Patsy Hicks
My Books
The Yeast of My Worries
When murder rises from the ashes, this Southern baker’s got more than bread on her hands.
Lou Ellsworth is finally back in the dough. After a fire reduced her outdoor kitchen to cinders, she’s rebuilding her routine one loaf at a time. She’s thrilled to have been asked to serve as judge at Oak Haven’s beloved Bread Walk, where townsfolk and visitors alike stroll the square sampling everything from challah to ciabatta… and gossip spreads faster than butter.
But the yeast hits the fan when a construction crew uncovers skeletal remains beneath the foundation of her former kitchen. At first, folks assume it’s a relic from ages past—until the bones are dated to just fifteen years ago. Suddenly, Lou’s backyard is a crime scene, and her peaceful corner of Tennessee is thrust into a cold-case murder investigation.
Then the mayor’s brother, who’s already known for being a little out there, starts acting jumpier than popcorn in a hot pan. He’s paranoid, anxious, and muttering to shadows, and no one’s quite sure if he’s scared of something… or losing his grip entirely.
When another body turns up, Lou knows she’s caught in something deeper than over-proofed dough. With her reputation crumbling, her dogs digging up trouble, and the past refusing to stay buried, she’ll have to rise to the occasion before someone else ends up six feet under.
Biscuits, Butter, and Betrayal
Oak Haven’s got secrets baked into every corner—and this time, one of them is deadly.
Food blogger Lou Ellsworth is cookin’ up a new blog series featuring the best home cooks in town, and her latest post stars a retired schoolteacher whose biscuits could make a puppy pull a freight train. But when the teacher keels over just hours before the post goes live, Lou’s feel-good feature turns into front-page scandal.
Worse yet, the blame falls squarely on Lou’s assistant Jenny, bless her heart. The poor girl worked with the victim in the kitchen that day, and now the town’s whisperin’ that she stirred in more than butter. Lou knows Jenny wouldn’t hurt a fly—unless that fly insulted her pie crust—and she’s determined to clear her friend’s name, even if it means going toe-to-toe with her brother, the town sheriff.
As Lou digs through layers of sugar-coated lies, family feuds, and kitchen drama, she uncovers a recipe for murder that’s been simmering for decades. Someone’s willing to do just about anything to keep the past buried—and they’re not done yet.
It’s going to take every ounce of Lou’s grit, gut instinct, and Southern charm to crack this case wide open—before someone else gets served their last supper.