Chili Con Carnage

A Chili Cook-Off Mystery #1

by Kylie Logan

Berkley Prime Crime

Mystery

October 1, 2013

ISBN-10: 0425262413

ISBN-13: 9780425262412

Available in: Paperback

Chili Con Carnage
by Kylie Logan

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!

Bean there...done that...

Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships—well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her daddy, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks now. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia, to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown, to be judged by celebrity chef Carter Donnelly.

But when Maxie discovers Roberto’s body in the chef’s trailer—only hours after publicly breaking up with him while wearing a giant red chili pepper costume—she suddenly finds she’s the one in the spotlight as the police pepper her with questions. Now this Chili Chick needs to kick up the search to catch the real killer and get back to finding her father...

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!



Kylie Logan's Bio

So maybe you already know that I’m not just Kylie Logan, I’m also Casey Daniels and a few other writers, too. What’s it like to have multiple personalities and the pen names to go with them? Well, I was once lucky enough to interview mystery great Elizabeth Peters for an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She writes under more than one name, too, and she described the experience perfectly, “If you’re only one person,” she said, “you’re boring!”

And I guess I’d add to that—if you only write one mystery series, you’re boring, too! Or maybe you’re just not getting visited as often by the Idea Fairy. The only way to keep that particular critter quiet is to follow where those ideas lead and to date, they’ve led me to write three different mystery series under the Kylie name.

So who is Kylie? I’m a fulltime writer who has loved mysteries since I was a kid. My dad was a Cleveland Police detective, and he introduced me to Sherlock Holmes stories. He also gave me my first investigating experiences when on his days off, we’d pile into the car and hit the streets to look for stolen cars. When he retired from the force, Dad became the head of security for the Cleveland Public Library.

Crooks and books! I guess I come by my love for mysteries honestly.

I have a degree in English, experience as a journalist and writing teacher, and lots of ideas about interesting ways to kill people. This makes me an excellent guest as cocktail parties, but I’ve noticed that the hostess doesn’t always trust me near the food. Could that have something to do with the book on poisons sticking out of my purse?

I began my career writing historical romance and my book “Devil’s Diamond” was nominated for a RITA award as historical of the year by Romance Writers of America. I’ve also written contemporary romance, young adult horror (as Zoe Daniels and Connie Laux), and one children’s book, “Fright Knight,” in the RL Stine’s Ghosts of Fear Street series. If you click on the “AKA” button at the top of the page, you’ll see all my pen names.

I enjoy weaving and knitting, exploring old cemeteries, and I am a beekeeper. I can’t pass up an antique shop (there might be buttons in there!). I can’t put down a classic book (even if I already know the story!). And I can’t say no to a good bowl of chili. Lucky for me, my husband is the world’s greatest chili maker.

When I’m not writing, I’m usually with my family and our two dogs, Ernie, an adorable Airedale, and Oscar, a Jack Russell rescue who came for a short-term stay and ten years later, is still here. Those of you who have ever lived with/met/had dealings with a Russell will certainly understand how knowing him has increased my propensity for murder.