Quilt City Cookbook: A Companion to the Hadley Carroll Mysteries

by Bruce Leonard

Bruce Leonard never dreamed of owning a bakery. He wanted to be a novelist, but he found himself flour-dusted and sleep-deprived after his mother and he opened The Blues Bakery in Ventura, California. He loved creating recipes, interacting with customers, and drinking Blues Brew, the bakery's proprietary blend. But the physical demands of the job wore out his body, and the Leonards were forced to sell the business.

Bruce eventually became a novelist, writing Quilt City Murder, named Best Mystery of 2022 by the National Indie Excellence Awards, then Quilt City: Panic in Paducah, which raced to the Number One Best Seller rank on Amazon in the Quilts & Quilting category. Sequels are in the works.

Many readers responded enthusiastically to the distinctive insights, humor, life experiences, and adventures of Hadley Carroll, the wise-cracking quilter, journalist, and narrator of these cozy mysteries. Bruce combined his two most significant skills—baking and writing—to create Quilt City Cookbook.

Hadley narrates the book, relating humorous anecdotes and poignant events from her troubled childhood. Does she also include savory recipes and sprinkle jokes and possible plot points for future Hadley Carroll Mysteries throughout the cookbook? The answer is yes, a delicious yes.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2022

About the author

Hello, Readers,

My latest novel, Hard Exit, is the most personal of the five I've written. I've lived with the story and various drafts for decades. The story takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by depressed private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.

He's endured traumas and suffered significant losses. He's muddled through years of grief and stasis, but then Game, an at-risk sixteen-year-old, changes Jack's perspective. The two of them become friends, then try to solve a series of murders in Malibu and south Los Angeles.

Unlike the Hadley novels, Hard Exit isn't a cozy mystery. It contains cursing, a sex scene, and some violence. However, fists don't fly every twenty pages, and the Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.

I'm proud of my first four novels, but I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery—will appeal to a much broader readership. I hope you enjoy it.

After I finish the thriller I'm writing, and after I write the next Hadley novel, Quilt City: Safety Second, I'll return with the second Jack Drake Mystery: Stronger at the Break.

Stay tuned for audiobooks of the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries, which should be released late in 2024.

All of my books are available through my website, https://bruceleonardwriter.com
and the usual channels.

Thank you tremendously for your support.

All the best,

Bruce


Please follow my author page at: https://www.amazon.com/author/brucele...

Thank you tremendously for your support.

All the best,
Bruce

Reviews

[Tamitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic little cookbooks

I didn’t hesitate …. Made the pumpkin muffins first thing !!! Scrumptious!!!! Can’t wait to try the shrimp and grits

[Sammie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quilt City Cookbook is a delightful companion to Quilt City Murders and Quilt City Murders Panic in Paducah. It is filled with delicious recipes
(some of which I have had the pleasure of tasting, yummy) and humor only the author, Bruce Leonard, could come up with and a little more enlightment into the lives of the characters.
I will have a lot of fun trying out some of the recipes for Christmas eats, treats and gifts. These three books will not disappoint the readers.

[Alexander Blevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the mind and kitchen of Hadley Carroll (and the unbridled wit of Bruce Leonard) as you thumb through this delightful dessert cookbook. She will keep you entertained with her stories and antics as your cookies bake. I can’t say I’ve tested all the recipes, but the peanut butter cookies are out-of-this-world!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious Recipes

This was the first Quilt City book I've read. Immediately I decided I needed a copy and then I realized I had.it on Kindle Unlimited.That made me very happy and I can't wait to try these!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read...surprisingly as a cookbook, friendly chat with the author as recipe is being shared with tweaks and helpful hints along the way. I've got to keep this near the top of my stack to go back for some...several...okay, many of the recipes included.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cookbook with humor

This is a companion to the Quilt City Murders series. The recipes are fine, but I mostly read it because it was narrated by the protagonist of the Hadley Carroll Mysteries and had some humorous comments.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some interesting recipes but there was more narrative than recipes.

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute stories go along with the recipes.