Cooked to Death: Guest post by Co-Editor Michael Allan Mallory

Michael Allan Mallory is the co-creator of mystery’s first zoologist sleuth: zookeeper Lavender “Snake” Jones, who first appeared in his debut novel Death Roll. Michael’s short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. He is the co-editor and contributor to the new 'culinary' anthology Cooked to Death.

MICHAEL ALLAN MALLORY:
COOKED TO DEATH 

Food is more than fuel for the body; it’s fuel for the soul. People love to eat. For many the preparation of a meal, let alone eating it, is a deeply sensory experience, a source of passion. In Cooked to Death: Tales of Crime and Cookery the depths of that passion are whipped into a murderous froth. Each story in the anthology resolves around a crime or mystery and some aspect of food: its origin, preparation, consumption and, in some instances, its convenience as a murder weapon. The seventeen stories are divided into four menu sections: appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts.

In Anne Frasier’s “Cakewalk” a jaded reporter is handed yet another dead-end assignment, only to discover there is something strange about the small town whose annual cake celebration he’s been dispatched to cover.

David Housewright’s “Dog Eat Dog” illustrates that a ferocious exotic animal with sharp fangs might not be a good idea for a pet.

“Junk Food” by Molly MacRae reminds us that danger can lurk in familiar places and that regardless of the situation a Hostess Twinkie can be darn satisfying.

Ellen Hart’s “Natural, 100% Organic Murder” proves that Yoga and organic food are bad for your health if someone has murder in mind.

While Jess Lourey’s “He’s Not Dead Yet” puts the fun in funeral director.

Whether the seventeen tales are taken in bite-sized morsels or consumed in larger servings, my hope is that readers will find Cooked to Death a sumptuous spread. Available from Nodin Press on July 15, 2016.