Hot Wings and Homicide book tour is through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and includes an author guest post and a giveaway to enter below. Check out what she’s got to say about why food is an important part of her stories. Share, leave a comment to her prompt, and subscribe to Sarandipity’s. Don’t forget to check out the latest blog posts and the newest freebies in the store. Password to the vault is at the end of every email I send.
Book Details
Hot Wings and Homicide (A Food Truck Mystery)
by Carmela Dutra
Business at Kluckin’ Good food Truck is hot. The plot is well planned, and there are plenty of clues, suspects and surprises. This is a second novel in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. That said, I am in the mood for book one and big serving of chicken. This book was Cluckin’ Good.
~The Storybook Lady
Lots of laughs, good food, and a cute chicken make HOT WINGS AND HOMICIDE a delectable read sure to satisfy your mystery- loving cravings.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
Cozy mystery lovers, this book/series is not to be missed. I highly recommend both A Murder Most Fowl and Hot Wings and Homicide. Run, don’t walk, to your favorite bookstore! Be prepared for a Kluckin’ Good time. You can thank me later.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
Five Stars
My rating for Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra is five stars. Ms. Dutra transports me to California whenever I am in one of her stories, and I am in a food truck with Beth. The characters I love in this story keep getting better and better. The ones I like the most are Beth and her best friend, Riley. Her brother Seth is just as much fun as Riley is while being the voice of reason. Oh, don’t forget about the two recipes in the back of the book. They are Plucked and Truffle Fries to enjoy with Golden Gate Heat Wings.
~Baroness’ Book Trove
Bottom Line: Carmela Dutra has done it again – absolutely delighted me with her perfect blend of humor, banter, food truck drama, and clever mystery. The writing is snappy and engaging, and I don’t think there was a single page of Hot Wings and Homicide that didn’t have me grinning or giggling!
~Reading Is My SuperPower
About Hot Wings and Homicide
Hot Wings and Homicide (A Food Truck Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – San Francisco, California
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : May 12, 2026
Print length : 320 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-13 : 979-8892424417
Paperback
ISBN-13 : 979-8892424424
Digital
ISBN-13 : 979-8892424431
Audiobook
ASIN : B0FY43Z1DC
Twins Beth and Seth Lloyd are on the chopping block in the follow-up to A Murder Most Fowl, where a perfect recipe for murder is stirred up.
Business at Kluckin’ Good is smoking hot. To keep momentum going, Beth and her twin brother, Seth, just scored a prime spot at the Flavors of the Bay Food Festival. For three and a half days, food lovers will flock to the Bay Area’s biggest culinary event to enjoy gourmet food trucks, cook-offs, and live music, but this recipe for success is also the perfect setup for murder.
When the infamous food critic Brad Dawson—also Beth’s ex—turns up dead, the only clue at the scene of the crime is a Kluckin’ Good tumbler mug. The timing couldn’t be worse. Beth and Brad were seen in a heated altercation, and days prior, witnesses saw Seth punch Brad. Suspicion naturally falls on the twins. With the cops hot on their trail, Beth will have to avoid the flames to clear their names and save her food truck’s reputation.
But the chickens are out of the coop, and as Beth digs into Brad’s final hours, she will uncover rivalries, grudges, and a different side of Brad she never knew. If she doesn’t crack the case soon, she might be the next one to get cooked. Best of cluck!
A mouthwatering mystery for fans of Joanne Fluke that will leave you peckish for more.
About Carmela Dutra
Carmela Dutra is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. She is the author of the Food Truck Mysteries, including A Murder Most Fowl and Hot Wings and Homicide. Her series has been praised by Kirkus Reviews, which called her debut “a serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” and by Library Journal, which noted that Hot Wings and Homicide “is perfect for foodies.” Criminal Element highlighted the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself,” and New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams described the books as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun.” Carmela has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.
A lover of humor, quirky characters, and all things geeky, Carmela spends her days sketching, sipping far too much coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She lives with her husband and two dinosaur-obsessed sons, drawing inspiration from rainy afternoons, bustling farmers’ markets, and the unexpected moments that make life memorable.
Author Links
Website: Carmeladutra.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarmelaDutra/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcarmela
Threads: http://www.threads.com/authorcarmela
Twitter/X: https://x.com/authorcarmela
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240113718-hot-wings-and-homicide
Purchase Links – Universal Link Amazon Barnes & Noble
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 12 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
May 13 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
May 13 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 14 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
May 14 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
May 16 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
May 17 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 18 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 19 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 20 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
May 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
May 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
May 22 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
May 23 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
May 24 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
Author Guest Post
Why Food Is Always at the Center of My Mysteries
If you spend any time in my books, you’ll notice something pretty quickly: There’s always food.
Not just as background detail, but as something central to the story. My characters cook, eat, argue over meals, and gather around food in ways that feel just as important as solving the mystery itself.
That’s not an accident.
For me, food has always been tied to connection. Growing up, family gatherings weren’t just about showing up, they were about what was on the table. Recipes passed down, dishes that appeared at every family gathering, and the kind of meals that brought everyone into the same room, whether they planned to stay long or not.
Food has a way of doing that. It slows people down. Keeps them in one place long enough for conversations to happen and for stories to be told.
And sometimes… for secrets to slip out.
That’s part of why it works so well in cozy mysteries. You have this comforting, familiar element—something warm, inviting, and shared—set against the tension of a mystery. It creates this balance where readers can settle in, even while trying to figure out what’s going on.
In Hot Wings and Homicide, that balance shows up in a big way. The story revolves around a food truck food festival, where everything is fast-paced, messy, and full of flavor. Wings aren’t exactly a neat food. You don’t eat them politely. They’re bold, a little chaotic, and impossible to ignore. Which, in a lot of ways, mirrors the story itself.
But beyond that, food gives characters something real to hold onto. It’s where they relax, where they connect, where they let their guard down. And in a mystery, those moments matter. Because when people are comfortable, they reveal things they might not otherwise say.
It’s also where some of my favorite scenes live. The quieter ones where nothing explodes, no one is chasing a suspect, and yet something important is happening. A look, a line of dialogue, a realization that changes everything.
And of course, there’s the sensory side of it. There’s something deeply satisfying about reading a scene that makes you hungry. About imagining the smells, the flavors, the experience of it, the sizzle of something fresh off the grill, the sticky sweetness of sauce on your fingers, the kind of meal that demands you slow down and enjoy it.
That immersive feeling is something I never want to end when the story does. Which is exactly why I include recipes in the back of each of my books. For me, it’s a way to extend the experience beyond the final page. Readers don’t just close the book and walk away. They can step into the world in a tangible way. They can recreate a dish, bring a piece of the story into their own kitchen, and maybe even share it with the people around their table.
It turns the story into something you can taste. Something you can share. For me, that feels a little magical, and I want to share that magic with others. Because at the end of the day, food isn’t just part of the story. It’s part of the experience.
Question for readers:
Is there a food that instantly makes you think of home?
Giveaway
Prize – 2- Hot Wings and Homicide Prize Packs. Each pack will include a signed copy of Hot Wings and Homicide, a crocheted chicken bookmark, custom vinyl stickers, and an exclusive recipe card.
