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    Pineapple Upside Down Murder: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, #1
    Pineapple Upside Down Murder: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, #1
    Pineapple Upside Down Murder: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, #1
    Ebook126 pages1 hourThe Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series

    Pineapple Upside Down Murder: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, #1

    By Jodi Rath

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    About this ebook

    Introducing Jolie Tucker, an introverted yet passionate restaurant co-owner of Cast Iron Creations, who, at her best friend Ava's request, steps out of her comfort zone. This leads her into the shade of a killer in the small, cozy village of Leavensport, Ohio.  The victim is the village's beloved Ellie Siler who runs the village sweet spot, Chocolate Capers.  Jolie finds her grandma Opal is a prime suspect and goes on a search for an answer only to find out that her family's secret recipes may not belong to the Tucker family at all.  Jolie's job, family, and livelihood are all on the line. The answers are assuredly lethal.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMYS ED LLC
    Release dateNov 23, 2018
    ISBN9781386389682
    Pineapple Upside Down Murder: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, #1
    Author

    Jodi Rath

    I am the owner of MYS ED LLC at www.jodirath.com.  Currently, I'm working on a cozy mystery series called The Cast Iron Skillet Mysteries. Book 1 will be coming out November 23, 2018 and it is titled Pineapple Upside down Murder.  I've also started working on a children's book called The Puppy-Toed Kitty and a YA book called The Cultural Mishaps of Savannah Lighthead. I also have one educational writing project that I’m currently working to complete on the topic of Social and Emotional Learning. I'm married to the perfect man for me with our family of eight cats. I have a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Teacher Education.  I taught English to high school students for 18 years and loved every minute of it! Currently, my business entails online adjunct work where I have the honor to work with Ohio teachers, and I do educational writing, and of course mystery writing.

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      Book preview

      Pineapple Upside Down Murder - Jodi Rath

      Table of Contents

      Pineapple Upside Down Murder

      Copyright Page

      Dedication

      Quote

      Map of Leavensport, Ohio

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Grandma Opal’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

      Coming Soon!

      About the Author

      Pineapple Upside Down Murder

      Jodi Rath

      Published by MYS ED llc

      PO Box 349

      Carroll, OH 43112

      First Printing, November 23, 2018

      Copyright © Jodi Rath, 2018

      All Rights Reserved

      Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      PUBLISHER’S NOTE

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

      The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

      The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

      https://www.jodirath.com

      Dedication

      It is with a joyful and happy heart that I have an opportunity to write a dedication page. Without the following people, I would not be writing this page after having written a book. I’d like to give a shout-out to Sisters in Crime and the AMAZING Guppy group; I could not ever ask for a more wonderful group of people to learn from and share experiences with. I have to thank the wonderful women in my life: Rebecca Grubb, who has been with me since day one of this journey into this story and has been relentless about keeping me focused. Also, I have to thank Mary Ann Ware, who has cheered me on and supported me when I felt like I was not going to make it. Rosie Walton, my mom, what can I possibly say? You have inspired me my entire life. I have watched the strong, independent woman you are and aimed to be just like you. Evelyn Walton, my grandma, who unknowingly gave me the idea to write this series when she gave me her seventy-year-old cast iron skillet for Christmas. She told me the only thing she ever made in it was pineapple upside down cake and I needed to continue to do the same. I will, Grandma, I promise. I have to thank my editor, Lourdes Venard, who gave me incredible advice and who put up with me emailing her back and forth with what seemed like a million questions. You are my rock! Karen Phillips, who designed the cover, did a fabulous job in bringing Jolie to life. Lastly, I have to thank my husband, Mike Rath, and our eight cats ...my family. They have all been very patient with me as I type away. They have listened to my gripes and let me read to them and talk through scenes. If I didn’t have the support of my family, I would be nothing. You are the ones who make me everything. I love you all!

      Last BUT NOT LEAST, I want to thank each and every one of you who purchased this book. I am so humbled that you would spend your hard-earned money on something I created. I feel so much gratitude for the kindness and support that I received from all of you! My hope is that you love and enjoy reading this book as much as I have loved and enjoyed writing it.

      Hugs and Love,

      "The ultimate mystery is one’s own self." –Sammy Davis Jr.

      Map of Leavensport, Ohio

      Chapter One

      I’ve always found every part of my life to be both beautiful and ugly at the same time. The next few weeks would not prove to be any different.

      I knew my grandma’s secret recipe for pineapple upside down cake by heart; it didn’t stop my need to have the family recipe next to me when I made it. Now, like the cake, my entire world had turned upside down.

      As I sat, I bent over and put my hands on my ears and laid my head in my lap, rocking slightly.

      Hey, Jolie, breathe. Look at me, please, Ava said with a concerned look on her face. Ava had been my best friend since we were in diapers, and she knew how I was when I was overwhelmed. She grabbed my hands and pushed me upright.

      I was taking deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. I ...can’t . . . I was trembling and my long breaths turned choppy.

      We will find them. I promise. Ava gave me a big hug, thwarting my attempts to go internal. Ava always smelled of coconuts, and I caught a whiff as we embraced.

      Ava and I had started a business a year ago called Cast Iron Creations. The two of us decided to split the business fifty-fifty, with Ava running the front of the store and the finances, while I focused on the back of the shop, doing the cooking, baking, and shopping. Both of us pitched in with advertising, and I helped with the money occasionally. This was perfect because Ava was more of the social sort while I was more shy and comfortable working on my own.

      The business was founded on my family’s secret cast iron skillet recipes, which had been passed down for ages. My great-grandfather had carved out a wooden recipe box for the treasured recipes. On the bottom of the box, my great-grandma, grandma, mom, and now I have carved our names out. I spent my childhood with close friends Ava, Betsy, and Lydia pretending to cook in my grandma’s kitchen in the cast iron skillets. Grandma’s best friend, Ellie Siler, had been a big influence in my life.

      I was hyperventilating because the Tucker family recipes had been stolen. Being a bit claustrophobic, especially in crisis mode, I slightly shoved Ava away from me as tears dropped off my cheeks.

      Hey, it will be okay. We need to pull ourselves together to figure out what happened, Ava said with a confidence I was not feeling at the moment. She pushed a thick, black ringlet behind her ear as she straightened her stance.

      You’re right; I’m sorry, I said, standing and rubbing my hands against my apron. I was just getting ready to make my Grandma Opal’s famous pineapple upside down cake. I always pulled the family recipes out when I baked; it was my routine. I kept the recipe box hidden in a false tile in our kitchen. When we bought the restaurant, I had wanted turquoise tile along the wall with the sink and oven; it reminded me of the ocean and helped make the kitchen a cheerful place to work. Ava’s girlfriend, Delilah, Leavensport’s resident artist, had made the false tile. But this morning, when I went to grab the box, it was gone.

      Listen, I know this is serious, but you know most of those recipes by heart, right? Ava asked.

      I mean, yeah, I do, but I have my routine. Plus, I’m not sure I can live with myself if I’m the one who loses our family heritage. What will my mom and grandma say? I wailed, on the verge of a full-blown outburst.

      Girl, stop, just stop for a minute. Everyone is always telling you that you are too hard on yourself! Stop trying to be perfect for once. Now, slow down, when was the last time you used them?

      Yesterday was the last time I saw them, when I was making the cast iron steak special. I put them away at closing time, I said.

      Ava rubbed her chin in thought. So, you hid them last night, before we closed and locked up. It’s 11 A.M. now, so someone had to have broken in overnight. Is there— Ava stopped in mid-thought as Roxi walked through the kitchen toward the back door.

      I’m sorry, it slowed down up front, and I thought I’d take some trash out before the lunch rush, Roxi, our part-time help, said as she realized she had walked in on something serious.

      It’s fine, Roxi, go ahead. Don’t worry; we’re trying to figure out an explanation to a problem, Ava said as Roxi

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