Claire Walker Mystery

“The Great British Baking Show” meets a cozy mystery with a contemporary romance and a Regency-era twist  When Claire Walker is selected to be a contestant on the immensely popular cooking show, Britian's Battle of the Bakers, she is thrilled. She can't wait to spend eight enchanting weeks baking at the picturesque estate of Blackfirth Park. She can almost smell the fresh pastries wafting through the air as she and her fellow contestants use historical equipment to bring pre-1900s recipes to life. If she can win the fifty thousand pounds, she'll be able to ditch her teaching job and launch her baking career. The Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, is the custodian of Blackfirth Park and an eligible bachelor. With his family's income dwindling, he reluctantly agrees to host the entire production team, but he refuses to participate since he's had enough of single women who see him as nothing more than a potential conquest. But when a contestant is found dead soon after filming begins, Jonathan is forced to get involved. To make matters worse, the baker's death is eerily similar to the legendary death of the tenth Viscountess of Colburn two hundred and fifty years earlier, which sends rumors racing through the estate. Even as suspicion falls on some of the bakers, a decidedly different kind of heat begins to simmer between Claire and Jonathan. If they are to have any hope of a future romance, they must first solve the mystery before the show gets canceled or someone else falls prey to the Blackfirth Park ghost.

A romantic getaway through the Scottish Highlands turns deadly when a passenger on the train is murdered-and a famous chef is the prime suspect. Amateur baker and part-time sleuth Claire Walker may not have won Britian'sBattle of the Bakers cooking competition, but she still went home with a grand prize: Jonathan Ainsley's heart. The happy couple boards the famed Scottish train, the Mallaig Steam Express-temporarily renamed "The Marzipan Express" in honor of famed chef Alan Gables, who is hosting an exclusive culinary experience for his most devoted fans. Claire is delighted to serve as Alan's sous chef for the trip, hoping to learn some baking tips from the master. The trip has barely begun when the train screeches to a halt. The engine has malfunctioned and must be repaired. While Claire and Jonny explore the train, they discover a dead body in one of the dining cars. It appears to be an accident, but Claire can sense something is wrong as easily as she can sense an overbaked soufflé. When the clues all point to Alan as the culprit, Claire and Jonny decide to investigate on their own. Unfortunately, Alan doesn't have an alibi, his assistant is oddly nervous around him, and a shadowy figure keeps appearing at all the wrong times. Could it be someone from Alan's past trying to frame him? Or could Alan be trying to cover his tracks? Claire had hoped for a delicious, romantic getaway, not investigating a mysterious death while stress-eating trifle in the kitchen car and trying to not be jealous of a magazine reporter who is flirting with Jonny. It's mayhem in more ways than one.