Eclairs and Executions

Éclairs and ExecutionsJessica thought giving Shayla a safe home would be enough. She was wrong.Life has settled into a new rhythm for Chef Jessica Vasquez. Her restaurant is thriving, Shayla is living with her and adjusting to safety, and there's even romance brewing with Officer Kyle Rafferty. Then Shayla discovers her mother Kenna and stepfather Mikey shot to death in their home. When police arrive, they find Shayla holding her mother's body, and the gun. She doesn't remember picking it up, but the police don't care about that detail.Shayla is taken to the station for questioning. She's the prime suspect in a double homicide. And Jessica will do whatever it takes to prove her innocence.The investigation leads Jessica down a dark path. Kenna and Mikey lived a dangerous life, but their deaths were too calculated, too personal. Hidden beneath their mattress, Jessica finds a note with names, potential suspects, or potential victims? As she digs deeper, the web of connections grows more tangled. There's Ezra Lloyd, the twins' father, serving time in prison and consumed with rage over Mikey stealing his family. His mother Lynn, who despises Kenna and has custody of Shayla's eight-year-old twin sisters, Ivy and Dove. And Trina, Ezra's girlfriend, feeding him lies and fanning the flames of his hatred.While Shayla prepares for the prestigious 41st Annual Culinary Arts High School Competition, working on the perfect éclairs to honor the Old Hollywood Glam theme, threats begin arriving. Someone wants Shayla to stop asking questions. Someone wants the truth buried with Kenna and Mikey. And someone has access to people in prison who can orchestrate murder from behind bars.As Jessica navigates Thanksgiving with her complicated family, visits her father in prison for answers, and watches Shayla bond with her traumatized little sisters, she realizes this case is different. This isn't about jealousy or greed, it's about revenge, family, and the lengths people will go to protect what's theirs.With Rafferty by her side, her roommate Vee helping investigate, and Sawyer newly engaged and navigating his own life changes, Jessica must expose a killer before Shayla pays the ultimate price for her mother's mistakes.Can Jessica solve a murder that reaches from prison cells to living rooms? Or will the truth destroy the fragile family she's built with Shayla?Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:Found family and guardian relationshipsPrison connections and conspiracyHigh school cooking competitionsComplex family dynamics and difficult choicesRomance blooming amid dangerÉclairs and Executions is Book 5 in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries series. While it can be enjoyed standalone, it's best read in order to fully appreciate Jessica's journey as both chef and unexpected guardian to Shayla.