Scam Chowder

A Five-Ingredient Mystery #2

by Maya Corrigan

Val Deniston loves the historic Chesapeake Bay town where she lives with her grandfather, the Codger Cook. Running the fitness club’s Cool Down Café—and salvaging the five-ingredient dishes Granddad messes up—keeps her busy. She’s used to his catastrophes in the kitchen, but not in the dining room…Especially when one of his dinner party guests winds up face down in the chowder. The demised diner apparently scammed Granddad’s best buddy, and since the other dinner guests have suddenly clammed up, the police have all the ingredients to cook up a conviction for Granddad. With his freedom—and Val’s café job—on the line, Val is in a sweat trying to avert a catastrophe. But dredging up old secrets might just be a recipe for murder…

Includes 6 five-ingredient recipes!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Food, Ebooks, Contemporary

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Maya Corrigan blends her love of food and detective stories in her Five-Ingredient Mystery series set in a fictional historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The series begins with By Cook or by Crook. The latest books include The Tell-Tale Tarte, S'more Murders, Crypt Suzette, and Gingerdead Man, 7th in the series.

Before taking up a life of crime (on the page), she taught university courses in writing, detective fiction, American literature, and drama. She won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Unpublished Mainstream Mystery / Suspense. Her short stories, written under the name of Mary Ann Corrigan, have been published in anthologies.

When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Her website features trivia about food and mysteries.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val Deniston’s grandfather is hosting a dinner party with a secret agenda. He’s hoping to confront Scott, a man who scams retirees out of their savings. However, before the confrontation can take place, Scott gets sick and leaves. The next day he is dead from poison. With the other dinner guests as suspects, Val must figure out what happened before the police arrest her grandfather.

The mystery in this book is very strong. I thought I could discount some of the suspects early on, but by the end, I felt they all could have done it. Yet, when the killer was revealed, it made perfect sense with clues pointing to his or her identity. I do wish that Val’s grandfather wasn’t so harsh to her, but the rest of the characters and their relationships are strong, and I’m anxious to see what happens to them next.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Val Deniston is dealing with her Grandfather sending her recipes as his own. Grandfather is hosting a dinner and Val is cooking it. One of the guests becomes ill and leaves the party. He dies the following day. It is learned that the guest died of arsenic poisoning, making Val's Grandfather a person of interest in the case. Val begins to look into the matter. The killing continues and her Grandfather is in danger of being arrested. Will Val find an answer before her Grandfather loses his freedom?
Val is having problems at her cafe and a couple of romantic interest are apparent. I recommend this book. Five ingredients recipes are included. My thanks to the Meridian Library book for my copy.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

For complete review check out my blog at https://booksaplentybookreviews.blogs...

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

La storia è ben congegnata, non ho capito chi fosse il colpevole fino alla fine, praticamente in concomitanza con la rivelazione...
Qui appare un personaggio che potrebbe avere uno sviluppo nei libri successivi, o almeno io lo spero perché pare interessante.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dollycas's Thoughts

Val Deniston's grandfather, the Codger Cook is hosting a dinner party with her actually making the meal he will take credit for. She has prepared some appetizers and both light and cream clam chowder.

Not long after his guests have sat down to eat one of the guests "pitched face-first into the chowder". While Scott Freaze comes around he isn't feeling well and others are worried about food poisoning, but no one else had any ill effects from the meal. Then the next day Mr. Freaze passes away at the hospital. Val's grandfather invited the man to dinner to hopefully get him to admit he scammed his best friend out of a lot of money but never expected the man to die. None of the other guests are talking so the Codger Cook is the sheriff's prime suspect.  Now not only is her granddad's freedom at stake so is her job at the fitness club’s Cool Down Café.

Val has to find a perfect recipe to solve the murder and save her job. Of course, her grandfather wants to help, but that could lead to both of their demise.

____

The number 5 is the key here.

5 ingredient recipes
5 suspects
5 key clues

Val Deniston is supposed to be working on a cookbook but working at the Cool Down Café and keeping her grandfather out of trouble pretty much takes up all her time. He recently landed a recipe column with the local newspaper. A huge feat for a man who can't cook.  Her relationship with Gunnar Swenson is totally in flux, their romance didn't work but can they still be friends or can they find a romantic spark? He had so many other things going on in this story he didn't have much time for her. Val's cafe assistant and tennis partner Bethany is a good friend. She fills in at work when Val is off investigating and is a great sounding board and sleuthing partner. All the characters are evolving. I just wish Val's grandfather wasn't so curmudgeonly with her. She does so much for him and he should appreciate it.

7 dinner guests; Granddad, the victim, and 5 suspects set off the murder mystery. Frankly, they were all cagey. At one time or another, all five were at the top of my list. A second murder twisted things up nicely. I pared my list down to two and when the killer was revealed all the clues, 5 key ones, fell into place sans a few worthy misdirections. Ms. Corrigan did a fine job plotting this one out to keep her readers guessing right up to the end.

There are recipes from the Codger Cook, aka Val's recipes in the back of the book including, Waterman's Clam Chowder, Crunchy Lime Chicken, and No Crust No Fuss Spinach Pie.

This series has a great Five-Ingredient theme. Scam Chowder has a strong mystery, takes on elder fraud, and has characters that continue to develop. I enjoyed the story very much. I am unsure why I didn't keep up with this series when it first came out but I am happy to return to it now. I will be moving Final Fondue up on my To-Be-Read stack.

*This book was from my private collection. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val’s grandfather is giving a dinner party with the hope of confronting a scam artist who he suspects of bilking retirees out of their savings. The showdown never happens as the guy gets violently ill during said dinner and leaves. He dies the following day, and it turns out he was poisoned. The other dinner guests make for very strong suspects; unfortunately, grandpa interests the sheriff the most. Now Val feels compelled to figure out who really did the deed before the sheriff arrests him. She's barely gotten started when another one from the party is also murdered.

The mystery was a good one, with its underlying theme of elder fraud. I didn't have a clue who the villain was, which is how I like it. The downers, to me, were a couple of the supporting characters. Her grandfather, for one, didn't treat her very warmly or kindly. In fact, he was often quite dismissive and demanding, and I was not a fan of how he concocted his newspaper column. The other was her sort-of boyfriend; he was not very warm, either, nor did he seem to have a lot of time for her. Val could be pretty strong around most other people; with these two she'd just keep taking it. The character I did like a lot was her friend and cafe assistant, Bethany. Very mellow, giving, and optimistic, and yet assertive in her own way. I do have the next book in the series, and will give it a try with the hope of character changes for those two that are in my bad books. 3.5* rounded to 4.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scam Chowder is the second book in Maya Corrigan's A Five Ingredient Mystery Series. When I read the first in this series, the theme didn't really "grab" me, but the story line and the characters were so good that it didn't matter. In this book, Val is still living with her Granddad and dealing with his little deception about his cooking column. Granddad becomes the prime suspect in a murder after a con artist who specialized on scamming the elderly dies after eating his food. Val puts her investigative talents to work to clear his name and look into the elder fraud. There is a romantic side plot that stops and starts throughout the book giving Val something else to think about it. There are also hints at perhaps another romantic interest. Overall, a good cozy mystery read with fun characters and an engaging plot line.

[K. East · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read lots of mystery series and am particularly attracted to ones about food, but this one just didn't do it for me. I didn't find the characters or their relationships all that interesting. In fact, the deception the daughter and her father perpetrate about him being the "Codger Cook" rather grated on me. I didn't read the first one in the series so perhaps it was explained there why she would agree to this arrangement. The mystery was interesting enough, if a bit convoluted. This one is just not my cup of tea.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one. I think it was because in the first one, Granddad was endearing, but here he annoyed me.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scam Chowder is the 2nd book in the Five-Ingredient Mystery series, but somehow I missed it along the way. I enjoyed going back to the beginning of this series as I prepare to read the last couple of books as I catch up on this series. In Scam Chowder, Val Deniston has prepared two types of clam chowder for her grandfather, the Codger Cook, to serve at his dinner party. When one of the guests is rushed to hospital after tasting the chowder, and then dies, he is the main suspect in the poisoning of the man. Val knows that her grandfather is innocent, but someone at that dinner is guilty. Val begins an investigation with the help of her grandfather and his best friend Ned. It seems there is some fraud, secrecy, and possibly murder surrounding the local assisted living home. While trying to figure out who the guilty party is, someone is also trying to sabotage Val at the fitness club's Cool Down Cafe which she operates. Throw in a fledgling relationship and there is a lot happening in this entertaining and enjoyable cozy mystery.

I really enjoy this series and catching up on this book was fun. Val is just starting out with the cafe, so it was interesting to see that she was so worried about losing her contract. She is a talented cook, a smart, independent woman, loyal, athletic, and friendly. All things that allow her to find out information and investigate. I love the relationship she has with her grandfather. He doesn't always appreciate her, but they do love one another and she does a lot for him. The man who was killed was not a very nice man. He was involved in fraud and there were a lot of people who would have wanted to kill him. The suspect list was long and Val was able to sift through the clues until she figured out who the killer was. I never suspected the culprit, so kudos to Maya Corrigan. The mystery was well written and the characters well developed. I enjoyed this story and will now jump back in at #7 where I left off.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and easy book to really get into. I liked the sweet relationship between Val and her Grandad. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in the series. I like the cast of characters and hope to see some of the new additions in future books. The mystery was good and kept me guessing and I enjoyed the ending.

[Shawna Shaheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a woman that cooks for her granfather. The grandfather wants
Her to cook for so people think he cooks it. So he can impress women. At a party a man gets poisened. Is it grandpa's new flame that loosened him. Read it and find out

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val Deniston moved in with her grandfather after a disastrous relationship and losing her job. Luckily, she found a new one with running the café at a local fitness club. Her grandfather is using Val's skills with cooking to launch his own career as the Codger Cook writing for the local newspaper, using only five ingredients, which means Val has been modifying her recipes. But she's learned not to let him in the kitchen due to the fact he can't cook.

One night he decides to give a dinner party, inviting his lady friend Lillian and several other people, and wants to put a certain guest named Scott on the hot seat, because he thinks Scott bilked his friend out of twenty thousand dollars. So Val cooks two different chowders and then hides in the butler's pantry while cooking if someone enters the kitchen. But the party doesn't go the way it should, and when Val senses trouble, she uses a back exit to run to the front of the house, and finds that Scott's taken ill...and later dies. Everyone thinks it was Granddad who killed Scott, and Val decides to involve herself and find the killer, since she thinks the police are only focusing on her Granddad.

But to make things worse, her semi-boyfriend Gunnar's ex-fiancée Petra shows up, and suddenly things start going south for Val at her job, and it just gets worse. Unless she can prove Petra had something to do with it, she might lose her job. Now Val finds herself in the middle of two things causing grief, and both need to be figured out or Granddad will be in jail and she'll be out of a job...

This is the second book in the series, and I enjoyed the first, but found that this book still had the same problems. Gunnar seems a bit self-centered (and dull), and only comes around when it's convenient for him; while I get that he likes Val, he never acts like a boyfriend toward her. While I hope this doesn't turn into a love triangle, Val's decision not to trust good-looking me is ridiculous. If she stays with Gunnar, I sure hope he treats her better. As far as her granddad goes, I would like to see him also treat her better. He's using her for her recipes and ability to cook, but doesn't give her any of the credit. Val is good as a doormat.

As far as the mystery goes, it was certainly one that needed to be unraveled. There were plenty of threads that became twisted together, and taking each one apart not only took time, it took effort on Val's part and several other people to help her see which thread was the one that led to death. It was interesting and enjoyable; and when we got to the end it all came together nicely, and gave us a murderer who had no remorse over what was done, which is the worst kind to come across. I will read the next in the series. Recommended.

https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/202...

[Sammm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I also gave last book a 4, but I do like this one more than the first book of the series. =D Am really surprised how little Gunnar showed up in this book though...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second episode in the Val and Granddad Myers/The Codger Cook show.

This starts off with a dinner party of seven people. Loved the map! The entre is clam chowder and there are two kinds, creamy and light, but only one of them is deadly.

Val is trying to solve the mystery before too much grief and possible arrest of her Grandfather. In the meantime she is also dealing with bad reviews of her cafe, suspicious dead fish left in her car, and her boyfriend's ex-fiance in town, looking gorgeous.

I enjoyed the steady investigation of the diners and the collaboration with the authorities. Val uses her contacts to determine if the new girlfriend her Grandfather is trying to impress is after his wealth or not. She joins forces with the local TV investigative reporter to share information. She has seen enough crime shows to know a suicide from a murder. She hits the local second hand shops to determine if it is possible to get banned substances in pretty bottles from negligent resellers. She is a people person and gets people to talk to her and reveal information to solve this mystery.

There are several five ingredient recipes at the back and they sound great.

I bought a copy and will share it with my mystery reading friends.

[Devi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this one better than the first book. I felt like the plot is not too complicated, and the characters are well constructed to fit their places in the story.

I personally like Val and her grandfather's connection throughout the story, compared to the first book. I love how this book explores more depth in their relationship, particularly when they solve the murder mysteries together. And Ned, her grandfather's best friend, is a very sweet character who is always there for both of them. Ned proves that best friends will always be there whenever you need them. I am actually impressed at how much Val's and her grandfather's character development has improved in this book.

On the other hand, the arrival of a new (possible) love interest for Val seems not too forced as well. It is subtle, but readers know it is there. I am totally looking forward to see how their story develop in the next books. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and following every step of discovering who the culprit really is.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable cozy centered around Val Deniston and her somewhat cantakerous Grandpa. This time in the attempt to convince everyone that he is the Codger Cook Grandpa finds himself hosting a fatal dinner party. But who poisoned the victim and why? Val gets embroiled in the drama while trying to convince the police her grandfather is innocent. Meanwhile her romantic life seems to be fizzling and her interest's ex fiance is in town trying to win him back- quite deviously. The characters are a fun mix with some crazy moments. I enjoy the mix of young characters and their interactions with the older characters, many of whom are residents at the Village retirement complex. The book develops the relationship between Val and her grandfather and shows the struggles to be supportive while living with members of a different generation. Characters are well written as is the mystery. I found the guilty party to be somewhat surprising.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy novels that incorporate food/cooking into the plot, and this book did not disappoint. The theme of a mysterious murder taking place during a dinner party is certainly not new, but the main characters, Val and her grandfather, maintained an intriguing-enough rapport that discovering who did the deed was never obvious. The results of the detailed, step- by-step uncovering of each of the suspect’s motives by Val and her grandfather, and by the police did not always match. The total investigation took many twists and turns, as did the suspects’ ever-changing relationships of friendship, attraction, amorous exchanges, flattery and trust, as well as lies, back-stabbing, jealousy, mistrust and deceit. All this heightened the desire to find out who the culprit was,
which in turn increased my involvement in solving the murder mystery. A worthwhile, light-hearted read.

[Audrey]

Scam Chowder Satisfying, But Leaves Me Wanting Something More

This murder mystery serves up a quick easy read, providing all the basic ingredients for a satisfactory whodunnit. I enjoyed the progression of discoveries leading to the final reveal of the murderer and motive, but it left me wanting a more complex-flavored read. The food references are subtly added to the plot, but the characters were not compelling or deeply developed. The setting could have been used more effectively to garnish the story with mood and drama. Slightly bland, but I will try another flavor-another of the author’s books, to see if Ms.Corrigan can cook up a different tale with more depth and spice.

[Bonnie Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I’ve tried two books in this series, and I think I like the premise more than I like the actual book. The problem is that for a cozy small town mystery to work, you have to actually care about the people in the town, and I….. don’t exactly like most of them? I think the grandpa character is supposed to be “charmingly grumpy” but instead, his continued insistence on taking credit for Val’s recipes and their entire general relationship dynamic to just be irritating. I find Val’s character to be grating for reasons I struggle to explain, and I think the relationship angst with Gunnar is just downright annoying. The mysteries are perfectly fine mysteries, but the characters ruin it for me. Giving up on this series.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy mystery set in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland area. Val is the cook and chef in the house, but her grandfather plays the part with his weekly food column that Val is behind. At his dinner featuring two kinds of homemade clam chowder, one of the guest accused of scamming elderly people out of their savings becomes ill and then dies. This starts part time sleuth Val off on investigating that murder and then another murder of one of the other guests to clear her grandfather’s name. It’s a typical cozy with sleuthing, recipes at the end and love interests for granddad and Val.

[Amy Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally love recipe mysteries, but I am trudging along in this series trying to like the grandfather character. The mystery part is well written and interesting enough, but I am having so much trouble getting past her grandfather lying, stealing her recipes, belittling her, informing her that he is going to be writing a cookbook with her recipes. Kind of hard to get past the fact that the story has two main characters, one of whom is a terrible person who by all accounts, should be the bad guy you are hoping is the murderer so they get their just desserts by the end of the book.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second book and introduction to the Chef, Val, and her grandfather. Val has her hands full making sure her grandfather is doing ok. On top of that while she puts out a Clam Chowder and stays out of the kitchen so her grandfather can impress some folks someone kills over. So starts the mystery as to what and why a person ends up dead. Also some great recipes on the back. Maya has fun with her characters especially with the grandfather and Val.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val Deniston's granddad is writing a cooking column in the local paper as the Codger Cook using Val's recipes. His girlfriend persuades him to hold a dinner at his house for a few select guests (not including Val) showcasing his clam chowder but, unfortunately, one of the guests gets sick and dies a few days later.
Val's granddad is high on the suspect list but Val and her granddad team up to find the real killer.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a light mystery and this was perfect for that. The mystery itself was interesting and I had my suspicions about who the murderer was. I thought this book wasn't as good as the previous one in the series and there was a side plot to do with Gunnar that I wasn't really interested in. But I did enjoy this one overall and am interested in picking up the third book at some point in the future.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cafe owner, Val, “ghost” cooks a dinner for her Granddad's dinner party where everybody there seems to have their own agenda for attending. One diner gets sick and dies the next day putting suspicion on Don. Side stories involve a male friend moving to town and his ex-fiance's arrival; a financial scam; and mysterious accidents and mischief at Val's cafe. OK mystery but I just can't warm up to the MC and her granddad.

[Sandra Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series, Val's cooking especially those clam chowder made me hungry. In this book grandpa is in trouble after police suspect he poisoned a dinner guest, so what is a girl to do but solve the murder. Gotta be honest the murderer made sense but I hoped it was so!some one else but the ending ended up OK. Overall I do like this series and I have to say grandpa is my favorite character

[Rabia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great cozy for the win!

Val and her grandpa are back to solving another mystery in this book - one that gets a murder happening at her grandpa’s dinner.

This book has your usual pace as a cozy, albeit slightly faster. The romance is kept light, but a new (Possinle second lead?) is introduced.

All in all, a great cozy and I’m looking forward to reading Tell Tale Tarte

[Karen Emmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a series by Maya Corrigan. I found the story of Scam Chowder entertaining . However, it seemed to drag on a bit toward the middle of book, so fast forwarded my reading to Chapter 23 to get on with the discovery of murder. I am in the process of reading the 3rd book, Final Fondue, in hopes that the book will have a faster pace.