Burnt Ends

＂A toothsome treat of a book by a debut mystery writer.＂ --Kirkus Reviews

＂This sizzling whodunit deserves a sequel.＂ --Publishers Weekly

Murder is juicier with a side of barbecue sauce.

Private Investigator Tori Swenson gets a strange accidental death case that looks like murder at one of her uncle’s drive-ins and decides it’s time to get revenge on her estranged family. Pretending to want a reunion, she appears at her uncle’s party to secretly investigate them. When her uncle suddenly dies, Tori’s case takes a sinister turn that makes her a suspect in her uncle’s death and the killer’s next target. To uncover who dethroned the barbecue king, Tori will have to face her own fiery demons while pursuing a killer who wants to make dead meat out of her.

For fans of Knives Out and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Burnt Ends (CamCat Books 2024) was inspired by Laura’s uncle who ran a successful burger drive-in chain in Ohio, as well as her experience living in Kansas City, Missouri. Laura has written other works including a fictitious memoir on Russian Literature, a Social Security thriller, and a young adult historical. She is currently working on a Georgetown whodunnit and also enjoys writing children’s poetry.

Laura has a Bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Russian and English Literature and a Master’s degree in Russian Literature from Northwestern University. She is the Senior Editor at the Department of Energy’s Office of the Inspector General and lives in Washington, D.C.