A desperate mother begs caterer River Holloway to find her grown son, Chili Bolz, who's gone missing.

Deputy Lance Hamlyn, a newcomer to Shell Island, has hit a dead-end in trying to locate the missing man. Familiar with River's reputation, he attempts to team up with her, hoping her inside track with the locals might aid his investigation. But the simple missing person case begins to boil over into something far more frightening when Chili's mother falls victim to a brutal assault. Worse, her dying words to River seem to incriminate more than one of River's friends in both kidnapping and, now, murder.

While Deputy Hamlyn conducts the formal criminal investigation, River uses her time between catering events to do some sleuthing on her own. Her efforts are hampered by the unexpected return of her absentee boyfriend, who has his own reasons for keeping her safe. With the number of suspects growing longer than her food shopping list, River soon finds herself caught in an unsavory recipe for disaster. She must locate the missing Chili and discover who killed his mother before her own goose is quite literally cooked!

Maggie Toussaint serves up a fun and captivating read in Seas the Day, the first in her Seafood Caper Mystery series! Complete with Southern recipes.