Bruce Leonard never dreamed of owning a bakery. He wanted to be a novelist, but he found himself flour-dusted and sleep-deprived after his mother and he opened The Blues Bakery in Ventura, California. He loved creating recipes, interacting with customers, and drinking Blues Brew, the bakery's proprietary blend. But the physical demands of the job wore out his body, and the Leonards were forced to sell the business.
Bruce eventually became a novelist, writing Quilt City Murder, named Best Mystery of 2022 by the National Indie Excellence Awards, then Quilt City: Panic in Paducah, which raced to the Number One Best Seller rank on Amazon in the Quilts & Quilting category. Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice and Quilt City: Proving a Negative both received higher ratings and even more-stellar reviews than the first two Hadley Carroll Mysteries.
Many readers responded enthusiastically to the distinctive insights, humor, life experiences, and adventures of Hadley Carroll, the wise-cracking quilter, journalist, and narrator of these cozy mysteries. Bruce combined his two most significant skills-baking and writing-to create Quilt City Cookbook.
Hadley narrates the book, relating humorous anecdotes and poignant events from her troubled childhood. Does she also include savory recipes and sprinkle jokes and possible plot points for future Hadley Carroll Mysteries throughout the cookbook? The answer is yes, a delicious yes.