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Leslie Budewitz

Goodreads Author

Born

March 05

Website

http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com

Twitter

LeslieBudewitz

Genre

Mystery, Historical Fiction

Member Since

July 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/lesliebudewitz

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*Also publishes as Alicia Beckman*

Leslie Budewitz is the three-time Agatha Award winner and bestselling author of the Food Lovers’ Village and Spice Shop mysteries, continuing with the 9th installment, LAVENDER LIES BLEEDING (July 2025). Her historical short mystery collection, ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION (September 2024), featuring a remarkable figure from Montana history, is a finalist in the 2025 High Plains International Book Awards. She also writes standalone moody suspense as Alicia Beckman.

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What a delight to return to the Spice Shop, a fictional shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, a place I fell in love ages ago as a college freshman. I made it my mission to eat my way through the place *Also publishes as Alicia Beckman*

Leslie Budewitz is the three-time Agatha Award winner and bestselling author of the Food Lovers’ Village and Spice Shop mysteries, continuing with the 9th installment, LAVENDER LIES BLEEDING (July 2025). Her historical short mystery collection, ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION (September 2024), featuring a remarkable figure from Montana history, is a finalist in the 2025 High Plains International Book Awards. She also writes standalone moody suspense as Alicia Beckman.

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What a delight to return to the Spice Shop, a fictional shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, a place I fell in love ages ago as a college freshman. I made it my mission to eat my way through the place, and since it’s constantly changing, I’ll never be done!

In LAVENDER LIES BLEEDING, Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece is shocked when vandals destroy the greenhouse at her friend Liz Giacometti’s lavender farm. But then Liz is killed, and Pepper digs in to solve the crimes. As her questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Writing about Seattle and its surroundings never gets old. Plus it's an excuse to keep up with places I love, and to make regular research trips. And by research, you know I mean eat!

ALL GOD’S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES imagines the life and heart of Mary Fields (1832-1914), a real-life woman born into slavery who spent her last 30 years in Montana, where she found freedom and community, and her own place in the West, bringing solace and justice to those in need. The collection brings together three stories originally published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and a new novella, “A Bitter Wind,” set in 1897 and 1914, in which Mary helps a young picture bride solve the mystery of her fiancé’s death, his homesteading neighbors’ bitterness, and her own future. The title story won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story; others were finalists for awards from the Short Mystery Fiction Society and the Western Writers of America. The collection is a finalist for the 2025 High Plains International Book Awards.

I’m also the author of the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana. DEATH A DENTE, first in the series, won the 2013 Agatha Award for Best First novel. My guide for writers, BOOKS, CROOKS & COUNSELORS: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure, drawing on my long career as a lawyer, won the 2011 Agatha for Best Nonfiction.

I’m a past president of Sisters in Crime and former regional and national board member of Mystery Writers of America. I love to cook, eat, hike, travel, garden, and paint—not necessarily in that order. My husband and I live in northwest Montana.

For regular updates, please visit my website, http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com, and click on the newsletter tab to sign up for emails crammed with book news, peeks inside the writing life, and more, along with two free short stories.

Readers are my favorite people. Drop me a line at Leslie at LeslieBudewitz.com. Join me at my website, LeslieBudewitz.com, or on Facebook at Leslie Budewitz & Alicia Beckman. ...more

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Combine Editions
Leslie Budewitz’s books

Average rating: 3.76 · 16,496 ratings · 2,571 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors

	Assault and Pepper (A Spice Shop Mystery, #1) 3.64 avg rating — 3,279 ratings — published 2015 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Death Al Dente (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #1) 3.56 avg rating — 1,953 ratings — published 2013 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Guilty as Cinnamon (A Spice Shop Mystery, #2) 3.82 avg rating — 1,707 ratings — published 2015 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Killing Thyme (A Spice Shop Mystery, #3) 3.80 avg rating — 1,445 ratings — published 2016 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crime Rib (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #2) 3.75 avg rating — 1,066 ratings — published 2014 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chai Another Day (A Spice Shop Mystery #4) 3.89 avg rating — 900 ratings — published 2019 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #5) 3.93 avg rating — 887 ratings — published 2018 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Butter Off Dead (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #3) 3.80 avg rating — 820 ratings — published 2015 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Solace of Bay Leaves (A Spice Shop Mystery, #5) 3.93 avg rating — 738 ratings — published 2020 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Treble at the Jam Fest (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #4) 3.83 avg rating — 703 ratings — published 2017 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Leslie Budewitz…

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Leslie Budewitz's Blog

Blind Faith — the origin story

I came across this “My Book” essay recently, published in the much-missed Mystery Scene magazine in fall 2002, about the origins of my second stand-alone suspense novel, Blind Faith, written as Alicia Beckman. I’m surprised to realize I’d never shared it with you, so here it is!

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During my senior year of high school in Billings, Montana, I gave a ride to a new girl, dropping her off at a mot

Series by Leslie Budewitz

A Spice Shop Mystery (9 books)
by

Leslie Budewitz (Goodreads Author)

3.80 avg rating — 9,664 ratings

Food Lovers' Village Mystery (5 books)
by

Leslie Budewitz (Goodreads Author)

3.76 avg rating — 5,800 ratings

Leslie is Currently Reading

Leslie is currently reading

The Red Envelope (Delgardo Mysteries Book 1)

by Robert Lopresti

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Dec 28, 2025 09:52PM

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Prisoner of the Swiss: A World War II Airman's Story

by Dan Culler

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Feb 22, 2025 11:25PM

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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

by Harriet Ann Jacobs

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Feb 22, 2025 11:24PM

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Leslie’s Recent Updates

Leslie liked Julie Howard's review of Lavender Lies Bleeding (A Spice Shop Mystery, #9): "I enjoyed this book and had no clue lavender could be used in so many different way, enough ways that it can get its own festival and book. I liked the characters, of which there is a few, with this being book nine in the series. Don't worry if this " Read more of this review »
Apr 19, 2026 01:03PM · see review
Leslie finished reading Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 27, 2026 10:12PM · like
Leslie is currently reading Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 23, 2026 09:09PM · like
Leslie rated a book it was amazing As Far as She Knew by Diana Awad	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A compelling read, from the opening lines to the end. How can Amira, unexpectedly widowed in her early 40s with two kids in college, deal with the grief and other changes that come from her husband Ali's sudden, shocking death? She's always believed ...more
Mar 16, 2026 12:11PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Leslie rated a book really liked it The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I picked up The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins at the exchange table at the Left Coast Crime mystery fan convention. And dang, was it good! Suspense, set in Scotland, featuring a museum curator and the former caregiver of a woman who died several years a ...more
Mar 09, 2026 12:18PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Leslie rated a book it was amazing The Man in Black: Stories by Elly Griffiths (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What a delightful introduction this was to Elly Griffiths' work and characters! The stories are short and entertaining -- truly a fun read! ...more
Mar 09, 2026 12:08PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Leslie finished reading Diet of Death: A Reluctant Food Columnist Mystery by Ang Pompano (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 19, 2026 09:32PM · like
Leslie is currently reading Diet of Death: A Reluctant Food Columnist Mystery by Ang Pompano (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 06, 2026 03:15PM · like
Leslie is currently reading The Red Envelope (Delgardo Mysteries Book 1) by Robert Lopresti	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 28, 2025 09:52PM · 1 like · like
Leslie liked Barb's review of Peppermint Barked (A Spice Shop Mystery, #6): "I say this a lot, but the more I read from this series, the more I enjoy it. I've never been to Seattle, let alone the Pike's Place Market, but the market and its people are described so well, I can imagine myself there. The recurring characters are " Read more of this review »
Dec 18, 2025 04:13PM · see review

More of Leslie's books…

Quotes by Leslie Budewitz (?)

“Life goes on, and you want it to. But you also want to hit pause for a moment, so you can feel one thing at a time.”
― Leslie Budewitz, Crime Rib

3 likes

“Sandra always refers to her husband of the last ten years as Mr. Right, to distinguish him from the oh-so-wrong first husband.”
― Leslie Budewitz, Assault and Pepper

3 likes

“No matter how old you are, there is nothing so comforting as your mother's arms.”
― Leslie Budewitz, Crime Rib

3 likes

See all Leslie Budewitz's quotes »

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