Beat Until Stiff: A Culinary Mystery

by Claire M Johnson

Cranky Mary Ryan has sunk a lot of time and talent into the American Fare, San Francisco's hottest spot, while grieving over her broken marriage. At work very early, she steps on a laundry bag stuffed with the dead body of one of her employees. The investigation soon exposes all the dirty secrets that the food business would like to keep the philandering chefs, the silly whims of the dining public, the hiring of illegal aliens, and the subsistence-living pay scale. Events begin to spiral that in time take out the restaurant's celebrity chef and force Mary to use her unique skills to uncover a poisonous scheme. Beat Until Stiff is the first book in the Mary Ryan series.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2011

Reviews

[Ellen Kirschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

curl up and read

Not exactly a cozy. Not exactly a thriller. This culinary mystery is a tasty read no matter how you describe. It has all the required ingredients: good guys, bad guys, murder, a pinch of romance, a likable heroine and a satisfying ending.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little dated. It was mostly a good book, but the main character is kind of 2 dimensional for most of the book.

[SeaShore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read; a nice boost for me the last two days.
i liked this mystery in a culinary setting, suitable for 2025 reads and foodies; nicely surprised.