Dumplings and Disaster: Culinary Cozy Mystery (Alphabet Soup Mysteries Series Book 4)

Chef Jessica Vasquez thought she'd seen it all. Three murders solved, a thriving restaurant, and finally some peace in Dashwood. Then her loyal busser Marco is arrested for killing a man in a suspicious fire at the abandoned Jamison Heights Complex. Marco makes bail but sinks into a devastating depression, barely speaking and withdrawn from everyone who cares about him.

Jessica knows Marco is innocent. She has to prove it.

Then Shayla, one of Jessica's culinary students who works part-time at The Crock Pot, calls in desperation. Beaten by her abusive stepfather and thrown out by her mother, the eighteen-year-old has nowhere to go. Jessica doesn't hesitate; she brings Shayla home. Now Jessica has more than just her restaurant to protect. She has a scared teenager depending on her and a friend who needs saving.

The deeper Jessica digs into the fire, the more dangerous things become. There's Todd Barber, the charming city councilman working on a controversial development project, who also happens to be dating Jessica. There's his assistant Foster, whose behavior grows increasingly suspicious. And there's the Dashwood Beautification Organization, led by the passionate Kimberly Gibbs, whose protests against the project have turned violent.

When protesters storm The Crock Pot and Nash, one of the activists, turns up dead in Shayla's apartment building, the case explodes. Death threats arrive. Jessica's relationship crumbles under the weight of suspicion. Foster's lies begin unraveling. And as Jessica races to find security footage that could clear Marco's name, she realizes nothing about this case is what it seems.

With her roommates Vee and Sawyer by her side, and young Shayla now part of her makeshift family, Jessica must navigate a web of development schemes, environmental protests, and hidden grudges. But when people start disappearing and buildings go up in flames, Jessica faces her most dangerous investigation yet.

Can Jessica expose the truth before more people die? Or will protecting the innocent make her the next target?

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who crave:

- Fierce loyalty and found family bonds

- High-stakes investigations with multiple twists

- Romantic relationships tested by suspicion

- Community activism and small-town politics

- Amateur sleuths who never give up

Dumplings and Disaster is Book 4 in the Alphabet Soup Mysteries series. While it can be enjoyed standalone, it's best read in order to fully appreciate character relationships and Jessica's evolution as the "Crime Fighting Chef."