Amy Pershing Books In Order

Publication Order of Cape Cod Foodie Mystery Books

Amy Pershing
Amy Pershing and her four siblings (and various cats and dogs) grew up in this big old farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, however they spent every summer on Cape Cod where they joined their vast extended family in long days of swimming, clamming, sailing, and eating. But what she never did there, as far as she can remember, was put on a pair of shoes from June to September. Amy has lived in many wonderful places in her life, including Rome and New York, however it’s the Cape that continues to call her back.

Amy was lucky to have a mom that knew that good food and good books (especially mysteries) were what made life sweet. It was her mom that gave her the first Agatha Christie, the first Sue Grafton, and first Nancy Drew that Amy ever read. Amy’s mom was the one that taught her that you cannot put too much butter on anything and when in doubt, consult with Julia Child.

As a lifelong wordsmith and mystery lover, she has been a restaurant reviewer, an editor, and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. After she paid off the final college tuition bill, she waved goodbye to Wall Street so that she could write full time and spend more time sailing on the Cape.

After college she wound up at Viking Penguin publishers, where she had the privilege of working with wonderful writers that were as diverse as Stephen King, and Elizabeth David (the queen of cookery). New York also provided her the opportunity to indulge her inner foodie reviewing restaurants for Playbill magazine (under the tutelage of a future Gourmet restaurant critic, no less). However it was when she and her husband left New York in order to be journalists in Rome, Italy for two years, that food became the real focus of their lives. Because in Rome, food’s the real focus of everybody’s lives.

After having two kids, she worked from home as a speechwriter and consultant in employee communications until her sons were in their teens, when she signed on to lead employee communications at a global bank. She mainly did this to pay off her college bills, however the real perk was getting to travel to places like London, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Glorious food.

“A Side of Murder” is the first novel in the “Cape Cod Foodie Mystery” series and was released in 2021. Beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts is known for sand, surf, seafood, and, now, murder.

Samantha Barnes has always been a foodie. And when the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America) came calling for her, she happily traded in Cape Cod for the Big Apple. However then the rising young chef’s clash with another chef (who is also her ex) boils over and goes viral. So when Sam inherits this house on the Cape and lands this gig writing restaurant reviews, it appears to be the perfect pairing. What could go wrong? A lot, as it turns out.

This dilapidated house comes with a gigantic puppy. Her new boss is rather bossy. And the town’s harbor master is none other than her first love. Nonetheless, Sam is looking forward to reviewing the Bayview Grill, and indeed the seafood chowder is divine. However the body in the pond just outside of the eatery was not on the menu. Sam is certain that this was murder. However while she starts stirring the pot, could she be creating a recipe for her own untimely demise?

This is a delicious mystery novel lovingly set in Cape Cod that features a cast of charming characters. Amy writes with a fun and fresh voice sure to delight cozy mystery fans.

“An Eggnog to Die For” is the second novel in the “Cape Cod Foodie Mystery” series and was released in 2021. Christmas is coming to the Cape, however when Sam discovers a very dead Santa in a very hip restaurant, it is all up to her to sift out the suspects that have been naughty vs. nice.

Samantha Barnes has got a very simple Christmas list: a quiet holiday at home with her dog and a certain handsome harbor master; no finding dead bodies; and no viral videos. She has family visiting, unfortunately, is spending a bunch of time in front of the camera, and she has just stumbled across the lifeless body of the town’s Santa Claus.

Plus her plans for Christmas Eve are getting pretty complicated. There is the great eggnog debate among her more opinionated guests. There is the “all edible” Christmas tree to decorate. Oh, and there is her Feast of the Five Fishes to prepare. She nonetheless finds herself yet again playing the role of sleuth. She needs to figure out who it was that slayed this Santa, however can she pull off a perfect feast and catch a killer?

“Murder Is No Picnic” is the third novel in the “Cape Cod Foodie Mystery” series and was released in 2022. A celebrity chef is discovered dead, and Samantha Barnes (the “Cape Cod Foodie”) finds that her search for the world’s best blueberry buckle is turning into a search for a killer.

Independence Day is coming, and for Samantha Barnes, it is all about the picnic. Okay, and the parade. And the fireworks. But primarily the picnic. What could really be better than a DIY clambake followed by the best blueberry buckle in the whole world? Sam has found the perfect recipe finally in the kitchen of Clara Foster (retired restaurateur and famed cookbook author), and she is thrilled when Clara agrees to give her a buckle baking lesson.

However when Clara ends up dying in a house fire that gets blamed on carelessness in the kitchen, Sam just does not believe it. Unfortunately, her doubts set in motion this investigation which points to the new owner of Clara’s legendary restaurant, and a cousin of Sam’s harbormaster boyfriend. In between researching the best lobster rolls on the Cape and planning out her clambake, Sam really needs to find Clara’s killer before the fireworks can get started.