Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | By Cook or by Crook | 2014 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 2 | Scam Chowder | 2015 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 3 | Final Fondue | 2016 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 4 | The Tell-Tale Tarte | 2017 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 5 | S’more Murders | 2018 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 6 | Crypt Suzette | 2019 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 7 | Gingerdead Man | 2020 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 8 | Bake Offed | 2022 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
| 9 | A Parfait Crime | 2023 | Maya Corrigan | Buy |
The Five-Ingredient Mystery series is set in the fictional town of Bayport on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Val Deniston moves in with her grandfather Don “Granddad” Maguire after a career setback in New York. She takes over the cafe at the local athletic club and helps her grandfather with his newspaper recipe column, which has one rule: every recipe uses five ingredients or fewer.
The mysteries grow out of small-town life. Someone dies, the circumstances look suspicious, and Val and her grandfather get pulled in — sometimes because they know the victim, sometimes because the evidence lands in their laps. The books balance the mystery plots with Val’s personal life, her evolving relationship with her grandfather, and the food that ties everything together.
Maya Corrigan gives each book a food-themed pun title and includes recipes at the back. The series ran nine books between 2014 and 2023, building a consistent cast of Bayport regulars alongside the rotating cast of suspects and victims.