First One Down

I have devoured my first book off of the list: 

Steamed, by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

It is the first in the Gourmet Girl Mystery series. While it wasn't until halfway into the book that the point of the book really came into focus and picked up. Though slow to get to the point, it was a nice light read, as well as quick. I enjoyed it and will continue on with the series. 


The summary on the inside flap of the jacket:

If you have an appetite for crime, join Chloe Carter, food connoisseur, aimless grad student, and resilient survivor of failed romances...

Chloe Carter is forever on a quest for the perfect meal and the perfect man. Getting both in one shot is irresistible. That's why Chloe (known on the Internet as GourmetGirl) risks another burn when she accepts a date with DinnerDude online. Unfortunately, her fellow food lover turns out to be just another cheap, pompous, well-fed bore. Showing more promise is the honey-lavender creme brulee--a bit of culinary heaven Chloe's bland date never even has a chance to sample. Certainly there's an easier way to run out on a tab than being stabbed to death in the men's room.

Talk about a rocky love life. Chloe's first date of the week is a murder victim. Her second date is with a perfectly sweet chef who'd be ideal if he wasn't the prime suspect. As the investigation plunges the amateur sleuth into the gourmet restaurant scene, she discovers a cutthroat world rife with killer competition, stormy love affairs, and a recipe for Baby Bok Choy Slaw to die for...

Up next:  The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler