Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery by Kris Bock

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I grew up in Durango, Colorado, just a stone’s throw from New Mexico, and one thing we take seriously around there is our green chile. Moving to Florida has been wonderful in many ways, but let’s be honest: the green chile situation here leaves a lot to be desired. That’s why every time I make it back to Colorado, I stuff my suitcase with as much New Mexico green chile as I can manage.

So imagine my delight when Kris Bock sent over this cozy mystery guest post, Death at Rock Bottom is packed with small-town charm, quirky characters, and, of course, a love for green chile. While the book doesn’t include recipes, Kris is sharing a delicious inspired-by-dish: Chile Relleno Crescents, a simple twist on a beloved Southwestern classic. Whether you’re solving crimes with Petra Cloch or just snacking during your own book club, this one’s worth trying!

Kris Bock-Death at Rock Bottom Tour-Chile Relleno Crescents

After solving the mystery of her predecessor’s death, geologist Petra Cloch wants to focus on her job as the rocks and minerals curator at a quirky, small town New Mexico museum. But her friend and colleague Liberty is suspicious of the supposedly accidental death of Frank Underwood, a retired petroleum engineer and rockhound who died while hiking. Frank acted odd in his last weeks, talking about something incredible he found in the desert and whispering about aliens. Was he showing the first signs of dementia, or were more sinister forces at work?

Petra wants to help Liberty uncover the truth, and before long their book club has somehow become a crime-fighting club. Petra uses her gift and her brains to fight through the confusing and contradictory clues along with her newfound family, but has someone gotten a taste for murder?

These books don’t include recipes, but food is a part of them. Petra Gets lunch at the Burrito Shack or Park ‘n’ Shake, an old-fashioned drive-in. Her book club, which morphs into a crime fighting club, always has amazing snacks. Since they’re in New Mexico, dishes often include green chile. (FYI, chile is the correct local spelling for the New Mexico chile pepper.)

Chile Relleno Crescents

True chile rellenos in New Mexico means taking a green chile pepper, stuffing it with cheese and sometimes other ingredients, coating it in batter, and deep frying it. That’s delicious but a lot of work. This is a simpler version that doesn’t require a deep fryer.

New Mexicans love their green chile, which comes with almost any dish. (FYI, chile is the correct local spelling for the New Mexico chile pepper.) The New Mexico green chile is a variation of the Anaheim pepper. Some grocery stores have green chile in a jar or can – the 505 brand is good. You can also try other fresh chile peppers, such as poblano (also called pasilla) peppers.

In New Mexico, green chile is almost always roasted and peeled before using. You can do this at home by placing the chiles on a rack in a toaster oven or air fryer. I use the “Toast” setting for the longest time it has, then flip them and do it again. Pull them out and dunk them in cold water. When they’re cool enough, peel off as much of the skin as you can easily. Discard the skin, the stem, and the seeds.

Chile Relleno Crescents

Prep 25 minutes; Total 40 minutes

Servings 2

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

4 slices Cheddar cheese

4 slices pepper-Monterey Jack cheese

4-8 oz green chiles (to taste), roasted, peeled, and chopped

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles, each using two of the triangle segments. Press the two triangles together to seal. Place two of the rectangles on a greased baking sheet.

3. Divide the cheese and the chile between the crescent roll dough. The amount of chile you use depends on how hot you want them. Leave a little room around the edges.

4. Take the other two rectangles and place them on top. Pinch the edges of the top and bottom rectangles to seal them together.

5. Bake 14 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. You can smother them in additional red or green chile sauce if you like hot food.

I imagined us going to the authorities because Vanessa Underwood came to the museum and wanted a rock she said her husband donated. Then she accused him of thinking he’d had an alien encounter. Yeah, that would make an impression, but probably not the kind we wanted. Her odd behavior wasn’t enough to force an investigation.

“What about the aliens?” I asked.

They stared at me. “I’m pretty sure we don’t actually need to worry about aliens,” Liberty said.

My face heated. “No, not—I’m talking about Vanessa’s story, that Frank said he had an alien encounter or whatever. Did she just make that up for some reason? Or did he say that, and if he did, did he believe it or …”

“Or what?” Liberty asked.

I should have figured that out before I started talking. “I don’t know. If he said it, and it wasn’t true, he must’ve had a reason for telling that story.”

Haven tapped her pencil on the notebook and nodded thoughtfully.

Liberty said slowly, “I’d like to know that reason.”

Great. Now we were investigating a murder and researching alien claims. My hopes of settling into town quietly and letting everyone believe I was a normal, average person were not looking good. At least I wasn’t the only peculiar one here.

Readers say:

“A Stone Cold Murder (book 1) is exactly the kind of book I crave—tightly plotted, emotionally rich, and impossible to put down. Kris Bock blends murder, mystery, and psychic suspense seamlessly, and I’m obsessed.”

“The depiction of the small-town environment is so vivid that I could almost sense the dust in the museum and feel the heat of the desert. The mystery itself is exceptionally well-crafted.”

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with Southwestern landscapes. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery and find out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue.

Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get an Accidental Detective short story and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery) by Kris Bock

About Death at Rock Bottom

Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting – New Mexico Publisher : Tule Publishing Publication Date : July 30, 2025 ISBN-13 : 978-1966593997 ASIN : B0F2KN4ZSB

She can touch an object and sense the emotions of the people who’ve held it before…

After solving the mystery of her predecessor’s death, geologist Petra Cloch wants to focus on her new job as the rocks and minerals curator at a quirky, small-town New Mexico museum. But her friend and colleague Liberty is suspicious of the “accidental” death of Frank Underwood, a retired petroleum engineer and rockhound who unexpectedly died while hiking. Frank acted odd and secretive in his last weeks—mumbling about an incredible find in the desert and aliens. Was he showing the first signs of dementia, or were more sinister forces at work?

Petra agrees to help excavate the truth, and soon, instead of meeting for book club, she and her friends become amateur investigators. Petra uses her gift and her brains to sort through the contradictory stories and confusing clues as she and her friends dig for answers.

Did Frank’s heirs decide to hasten their inheritance? Or did his rock shop business partner decide to go solo? Petra joins the local geological club to discover whether someone there acquired a taste for murder, because they’ll need rock solid evidence to catch a killer.

Perfect for fans of Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild Mysteries and Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters!

If you love supernatural sleuths, small-town intrigue, and mysteries with a geological twist, Death at Rock Bottom is your next must-read! Grab your copy today!

About Kris Bock

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with Southwestern landscapes. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven, which made Barnes & Noble’s list of “Handpicked Favorites You’ll Love!” Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”

Learn more about Kris’s books or sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get an Accidental Detective short story and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more. As for Kris’s romance stories, the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series stars the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, which causes as many problems as it solves.

Author Links

• Website
• Author newsletter signup
• GoodReads Author Page
• BookBub
• Amazon US page or Amazon UK page
• Mastodon
• BlueSky

Purchase Links

• Publisher
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Apple
• Kobo
• Google Play
• GoodReads

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Big thanks to Kris Bock for visiting and for bringing a taste of the Southwest with her! Death at Rock Bottom is perfect for fans of light paranormal mysteries with a dash of humor and heart, and if you love a little spice (in your books or your food), this one’s for you.

If you’re new here, take a look around the blog! I love hosting fellow authors, sharing cozy book recommendations, reader freebies, and more behind-the-scenes fun. You never know what you’ll discover!

🌶️ And don’t forget to try the Chile Relleno Crescents—you might just find yourself craving more green chile in your life too.

Have you read Kris’s books or tried a version of chile rellenos? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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