Double Shots, Donuts, and Dead Dudes Read online

  Fill baking pans to three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

  For topping: Melt butter in a small pan. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Dip each donut in the butter first then the mixture, on one or both sides.

  About the Author

  Harper Lin is a USA TODAY bestselling cozy mystery author.

  When she's not reading or writing, she loves hiking, doing yoga, and hanging out with her family and friends.

  For a complete list of her books by series, visit her website. Follow Harper on social media using the icons below for the latest insider news.

  www.HarperLin.com

  Want new Harper Lin ebook releases for 99¢?

  Sign up for the newsletter HERE

  A Note From Harper

  Thank you so much for reading Double Shots, Donuts, and Dead Dudes. If you were entertained by this Cape Bay Cafe mystery, please recommend it to friends and family who would enjoy it too. I would also really appreciate it if you could write a book review to help spread the word.

  If you like this series, you might also enjoy my other series:

  • The Pink Cupcake Mysteries: A new divorcée sells delicious cupcakes from a pink food truck, to the chagrin of her ex-husband. Each book includes cupcake recipes.

  • The Patisserie Mysteries: An heiress to a famous French patisserie chain takes over the family business, while using her status as a Parisian socialite to solve murders in high society. Each book includes French dessert recipes.

  • Secret Agent Granny: 70-year-old Barbara, a sweet grandmother—and a badass ex-CIA agent, is bored in retirement, until someone in her small town is murdered.

  • The Wonder Cats Mysteries: three witches and their magical cats solve paranormal murder cases in the mystical town of Wonder Falls

  • The Emma Wild Mysteries: a 4-Book holiday cozy series about a famous singer returning to her small Canadian town. Each book includes holiday dessert recipes.

  If you want to be the first to hear about new book releases and 99¢ early bird specials, sign up for my mailing list.

  I’m also on Facebook, where I’ll be holding giveaways, sharing recipes, and posting about what I’m reading at the moment.

  If you’d like to buy mugs, tote bags, posters, T-shirts, and more products featuring my book covers, please visit my Zazzle Store.

  Follow my Pinterest boards to see the locations and inspirations behind each book.

  You can also connect with me on Goodreads.

  If you’d like to get in touch with me directly, you can email me at [email protected]. I would love to hear what you think about the books. Do also drop me a note if you happen to catch any mistakes. While each book is edited and proofread by professionals, errors can still slip through sometimes. As an indie writer, I want to provide readers with the smoothest read possible.

  Last but not least, visit my website for the latest news and my blog.

  Thanks and much love,

  Harper

  Excerpt from “Macaron Murder”

  Clémence Damour carried her travel backpack up the exit staircase of Métro Trocadéro. She faced the familiar bustle of the Parisian cafés brimming with locals and tourists alike while lanky waiters in white dress shirts and black vests served them with grim politeness. After spending more than twenty-one hours on a flight from Melbourne then riding the RER B train from Charles de Gaulle Airport, she felt exhausted and more than a little gross. She hadn’t showered in two days and had slept terribly on the plane.

  Australia had been her last stop after traveling the world for two years, and now she was back in her hometown of Paris, France. The posh sixteenth arrondissement hadn’t always been her neighborhood. Her parents acquired their luxury three-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a Haussmannian building in one of Paris’s most exclusive neighborhoods after she had graduated lycée, the French equivalent of high school. She had actually grown up in a humble house in the suburbs and wasn’t used to the chic ladies in Chanel jackets with their Hermès bags and the dashing men in well-cut Armani suits.

  Among the well coiffed and the well dressed now, she felt like a hobo with her unwashed hair, her grubby travel clothes, and her unfashionable backpack. People-watching was a popular Parisian pastime, and she could feel the eyes on her as she walked from the Métro exit to a nearby bench. They didn’t know that she was the heiress to one of the country’s most popular dessert and pastry chains.

  It was strange to be back in Paris after all that she’d seen and experienced on her travels. She saw her surroundings with fresh eyes, as the snap-happy tourists would: the beautiful, uniform architecture; the cafés with the tiny tables barely big enough for one person, let alone two; the grand museums of the Palais de Chaillot etched with lines of poetry by Paul Valéry; the trees just beginning to bloom in the onset of spring. But her favorite view was the one directly across from Café du Trocadéro.

  Her old friend, the iconic Eiffel Tower, stood strong and confident across the Seine River. Place du Trocadéro had the best viewing platform facing the tower, where ecstatic tourists gathered to pose for photos.

  Clémence sat down on the bench to admire the view. Even though she was a French native, she never got tired of staring at her. The tower was female, as La Tour Eiffel used a feminine article. La Tour stood so boldly, with such strength and conviction of her own beauty and power, that Clémence was inspired by her mere presence.

  Whenever Clémence used to visit her parents’ apartment, she would sit on the balcony, which also had a great view of La Tour, with a cup of tea. She could easily spend an afternoon staring and meditating as a way of unwinding.

  She had really lived in the last two years of her life, but now that she was back, her travels felt like a long distraction from her Parisian life.

  She sighed as she looked at her old friend now and spoke to her silently. I’m back. Did you miss me? I guess it was time to come back to reality.

  Macaron Murder is available everywhere