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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Whipped and Sipped Cozy Mystery Series by G.P. Gottlieb. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

About The Whipped and Sipped Cozy Mystery Series

Welcome to Whipped & Sipped—where the pastries are guilt-free, the coffee is strong, and the gossip might just get you killed.

Murder is on the menu—served warm with muffins and lattes.

Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Illinois
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anamcara Press LLC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 284 pages
Paperback

Alene Baron has built more than a café—she’s built a community. At Whipped & Sipped, customers linger over Ruthie’s decadent-but-healthy desserts, children flock to Saturday story hour, and knitting groups craft blankets for refugee families. Alene prides herself on knowing her patrons so well she can often place “a wholegrain blueberry muffin on the counter before the customer themselves knew” they wanted it.

But when her neighbor and close friend is murdered, Alene’s cozy world begins to unravel. Suddenly, everyone she knows could be a suspect, and she starts noticing the smallest inconsistencies, furtive glances, and unexplained comings and goings around the café. With each clue and misstep, Alene pieces together a tangled web of secrets, realizing that danger may be closer than she ever imagined—and that her own family could be in the killer’s sights.

With her sharp eye for detail, wry sense of humor, and fierce devotion to her children, Alene steps into the role of amateur sleuth. But in a community where tempers flare over hot chocolate, grudges linger for years, and secrets hide beneath friendly smiles, finding the killer may prove harder than whipping up the perfect soufflé.

Battered, the first in G.P. Gottlieb’s Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series, is a delectable blend of mouthwatering recipes, quirky neighborhood drama, and page-turning suspense. Perfect for fans of culinary cozies, it’s a tale where friendship, food, and murder are always on the menu.

Smothered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Illinois
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anamcara Press LLC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 30, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
Paperback

Murder is on the menu—served warm with muffins and lattes.

In the second Whipped and Sipped Mystery, café owner Alene Baron isn’t exactly grieving when the neighboring business owner is found dead in his office. Stanley Huff was shady, sloppy, and smug about his dubious food supplements—and his watery smoothies didn’t help. He also never cleaned up his trash in their shared alley. Stanley had plenty of enemies. Unfortunately, one of them may be Alene’s own employee—who has now vanished.

The real surprise isn’t who wanted him dead—it’s how many people did. Drawn into the investigation, caterer and reluctant sleuth Alene uncovers a snarl of family drama involving a missing will, bitter heirs, and long-buried financial secrets. Every lead contradicts the last, red herrings pile up, and resentments simmer just beneath the surface.

As the mystery deepens, Alene juggles more than suspects. Between running her café, caring for her family, and protecting her staff, she finds herself relying on sharp instincts, quiet observation, and a steady supply of inventive vegan dishes. Food and detection go hand in hand, adding warmth, humor, and heart to every turn of the case.
With its cozy charm and relatable heroine, Smothered is more than a clever whodunit. It explores family ties, the corrosive pull of greed, and the small truths people reveal under pressure. Rich in character, culinary flair, and emotional insight, this mystery delivers satisfying twists—and leaves a lasting aftertaste.

Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Illinois
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anamcara Press LLC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 30, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages

At the Whipped and Sipped Café, Alene Baron knows how to handle a kitchen fire—but this blaze may burn far beyond her control.

When a suspicious fire draws Alene, her loyal friend Kacey, and Kacey’s boyfriend Kofi to a charred property in search of salvaged wood, they expect nothing more than a little trespassing and a lot of soot. Instead, whispers of arson swirl through their tight-knit community—and before long, a body turns up amid the ashes.

Kofi fears the police will come knocking. Kacey fears someone saw them. And Alene is caught in the middle, torn between protecting the people she loves and telling the truth to her partner, homicide detective Frank. Shaw Because in this town, secrets don’t stay buried. They smolder.

Character Guest Post

Edith’s Forty Years at the Whipped & Sipped Café

Dear Alene,

I know how much you wanted to have a video to play during Edith’s 40th anniversary party, but I was spectacularly unsuccessful in getting anything worthwhile on the recording. I interviewed her as you requested. She refused to go on camera unless her face was darkened. Here’s the video:

Kacey: Good morning, Edith. Alene wanted me to ask you a few questions about working here, so let’s start with how old you are and how have you lasted for forty years at the Whipped & Sipped Café?

Edith: None of your business how old I am, and you know I’ve loved this place all these years. It’s always been a home away from home. But it’s only been the Whipped and Sipped Café for nine years, since Alene bought it from my brother. Why, since she’s the owner, isn’t she asking me herself? Also, why didn’t anyone tell me I was going to be videotaped? I’d have gotten my hair done.

Kacey: I texted you about it last week and again this morning.

Edith: Why would you think that I read texts? Also, who’s going to see this video? I don’t need the whole city of Chicago to know my business. Just because I have no family doesn’t mean you should all try to gang up on me.

Kacey: No one is ganging up on you, Edith, and the video it to celebrate your 40 years of working in this place even if it had two different names. Also, I’m your brother’s daughter – aren’t I part of your family?

Edith: You did nothing but disappoint my brother when he was alive, you probably caused your parents’ divorce, and then you nearly destroyed Alene and Frank’s relationship. Your being a part of the family hasn’t been beneficial to anyone.

Kacey: That’s hurtful, Edith, and I’m not responsible for Alene choosing to keep secrets from Frank. Second, my father would be proud of me for overcoming my addiction and finally getting cleaned up. Third, are you saying I’m not family because you don’t approve of my previous life?

Edith: I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth. I said you were a disappointment to your father when he was alive, and you keep being connected to murders.

Kacey: Everyone in this city is connected to murders, Edith. You have to remember that Alene was forced to get involved because Whipped and Sipped bags were found in the jacket pockets of two victims. I still want to know…

Edith: Everything isn’t always about you, Kacey.

Kacey: WHAT are you talking about? Why do you hate me so much?

Edith: Probably because your mother was mean to me and you look like her.

Kacey: You’re mad at me because my mother was mean?

Edith: Also, hardly anyone here is nice to me, and you’re Alene’s pet employee so nothing anyone else does in this café is good enough.

Kacey: That’s ridiculous, Edith.

Edith: That’s what you all think of me, isn’t it? Ridiculous old Edith.

Kacey: I think you’re the person who’s worked here longer than anyone else and you deserve to be in the video.

Edith: Maybe Alene’s just trying to embarrass me.

Kacey: Okay, we’re done here. Alene really wanted to honor you but she’s super busy right now.

Edith: That’s not my fault.

G.P. Gottlieb’s motto is, “Never pass up a piece of pie,” but she’s willing to try other pastries. The first three culinary mysteries in the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series were reissued by Anamcara Press in early 2026 and book # 4 will launch in the fall. She is a member of the Blackbird Writers, active in Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and Colorado, and has interviewed over 275 authors as host for New Books in Literature, a podcast channel on the New Books Network. Find her book reviews, essays, and recipes on Facebook and Substack.

About G.P. Gottlieb

G. P. Gottlieb has been a musician, teacher, and administrator, but she’s happiest writing recipe-laced murder mysteries and inventing mostly vegetarian recipes that are nothing like what she learned in courses at Chicago’s French Pastry School. Gottlieb is active in Sisters in Crime (Chicago and Colorado) and has interviewed over 275 authors as a host for New Books in Literature, a podcast channel on the New Books Network. She writes stories and essays that are published in a variety of journals and blogs, is a mother and grandmother, and lives with her husband in a Chicago high-rise that is strikingly similar to the building portrayed in the Whipped and Sipped Mystery series.

Author Links

Website: https://www.gpgottlieb.com/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gpgottlieb.bsky.social

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorgottlieb/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whippedsipped/

Medium.com: https://medium.com/@gpgottlieb

Substack: Recently started – https://substack.com/@gpgottlieb

Twitter: https://x.com/GottliebGp

Purchase Links