Long a renowned crime writer in France, Pierre Magnan has won numerous prizes and has a huge popular following in his native country. Now, with this mouthwatering series debut, Magnan introduces the celebrated Commissaire Laviolette to U.S. readers. In a small, peaceful village in Provence, the principal source of income is the cultivation and sale of truffes. When Commissaire Laviolette arrives to investigate why several of the town's citizens are missing, it isn't long before their bodies turn up. It takes all of the detective's ingenuity to unravel crimes whose origins are as old as the truffe woods.

Two best friends sell books and bonbons—and solve crimes—in this mystery from the author of Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates… Hoping to sweeten sales for their shop, Chocolates and Chapters, Michelle and Erica host a reception highlighting a new museum display of ancient Mayan pottery curated by Erica’s former mentor, Professor Addison Moody. The evening has a few hiccups, but the ladies soon smooth things over with ample servings of wine and chocolate. Yet with the sweet comes the bitter. The very next day, the antiquities from the reception are discovered missing. The professor accuses Erica of having sticky fingers, claiming she wants revenge on him. And she’s only in more trouble after he’s found stabbed to death with one of the artifacts. Now Michelle must help Erica track down the real killer before someone else finds themselves in less than mint condition…

Ready to take a bite out of crime? Join Reg Rawlins, psychic detective, as she investigates a string of mysterious poisonings linked to a wildly popular new brand of chocolate truffles in Black Sands. Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author P.D. Workman brings you Tainted Truffle Treachery. Truffles to die for Strange things are happening in Black Sands. A series of sudden and unexplained deaths of three magical practitioners has Corvin worried, and he convinces Reg to join him in trying to track down the cause and the culprit behind them. As Reg and her friends investigate the deaths with Corvin and Detective Marta Jessup, they uncover a sinister plot involving the wildly popular Mystical Morsels. But who is distributing them and why? Reg follows the trail to Tennessee where, with the help of her foster sister Erin, they track the mastermind behind the poisoned truffles. But the danger is far from over as they discover the true motive behind the deadly plot and face a dangerous enemy who shows no remorse for the innocent lives lost. There’s no sugar coating it—with time running out, Reg must use all her sleuthing skills to uncover the source of the curse and stop the distribution of the deadly desserts before more lives are lost. It’s a race against time in this paranormal mystery that’s sure to leave you craving more! Praise for Tainted Truffle Treachery: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I could not put this one down until all was revealed and I will admit that I spit in the face of potential danger by eating a few truffles while I read this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A great adventure, full of mystic twists and turns that will keep you fully entertained. Tainted Truffle Treachery is a paranormal mystery novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With a touch of witchcraft and a dash of suspense, this book is perfect for fans of small town mysteries and psychic detectives. Fall under Reg’s spell today. keywords: psychic, supernatural, mystery, paranormal, urban fantasy, women sleuths, small town, past trauma, fresh start, dangerous secret, ghosts, betrayal, redemption, investigation, psychic readings, supernatural creatures, psychic detective, magic, suspense, danger, witchcraft, dark forces, dragon, familiars magical, sirens, thriller fantasy, thriller paranormal, orphan, opposites attract, fish out of water, wrong side of the tracks

“The ultimate truffle true crime tale”*: A thrilling journey through the hidden underworld of the world's most prized luxury ingredient. *Bianca Bosker, New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork Beneath the gloss of star chefs and crystal-laden tables, the truffle supply chain is touched by theft, secrecy, sabotage, and fraud. Farmers patrol their fields with rifles and fear losing trade secrets to spies. Hunters plant poisoned meatballs to eliminate rival truffle-hunting dogs. Naive buyers and even knowledgeable experts are duped by liars and counterfeits. Deeply reported and elegantly written, this page-turning exposé documents the dark, sometimes deadly crimes at each level of the truffle’s path from ground to plate, making sense of an industry that traffics in scarcity, seduction, and cash. Through it all, a question lingers: What, other than money, draws people to these dirt-covered jewels? Praise for The Truffle Underground “Investigative journalist and first-time author Jacobs does a remarkable job reporting from the front lines of the truffle industry, bringing to vivid life French black-truffle farmers, Italian white-truffle foragers, and their marvelously well-trained dogs.”—Booklist (starred review) “In The Truffle Underground, Ryan Jacobs presents a lively exposé of the truffle industry, reporting on the crimes that ‘haunt the whole supply chain.’ . . . Even if truffles are beyond your pay grade, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the sheer devilment portrayed in this informative and appetizing book.”—The Wall Street Journal “You’ll never look at truffle fries the same way after reading this book. . . . You can practically smell the soil as you follow truffle farmers and bandits through the groves and fields of France and Italy where the fungi are harvested and stolen.”—Outside, “Five Favorite Summer Reads” “[The] book is a rigorously reported, carefully written, endlessly interesting immersion in a high-stakes subculture.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Jacobs takes us on an eye-opening journey through the prized mushroom’s supply chain and the global black market for these tubers in this tale of theft, deceit, and high-stakes secrets.”—Real Simple

This publication makes a compelling case that in order to develop sustainable ecosystem policies, we must first understand the complexity and interdependency of species and habitats. Comparing forests in the Pacific Northwestern United States and Southeastern mainland of Australia, the authors show how easily observable species - trees and mammals - are part of an infrastructure that includes fungi, lichens and organisms invisible to the naked eye, such as microbes. This important book shows that forests are far more complicated than most of us might think, which means simplistic policies will not save them. Understanding the biophysical intricacies of our life support systems just might.

This book shows the reader how to train a dog how to sniff out truffles, to learn the dos and don'ts of truffle hunting and how to spot the false and inferior specimens slipped into the market place.

Truffles have a mysterious appeal about them, but the gourmet treats from a certain shop in New York have become dangerous, even deadly. In Imogen L. Jacobs first case as a covert agent, she delves deep into the twists and turns of a global truffle business run by members of her family. Flesh and blood relationships, lifelong friendships, as well as nefarious connections with spy agencies, governments, and terrorist groups are interwoven into a multilayered tale of international intrigue, betrayal, and love. Join Imogen as the authors vivid imagination sweeps readers along on an entertaining rideone that produces plenty of laughs and is generously peppered with steamy romance.

A sleuthing chocolatier is the only thing standing between an eccentric seaside town and the deadly plot to destroy it in this cozy culinary mystery for fans of Joanne Fluke When Charity Penn receives a letter saying she won a trip to Camellia Beach, South Carolina complete with free cooking lessons at the town’s seaside chocolate shop, The Chocolate Box, she’s immediately skeptical. She never entered any contest. Her former prep school friend offers to look into the phony prize—only to end up drowned in a vat of chocolate. Struck with guilt, Penn heads to the southern beach town to investigate why he was killed. But as wary as she is of the locals, she finds herself lured into their eccentric vibe, letting her defenses melt away and even learning the art of crafting delicious chocolates. That is, until delight turns bittersweet as she steps straight into the midst of a deadly plot to destroy the seaside town. Now, only Penn’s quick thinking and a mysterious cask of rare chocolate can save the town she’s learning to love. Rich and decadent, Asking for Truffle, the first in a new cozy series by Dorothy St. James, is sure to be a delectable read for fans of JoAnna Carl and Joanne Fluke.

Nikki Bates’s time in picturesque Maple Hills, Vermont has been far from the postcard scene she first imagined. While her chocolate shop is doing well, her personal life has hit a few snags… and bodies… along the way. Between exposing corrupt officials, unmasking the Mafia and solving more than a few murders, Nikki has made some friends and earned many enemies. Now, an old vendetta from her days in Atlanta has reared its head and followed her north, finding her nestled amongst the trees and chocolate, surrounded by gossip, intrigue and people that want Nikki out of town. When a woman with close ties to her newest ward is found murdered, Nikki must race to connect the clues, solve the case and salvage her reputation. Yet the wheels of vengeance are turning and this is one time Nikki may lose everything, including her life…

Born raconteur George Lang tells the Horatio Alger story--as only he can tell it--of his extraordinary life. Born in Hungary, only child of a Jewish tailor and destined for the concert stage, at nineteen he was incarcerated in a forced-labor camp, never to see his parents again. After he landed in New York in 1946, a whole new world opened up as he switched from the violin to the kitchen. Soon he was orchestrating banquets at the Waldorf for Khrushchev, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Grace, and the like. He invented a new profession: as the first restaurant consultant, he explored Indonesia and the Philippines to bring back exotic tastes for the 1964 World's Fair, and pioneered upscale restaurant complexes within shopping malls. Finally he resurrected two great landmarks: the Café des Artistes in New York and Gundel in his native Hungary.