Description: Experienced pastry chef Johnson whips up an insider look at San Francisco's cut-throat restaurant trade. Cranky Mary Ryan has sunk a lot of time and talent into the in-vogue American Fare, the town's hottest spot, while grieving over her broken marriage. Then at work very early one morning, she steps on a laundry bag--stuffed with the dead body of one of her employees.
Review Quotes: "The restaurant business--its food, financing and philosophy--is here in all its complexity for discriminating mystery palates."--Publishers Weekly
"Claire M. Johnson's Beat Until Stiff deserves enthusiastic mention as a very special title which offers an unusually frank view of the cooking and restaurant scene in San Francisco. Herself a professional and experienced pastry chef, Claire Johnson presents the reader with a lively style that mixes autobiography with culinary and social insights. Highly recommended!" --Midwest Book Review
"Willy nilly, Johnson takes you there in a fast and furious place, often reminiscent of the theatrical ditto, complete with Hamlets and Greek choruses and magicians who don't quite get it right. Not only is this a treat; I read it through twice to make sure it was as good as I thought." -- Marilis Hornidge, The Courier-Gazette "Great plot with good characters and you'll learn a lot about the restaurant business, since author Johnson is also a pastry cook." -Culinary Mystery Review