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Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipes come from Kathy Harris’s Deadly Conclusion--book 3 in her Deadly Secrets series.  

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent Beau Gardner and dog trainer Keely Lambert take a pause in suspenseful action at the Country Boy restaurant in Leiper’s Fork Tennessee, near Nashville for a southern breakfast.

Here’s the Scene:

“Hot breakfast!” The waitress set a steaming plate of food in front of Beau. It was a feast for his eyes—scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown casserole, and biscuits. The savory, sweet smell of bacon caused his stomach to rumble. He hadn’t had a breakfast like this in a year.

“I’ll be right back with the other food,” the waitress said.

“I had forgotten how big these biscuits are.”

Keely smiled. “Catheads. My mother used to make—”

Beau’s phone rang. It was Emma.

“Is everything OK?”

“Stop worrying . . . we’re good,” Emma assured him. “Connor is back to being a spunky six-year-old. Devon and I have been trying to temper him with reminders about his birthday party on Saturday. That’s why I’m calling. He asked me to invite Uncle Beau to his party.”

“What time?”

“One o’clock. Unless you want to eat hot dogs with us. In that case, noon.”

Beau chuckled. “I’ll pass on the hot dogs and see you at one.”

“Thank you. He’ll be so excited.” She hesitated. “He’s asking for Keely to come to the party too—and to bring her ‘hero dog.’ His words, not mine. Before I call her, I wanted to make sure you were OK with that.”

“Of course. I’m sitting here with her right now. Do you want me to ask?” He glanced to Keely.

“Oh . . . sure. That would be great.”

“I’ll call you back this afternoon.”

Beau placed his phone on the table and looked to Keely. “I have been asked to pass along an invitation to you.”

“From?”

“From Connor.”

She smiled.

“He wants to know if you and Titan will come to his birthday party on Saturday.”

“Really?” Her eyes danced. “That will be a first! But there’s no reason we can’t.” She sat back in her chair. “But we don’t do dog tricks. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“I don’t think he’s expecting that.” Beau laughed.

Kathy Harris, Deadly Conclusion (The Deadly Secrets Book #3), Iron Stream Fiction ©2022

Author Kathy Harris shares these family recipes:

                                     Biscuits, Una’s & Una’s Chocolate Gravy

For the recipes go to Investigatin’ Recipes above under Investigator’s News or Click Here.

More About Deadly Conclusion (Deadly Secrets Book 3):

A Fast-Paced Suspense Book You Can’t Put Down

In the thrilling conclusion of the “Deadly Secrets” series, dog trainer Keely Lambert breaks in Titan, a new shepherd, during a rescue mission to find little Conner Wells. Aided by childhood friend, Beau Gardner of the TBI and Conner’s uncle, Keely finds the boy deep inside Beaman Park.

But Conner is not all that Keely found. On the way back to the welcome center, she notices something sticking out of the dirt—the military dog tags of her father who disappeared more than two decades before.

The discovery sets Keely on a hunt to unearth her father’s killer, only to be thwarted by multiple setbacks—the murder of Beau’s father, the kidnapping of her mother, and her kennel being set on fire in the middle of the night. After Keely is kidnapped herself, Beau leads a manhunt to find her before the outcome reaches a deadly conclusion.

About the Author:

Kathy Harris has worked as a marketing director in the Nashville music industry for more than 30 years. Her first professional writing job was freelancing entertainer biographies. Later she wrote and co-wrote news stories and columns for various music publications, eventually contributing to anthologies for Thomas Nelson, Tyndale House, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Kathy's debut novel, The Road to Mercy, was released in 2012 by Abingdon Press. Deadly Conclusion, her third book in The Deadly Secrets series, released from Iron Stream Fiction on November 1, 2022. Kathy has regularly hosted music and literary guests on her Divine Detour blog since 2010. For more information, visit Kathy’s website, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.