Blog Tour & Giveaway: Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz

Judging a book by its cover
By Leslie Budewitz

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” As a metaphor, it’s spot-on: Don’t judge the interior by the exterior; don’t assume you know a person’s nature—their heart, mind, and values—by their appearance.

When it comes to actual books, though, we do it all the time. And it’s not a bad way to make that first decision—“Is this a book I’m likely to enjoy?” Occasionally, there’s a miss—a cat prances across the cover of a book with no felines, or the cover shows a bridge that appeared in a previous draft only to be demolished by the wrecking ball of later edits.

But in the world of the light-hearted mystery, the cover works hard. It cues us in to the protagonist’s occupation and where she spends most of her time, conveys the mood of the story, and may offer clues to the central conflict. Food, pets, and even the murder weapon are common elements.

I love hearing reader compliments about my covers. While I adore them all, ASSAULT AND PEPPER may be my favorite cover yet. My publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, part of Penguin Random House, contracts with artists who have a magical ability to convey our story worlds in pictures. (Both my series are illustrated by the same artist.) Authors provide images and a description of key locations— the cover of the first book in a series usually showcases the protagonist’s shop, library, or bakery, while later covers illustrate a location that features in the story. The artist may also read a draft, or at the least, a synopsis.

The cover of ASSAULT AND PEPPER takes us inside Pepper Reece’s Seattle Spice Shop, with the Pike Place Market visible through the open door and window. Shelves brim with spice jars. Pepper’s collection of antique grinders and spice boxes can be seen on the shelves beneath the front counter, and the pseudo-samovar the staff uses to serve sample cups of tea sits on a vintage tea cart Pepper snatched up on a junking trip with her BFF, Kristen. Both the samovar and the sample cups—a few are littered on the floor—are critical to the story.

And so, of course, is Arf the dog, who comes alive on the cover. It’s been great fun to see how my artist works Mr. Sandburg, Erin Murphy’s Burmese cat, into the covers of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries. He lives at home with her, not in the shop, but there he is on the cover of DEATH AL DENTE, demonstrating both his cuteness and his influence over Erin. On the cover of CRIME RIB, he and Pepé, his dog-in-law, join Duke the Retriever, who belongs to one of the chefs competing in the steak grill-off, for a romp on the stone patio of Caldwell’s Eagle Lake Lodge. The lodge is the scene of both festivities and crime. In BUTTER OFF DEAD (coming July 2015), Mr. Sandburg takes in a movie, presiding over a concession stand brimming with the over-the-top treats typical of the Food Lovers’ books. The artist even worked in the movie posters that play a role in the story. And if you look closely, you’ll see another cat ….

My artist, Ben Perini, illustrates covers in other styles as well—he’s done covers for J.A. Jance, literary novelists, and even nonfiction. He’s also a fine artist who calls himself “a professional dreamer.” His covers are your invitation to enter the world of my dreams and play for a while.

So, welcome—come on in.

About the Author:

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries and the Food Lovers Village Mysteries, both from Berkley Prime Crime. She is the only author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction—the 2013 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, for Death al Dente and the 2011 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction, for Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure (Quill Driver Books). She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

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From the cover of ASSAULT AND PEPPER:

Pepper Reece, owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, thinks she can handle any kind of salty customer—until a murderer ends up in the mix…

After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and Market regulars.

But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on her doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle—especially after the police arrest Tory Finch, one of Pepper’s staffers, for murder.

Tory seems to know why she’s a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she’s not careful, Pepper’s nosy ways might make her next on the killer’s list…

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Jennifer’s Review of Assault and Pepper

Review (4.5 Stars): Pepper Reece is the owner of the Seattle Spice Shop in the lovely Pike Place Market and life is slowly coming together for her when she discovers a body of a homeless man on the shop’s front doorstep.  Pepper recognizes the panhandler from her interaction with him the day before and believes that the man simply died from natural causes. Soon, she discovers that the police believe that the man was murdered and one of her employees has been arrested for the crime.  Pepper knows that she is innocent and decides that she needs to find some clues before an innocent woman is put away for a crime she didn’t commit.

I loved Pepper and the gang at Seattle Spice Shop.  Pike Place Market has always been one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in Seattle and Ms. Budewitz has done a wonderful job of putting you right there with Pepper and savoring the ambiance that is the Market.  I enjoyed learning about Pepper’s shop and the different spices that she had available for her customers.  These characters are an absolute delight to spend time with and Assault and Pepper has the perfect aroma of mystery that is sure to be a delicious treat to cozy readers.  Can’t wait to see what Pepper and the gang are up to in the next installment of this series.

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