Riley Reed Cozy Mystery Series

Murdered in the Gourmet Kitchen is the sequel to the popular Riley Reed cozy mystery, Murdered in the Man Cave, by bestselling crime writer R. Barri Flowers. Interior design consultant Riley Reed’s blog is full of helpful advice on home décor, custom furnishings, lighting, and renovation in the town of Cozy Pines, Oregon. At forty-four and happily single, Riley once again finds herself immersed in a tantalizing murder mystery. Riley recently helped her widowed friend Suzanne Crier, the director of Cozy House, a local battered women’s shelter, remodel the aging kitchen of her Victorian residence. After turning it into a fabulous gourmet kitchen, Riley is invited over with a few other friends to celebrate the completion. Arriving early, Riley brings along her own casserole. After freshening up in the bathroom, she returns to find Suzanne dead on the hardwood floor of the gourmet kitchen. Her head had been bashed in with Riley’s own casserole dish. And now she’s considered a suspect in the murder. While fighting to clear her name, Riley finds there is more than one person who could be the true killer--including a man who looks a lot like Nathaniel Crier, Suzanne’s abusive financier husband, who allegedly committed suicide three years ago. But did he really? Or did he come back from the grave to haunt her to death literally? As Riley sleuths around the official police investigation, a desperate and devious killer will stop at nothing to stay in the shadows, even if it means adding Riley to a growing list of victims. Fans of cozy mysteries will love Murdered in the Gourmet Kitchen as Riley tries to stop a killer in his or her tracks and avoid joining her friend Suzanne in the grave. Included is a bonus excerpt of book 3 of the Riley Reed Cozy Mysteries, Murdered in the Luxury Suite, in which Riley attends an interior design convention on Maui, Hawaii, where murder mars paradise. An extra bonus is a sneak peek at the bestselling author’s first book in an upcoming new cozy series, A Dead Inn Street: A Victoria Price Cozy Mystery, in which Victoria, a retired judge, finds that retirement can be murder. Praise for Murdered in the Man Cave “Well written, marvelously developed mystery.” -- Amazon reviewer “An entertaining whodunit, well written with well-developed characters.... Relationships were a key component of this mystery, and the interactions of all the characters, past and present, was fascinating. All in all, a very interesting and entertaining novel.” -- Amazon reviewer “Enjoyed choice of murder location, getting harder to find somewhere different. Liked Riley, was rather surprised she didn’t have an antagonistic relationship with police...but very glad. It’s a welcome change, and not to have her treated like a brainless person.” -- Amazon reviewer

Murdered in the Man Cave is a cozy mystery novel by bestselling crime writer R. Barri Flowers. In the first book of this exciting new cozy series, Riley Reed has a popular blog offering advice on home décor and renovation and does part-time consulting work in Cozy Pines, Oregon. When Riley is asked by an old flame, Brent London, a bestselling mystery writer, to help him spruce up his man cave as a newly single man, she readily accepts the assignment. But when she discovers him bludgeoned to death with a pool cue in his man cave, she finds herself thrust into the investigation to track down the killer. The suspects are many, including three of Brent’s four ex-wives, two girlfriends, his niece, a former research assistant, a financial advisor, and his housekeeper. When two people are arrested for Brent’s murder, Riley is less than convinced that the true culprits are in custody, and makes it her mission to prove otherwise. An alleged suicide and confession seems a bit too pat for Riley, who risks her own life to get at the truth. Includes a bonus complete cozy mystery short, “Ph.D in Murder,” in which a doctoral student’s independent study reenactment of the well-known and still unsolved murder of Marilyn Sheppard ends with a modern day murder and killer on the loose. Fans of cozy mysteries will find Murdered in the Man Cave the perfect start to an entertaining and all-consuming cozy series. Praise for Mystery and Thriller Fiction by R. Barri Flowers “A heart-thumping thriller, this is that rare novel that is downright scary. Pick it up at your peril, because you won't put it down until you've read the last word." -- John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling mystery author on Before He Kills Again “A masterful thriller set in the dark underbelly of Maui, with lots of fine action, down and dirty characters, and the vivid details of police procedure one would expect from an author who is also a top criminologist. A terrific read!" -- Douglas Preston, bestselling thriller writer on Murder in Maui "An excellent look at the jurisprudence system...will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein." -- Harriet Klausner on Persuasive Evidence "An exquisitely rich and masterfully constructed mystery.... A savvy, smooth, and sumptuous read that's as hot as Waikiki beach sand." -- Jon Land, bestselling crime writer on Murder in Maui "It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers!" -- Huntress Reviews on Dark Streets of Whitechapel “A gripping and tightly woven tale you won't want to put down. Author Flowers neatly contrasts the natural beauty of a tropical paradise with the ugliness of murder and its aftermath." -- John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling crime writer on Murder in Maui "R. Barri Flowers writes with the passion and knowledge of someone who truly knows his craft. A steamy, non-stop thrill-ride through the seamy underbelly of Hawaii." -- Allison Leotta, former federal prosecutor and thriller author on Murder in Maui “Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page.” -- Midwest Book Review on State’s Evidence “A model of crime fiction.... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices.” -- Statesman Journal on Justice Served