Description: "When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food cafâe, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area. Even as the police deem Grandy's death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself-- and her beloved cafâe--in the middle of an entire city's worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager Penny Lopâes take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy"--
Brief description: Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of the award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. She also coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works are widely published and produced in Adi Magazine, Midnight & Indigo, Aunt Chloe, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, New Daughters of Africa, Obsidian, Another Chicago Magazine, storySouth, Lifeline Theatre, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and others. Professional recognition includes a Plentitudes Journal Prize, the Hearst Foundation James Baldwin Fellowship at MacDowell Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, an American Library Association Black Caucus Award, a City of Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, a Globe Soup Story Award, the Joan Perry Barnes Fellow in Crime Writing at Storyknife Writers Retreat and a Pushcart Prize nomination.
Review Quotes:
"Novelist Jackson-Opoku makes her move to mystery with great flair and finesse, serving up a tasty combination of soul food comfort dishes that culinary mystery fans will crave, as well as a vividly evoked setting populated by an engaging community of characters about whom readers will come to care." --Library Journal (starred review)
"Entertaining, suspense-filled...unforgettable." --Shelf Awareness (starred review) "A charming mystery filled with quirky characters whose Southern roots influence their daily lives." --Kirkus Reviews"Feisty, well-drawn Savvy is a hero for fans of strong Black women protagonists, and the food frame, the lovingly described Chicago setting, and the delicious-sounding recipes will appeal to those who enjoy food-centered cozies." --Booklist "Bursting with personality, this cozy whodunit will have you hankering for both answers and a slice of sweet potato pie." --Good Housekeeping "Sinister suspects and culinary delights abound in Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." --Woman's World
"A delightful debut culinary cozy mystery... This is a wild ride of a story...[and] the characters are well developed and each unique." --Kings River Life Magazine
"Jackson-Opoku's debut cozy crime novel has charm, cadence, and culture." --Raquel V. Reyes, Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series "Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a delightful debut filled with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and unexpected twists. This loving tribute to soul food and its culture will leave you begging for a second helping." --Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of A Shimmer of Red, an Odessa Jones Mystery. "A whodunit that shines with culture, food, and an interesting murder, or two! Savvy Summer and the Sweet Potato Crimes introduces characters readers will love spending time with, a fun tale of mystery, delicious food descriptions and recipes. Cozy mystery enthusiasts will enjoy this first in series." --Abby Collette, author of A Deadly Inside Scoop "Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes offers the reader an intimate look into the world of Chicago soul food, plus a fun mystery. Sit back and enjoy but beware the powerful pangs of hunger Sapphire can create. And remember it's a sin to die before you finish your sweet potato pie." --Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author "Jackson-Opoku's seasoned Sapphire Summers transforms the world and conventions of the mystery novel into allegory of Black women's power to balance the scales tipped by race and class. But for paying homage to African American soul food and Chicago's one-of-a-kind Pan-African population along the way to justice for a senseless inner-city murder, Jackson-Opoku stands alone and may have just begun a new genre for others to follow her into." --Kalisha Buckhanon, critically acclaimed author of Speaking of Summer and Upstate "A homespun traditional mystery with tons of Chicago culture and great soul food recipes." --Kallie E. Benjamin, author of the Bailey the Bloodhound mysteries.
"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a very modern take on the traditional cozies I loved as a child, complete with a memorable cast of characters and a shocking ending I definitely didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to more adventures - and recipes - in this mouthwatering new series." --Kellye Garrett, award winning author of Missing White Woman "Dead guy at table 2! Was owner Savvy Summers' vegan sweet potato pie to blame? Child, hush your mouth! What a fun read! And set in Chicago, too! Jackson-Opoku has given us wonderful characters we can root for. Two whisks up for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." --Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Det. Harriet Foster series "Jackson-Opoku cooks up a delightful tale featuring strong-minded Savvy Summers in the lead; the twisty mystery is sweetened with delicious recipes and witty sayings." --Jennifer J. Chow, Agatha Award-nominated author "Is a cozy mystery allowed to be this wild? Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is soul food for cozy readers who carry hot sauce in their bags." --Lori Rader-Day, award-winning author of Wreck Your Heart