A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra

Today on the blog, we’re serving up something extra tasty! I’m thrilled to welcome Carmela Dutra, author of the brand-new cozy mystery A Murder Most Fowl. If you’ve ever binge-watched shows like Chopped, Cupcake Wars, or The Great Food Truck Race and thought, this could get deadly, you’re going to love her take on why reality cooking competitions are the perfect recipe for a cozy whodunit.

So grab a snack (maybe some fried chicken to stay on theme 🐔), settle in, and enjoy today’s feature:

When I first dreamed up A Murder Most Fowl, I knew I wanted a setting that was fun, high-energy, and full of quirky characters, but I also wanted something that could naturally host a mystery. The answer? Reality cooking competitions.

If you’ve ever watched culinary competitions like The Great Food Truck Race, Chopped, Cupcake Wars, or Buddy vs. Duff, you know the appeal: high stakes, rivalries, colorful personalities, and plenty of drama. For me, these shows were the perfect mix of suspense, humor, and creativity, the exact ingredients I wanted in my cozy mystery. I also drew inspiration from shows like Only Murders in the Building, which balance suspense with wit and quirky characters, showing me how to keep the story funny and intriguing at the same time.

Watching contestants battle it out with burners blazing, knives flashing, and tempers flaring was equal parts thrilling and hilarious. I kept imagining my characters in that chaos, and one thought kept coming back: This has all the makings of a cozy mystery. What if someone didn’t make it to the elimination round—literally? That offhand idea helped spark the idea for my debut novel.

In A Murder Most Fowl, readers meet Beth Lloyd, a plucky food truck owner, her younger twin Seth, who prefers to let the police handle the tough stuff, and their loyal assistant Rylie. When they sign up their chicken-themed truck, Kluckin’ Good, for a reality cooking competition, they expect the usual high-stakes drama… but what they get is murder. The mix of fast-paced competition, eccentric contestants, and culinary chaos makes it the perfect stage for a cozy mystery.

Reality shows are inherently theatrical. They naturally create tension, alliances, and surprises, all of which translate beautifully into fiction. Watching contestants strategize, clash, and push through impossible challenges gave me ideas for conflicts, dialogue, and humor in my own writing. I loved taking the real-world energy of a cooking competition and amplifying it for a cozy, humorous, and suspenseful story. The stakes are high, the food is hot, and the mysteries are just waiting to be solved.

The best part? I got to combine my love of food, quirky characters, and small-town intrigue into one delicious package. Writing this series has been a blast, and I hope readers will enjoy the mix of humor, suspense, and yes… fried chicken as much as I enjoyed bringing it all to life.

A Murder Most Fowl: A Food Truck Mystery by Carmela Dutra

About A Murder Most Fowl

A Murder Most Fowl: A Food Truck Mystery Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting – California Publisher : Crooked Lane Books Publication date : September 9, 2025 Print length : 336 pages Hardcover ISBN-13 : 979-8892423175 Paperback ISBN-13 : 979-8892423182 Digital ISBN-13 : 979-8892423199

A food truck run by twins serves up a clucking good murder in this cozy debut mystery, perfect for fans of Lucy Burdette and Joanne Fluke.

When their late aunt Dolly passes away, twins Beth and Seth Lloyd inherit a chicken themed food truck. Despite the challenges, the siblings rise to the occasion, even going as far as signing up their truck Kluckin’ Good to compete on a top cooking show and ruffle a few feathers for some good publicity. But the competition goes from heated to lethal when a contestant is found dead.

With the elimination competition becoming far too literal, Beth and Seth will need all the help they can get to get out of the frying pan without landing in the fire. With their loyal assistant–and Beth’s best friend–Rylie by their side, they’ll have to follow the bread crumbs to untangle a very twisted case before either one of them is put on the chopping block.

This humorous series debut with a mouthwatering mystery will charm readers and keep them guessing right until the not-so-bitter end.

About Carmela Dutra

Hailing from the Bay Area of California, Carmela Dutra cherishes her family, rainy days, and making others laugh.

After years of working on her award-winning indie children’s picture books, she transitioned into crafting cozy mysteries filled with emotion, humor and heart.

When she’s not penning her latest tale, Carmela enjoys sketching, sipping copious amounts of coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She shares her life with her best friend and husband, raising two dinosaur-obsessed sons. A lover of alternative rock, Carmela often writes to its rhythm and finds comfort in rewatching The Big Bang Theory and M*A*S*H.

Author Links

Purchase Links

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today! Want to Book a Tour? Click Here

A big thank you to Carmela Dutra for stopping by and giving us a peek behind the scenes of her debut cozy mystery! If culinary chaos, quirky characters, and a dash of murder sound like your cup of tea, be sure to check out A Murder Most Fowl.

Want more cozy guest posts, behind-the-scenes peeks at my own mysteries, and fun author spotlights? Stick around, there’s always something brewing here on the blog!

As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations!

Excerpt from “A MURDER MOST FOWL” Opening pages in Which Our FMC Gets Arrested in a Chicken Suit.

“All right, Big Bird. On your feet. Let’s go.” The officer who arrested me is standing in front of my cage. “Someone’s here

for you.” His keys rattle against the bars as he unlocks my improvised coop.

I step over the cell’s threshold when I remember my head. “Wait a sec.” Scrambling back inside, I retrieve the top of my costume.

As we walk in silence down the hallway, the officer steals glances at me. I assume it’s not every day he has the chance to

arrest a giant chicken. But that’s not all I notice. This officer is tall and has strong, broad shoulders and soft strawberry-blond

locks—the kind you want to run your fingers through. Or, in my case, a chicken wing. Officer Pretty Boy is easy to look at, and I sneak just as many glances his way. Only mine are not so subtle because, well, I’m Beth, and nothing I do is subtle.

A deep clearing of a throat draws me out of my thoughts, and I see Officer Pretty Boy staring at me. Oh god, I’m not walking. At

some point, I’ve stopped to lean against a wall and gawk at him.

Get it together, Beth. This man just arrested you. He’s your nemesis.

“Ms. Lloyd, if you’ll follow me.”

“How do you know my name?” I spring off the wall as gracefully as possible. In retrospect, I should have moved a little slower,

because I lose my balance and fall forward into my escort, wings flapping.

Officer Pretty Boy grabs me as I fall into him. His muscular arms lift my chicken body into a standing position. “It’s my job to

know who I’m bringing to the station. Plus, I met your brother. He’s waiting just through there.” He points toward a set of double

doors.

“Of course. I knew that,” I say, trying to maintain some dignity. But it’s becoming harder the longer I’m here. “Lead the way,

Officer Pretty Boy.”

Oh god. Did I just say that out loud?

“Officer Pretty Boy?” another voice says. Another officer laughs at the man hauling me out of here. “Has a nice ring to it. Perhaps we found a nickname for you after all.” The guy gives Officer Pretty Boy a hard slap on the back before he walks away, chuckling to himself.

I peek up at Officer Pretty Boy and his arched brow, but he says nothing. Instead, he walks toward the double doors, expecting

me to follow. If the chicken suit had a tail, I’d tuck it between my legs.

“There’s my chicken of a twin!” says Seth with his arms wide open as I push through the double doors. Seeing my brother, I

burst into a sprint. “Wow, slow down, Beth. You’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“Really? You’re making chicken jokes right now?” I stamp my foot at him.

“Don’t stomp your drumstick at me, young lady.”

“Can we just get out of here while I still have a shred of dignity

left?”

“Ms. Lloyd!” Officer Pretty Boy calls out after me.

“Yeah, I think that ship has sailed.” My twin points over my shoulder.

Praise for A Murder Most Fowl:

“A serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments add up to a fun read.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun.”—Ellery Adams, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret, Book, and Scone Society mysteries