A Five-Ingredient Mystery Books in Order

After leaving Manhattan, Val Deniston runs a café in Bayport and lives with her grandfather. When a club member is murdered and her cousin is framed, Val investigates while struggling with memories of a devastating accident.

A dinner guest who scams retirees dies after eating Val Deniston's grandfather's clam chowder. To clear his name, Val and the self-styled Codger Cook investigate the victim's secrets and the people he has cheated.

Val Deniston postpones a return to her New York job to help her grandfather prepare for Bayport's celebration. A houseguest's strangled body in his backyard turns the festivities into an investigation involving possible mistaken identity.

An actor known for impersonating Edgar Allan Poe is murdered while dressed like Val Deniston's grandfather. Val takes a cooking job at a Poe-inspired writer's home to watch over Granddad and untangle the deadly impersonations.

Val Deniston caters a Titanic memorial dinner aboard a Chesapeake Bay yacht, where guests take part in a mystery game. When someone goes overboard, the evening's buried grievances become clues to a real killing.

Secretive college student Suzette rents a room in Val Deniston's grandfather's house, then dies in an apparent accident. Suspecting murder, Val and Granddad investigate her past while his new ghost-hunting business brings further complications.

Val Deniston hosts a tea party for costumed volunteers at Bayport's Dickens festival. When a man dressed as Santa dies after eating poisoned gingerbread, Val and her grandfather must trace the deadly treats to their source.

At the Maryland Mystery Fan Fest, Val Deniston's grandfather enters a baking contest against his recipe-column rival. When Cynthia Sweet is found dead in her room, Val and Granddad investigate the competitors and their grievances.