Copyright © 2012 by Elizabeth R. Lipperman.
Cover illustration by Ben Perini.
Cover design by Sarah Oberrender.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy
of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized
editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-61864-6
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither
the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
| ALWAYS LEARNING | PEARSON |
To my mother, Annie Roth,
who taught me how to love and laugh
and not take myself too seriously.
This one goes out to her and anyone else
who has suffered through or watched a loved one
slip away every day from Alzheimer’s.
I’m praying for a cure.
As always, there are many people to thank. First and foremost is my tireless agent,
Christine Witthohn, whose friendship and guidance I truly cherish. There is no way
I could do this without her.
And then there is my editor, Faith Black, who never fails to encourage me even when
I sometimes get off track. I love her sense of humor and her enthusiasm for my stories.
And I can’t forget the talented people behind the scenes at Berkley Prime Crime, especially
Sarah Oberrender who designed my awesome cover, Ben Perini who illustrated it, and
Caroline Duffy, copyeditor extraordinaire who always manages to amaze me.
I’ve said it before that although writing is a solitary process, it can’t be done
without a huge support system, and I have been blessed with a good one. First, there
are my siblings, Jack, Don, Mary Ann, Dorothy, and Lilly as well as my Bunko pals,
Tami, Judy, Marilyn, Nancy, Linda, Jane, Anna, Barbara, and Vaneesa. Kudos to my writing
friends, some I’ve know for a very long time, in RWA MWA, DARA, SinC, and the Book
Cents gang, and the GIAMers. Special thanks to my fellow Plotting
Princesses who helped me weave this mystery and are some of my biggest cheerleaders.
I couldn’t end this without thanking the four wonderful Celebrity Cruise chefs who
sat around a table at the coffee shop onboard one day in full chef gear, white hat
and all, and helped me plot this murder. Can you imagine the looks on the other passengers’
faces that day as they listened to us discuss how to kill someone with food? Mega
thanks to Chef Maciek Kucharewic who actually came up with the halibut recipe using
the killer ingredient.
Lastly, I can’t even come close to expressing my gratitude to my wonderful husband
and my kids and grandkids who gave up time with me so that I could follow my dream.
I love you all.
CHAPTER 1
Whose harebrained idea
was this, anyway?
Feeling her stomach lurch when the deepwater charter boat hit a strong wave, Jordan
McAllister prayed the patch behind her ear was all it was cracked up to be. Inhaling
those two ham and cheese croissants about an hour before had been a big mistake. Things
would get ugly in a hurry if the meal decided to suddenly reappear.