Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sympathy for the Devil | 1998 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 2 | Immaculate Reception | 1999 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 3 | Killer Wedding | 2000 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 4 | Dim Sum Dead | 2001 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 5 | Mumbo Gumbo | 2003 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 6 | Perfect Sax | 2004 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 7 | The Flaming Luau of Death | 2005 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
| 8 | Desperately Seeking Sushi | 2008 | Jerrilyn Farmer | Buy |
The Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery series follows a Los Angeles caterer whose work puts her in close contact with the city’s wealthy and sometimes dangerous elite. Starting with Sympathy for the Devil in 1998, the series mixes lighthearted humor with genuine mystery plotting as Madeline navigates both difficult clients and dead bodies.
Each book in the series ties food and entertaining into the mystery, drawing on Farmer’s own interest in cooking and Los Angeles culture. The titles run from Sympathy for the Devil through Desperately Seeking Sushi, with Madeline taking on increasingly complicated cases at weddings, film industry events, dim sum restaurants, and Hawaiian luaus.