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Today on Salty Inspirations, I’m welcoming Emmie Lyn with Crime and Croissants (Cooking Club Murder Mystery). This time, Ivy and Nadine are stepping in to share their perspective on the Serving Up Trouble Cooking Club and apparently, they have a few thoughts about investigating, asking questions, and knowing when to mind your own business.
Character Guest Post
By Ivy & Nadine
IVY: We would like to begin by clearing up a misunderstanding.
NADINE: Several misunderstandings.
IVY: Milly seems to think we meddle.
NADINE: We don’t meddle.
IVY: We investigate.
NADINE: Unofficially.
IVY: Which is sometimes better.
NADINE: Do not put that in writing.
IVY: Too late.
NADINE: Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. We’re Ivy and Nadine, members of the Serving Up Trouble Cooking Club in Fox Hollow, New Hampshire. The club meets in the kitchen downstairs at the library, and we’re supposed to gather there to cook.
IVY: We do. Quite well, actually.
NADINE: Some of us better than others.
IVY: Nobody asked you. Anyway, cooking is only part of what happens when you put a group of intelligent, observant people together in one room. People talk. And if you happen to overhear something interesting while you’re chopping onions, that’s hardly your fault.
NADINE: Unless you’re standing behind the door trying to hear better.
IVY: That happened once.
NADINE: More than once.
IVY: The point is, Fox Hollow is a small town. We know people. We notice things. If someone suddenly changes a routine, we notice. If two people who supposedly don’t know each other are having a whispered conversation, we notice. If someone tells us something that doesn’t quite match what we heard somewhere else…
NADINE: We definitely notice.
IVY: Milly notices things, too. She just likes to pretend she isn’t investigating.
NADINE: Milly is more cautious than we are.
IVY: Milly worries too much.
NADINE: Someone has to.
IVY: Detective Thornfield worries enough for everyone. We’re not entirely sure Detective Thornfield appreciates our contributions. He has a certain look.
NADINE: He has several looks.
IVY: There’s the Why are you two here? look.
NADINE: The Don’t touch that look.
IVY: And my personal favorite, the I don’t even want to know how you found this out look. We see that one quite often. Then there’s Tango. Now, Tango understands investigation. He watches. He listens. He follows his instincts.
NADINE: He sniffs things.
IVY: That’s what I said.
NADINE: Tango doesn’t worry about whether someone thinks he’s being nosy. If something smells suspicious, he investigates it. We respect that.
IVY: Although we should point out that his investigative methods occasionally lead him toward baked goods rather than clues.
NADINE: Nobody’s perfect.
IVY: What we’ve learned is that solving a mystery requires curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to ask questions.
NADINE: Discretion.
IVY: Absolutely.
NADINE: You don’t know what that word means.
Ivy: We also believe strongly in helping our friends. That’s really why we get involved. Fox Hollow is our community. When something goes wrong, we don’t sit quietly on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to fix it. We show up. We ask questions. We follow leads.
NADINE: Within reason.
IVY: Of course.
NADINE: And within the law.
IVY: Whenever possible.
NADINE: Ivy.
IVY: What?
NADINE: We should probably stop now. Milly will read this eventually. Worse. Thornfield might.
IVY: Good point. So we’ll leave you with one piece of advice. If you’re ever faced with a mystery, pay attention to the little things. Listen carefully. Don’t assume anything. And if someone tells you to mind your own business…
NADINE: Mind your own business.
IVY: Find out why they don’t want you asking questions.
NADINE: I give up.
Crime and Croissants (Cooking Club Murder Mystery) by Emmie LynAbout Crime and Croissants
Crime and Croissants (Cooking Club Murder Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New Hampshire
Publisher : Tule Publishing
Publication date : September 16, 2026
Print length : 280 pages
Digital
ISBN-13 : 978-1972451434
ASIN : B0GYZY5HWJ
Milly Rosebush thought the hardest part of starting over would be moving into the lakeside home she once owned with her ex-husband. In a small New Hampshire town where everyone knows her history, she’s determined to rebuild her life—with good food, fresh starts, and her best friend by her side.
Then she finds a woman in her upstairs bedroom. Dead.
Worse, a stranger walks in to find Milly holding the murder weapon—and just like that, she’s the prime suspect.
As gossip spreads faster than a kitchen fire, clearing her name means asking questions no one in Fox Hollow wants answered. Because the deeper Milly digs, the more unsettling the truth becomes.
With the help of her cooking club—a group with sharp opinions and sharper instincts—plus a too-helpful neighbor, Milly finds that every gathering comes with good food… and a side of suspicion.
But in a town built on secrets, getting too close to the truth can be dangerous.
If Milly wants a second chance, she has to catch a killer—before she ends up on the menu.
With lakeside charm, mouthwatering recipes, and a dash of danger, the Cooking Club Murder Mysteries serve up the perfect bite of cozy crime.
About Emmie Lyn
Emmie Lyn has written several cozy mystery series and a romantic suspense series.
Emmie lives in a small New England town, the kind where everyone knows your name—and your secrets. It’s no surprise that her fictional worlds are filled with the same charm: scenic, close-knit communities full of quirky, unforgettable characters. She loves crafting mysteries laced with clever twists and turns, the kind that keep readers guessing and turning pages well into the night.
She lives with her husband and a black cat who rules the house with a velvet paw and a terrible attitude. Their twelve-acre homestead is a haven for deer, bunnies, turkeys, and a chorus of songbirds. When she’s not plotting fictional murders, she’s out hiking wooded trails, or spending time with her grandchildren.
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Thanks so much to Emmie Lyn for stopping by Salty Inspirations and letting Ivy and Nadine have their say! If Crime and Croissants (Cooking Club Murder Mystery) sounds like a cozy mystery you’d like to add to your TBR, be sure to check it out. And while you’re here, take a look around the blog for more cozy mysteries, creative living, author guests, and a little Salty charm.
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations! —Michelle❤️
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