Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils: A Mystery (Savvy Summers Mysteries #2)

Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils: A Mystery (Savvy Summers Mysteries #2)

$33.60

Biographical Note: SANDRA JACKSON-OPOKU is the author of the award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. She also...

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Biographical Note:
SANDRA JACKSON-OPOKU is the author of the award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. She also coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works are widely published and produced in Adi Magazine, Midnight & Indigo, Aunt Chloe, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, New Daughters of Africa, Obsidian, Another Chicago Magazine, storySouth, Lifeline Theatre, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and others.

Review Quotes:

"An enjoyably snarky mystery mixing some history of the Great Migration, recipes, and a lovable dog." --Kirkus Reviews

"With her trademark wit and wise sayings from her late aunt, Savvy uses her smarts and intuition to find the killer. Savvy's fans will be delighted with this return to Essie's Place." --Library Journal

"Firmly set on Chicago's South Side and framed with details of soul food and Creole cooking (including recipes), [Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils] is populated with well-drawn characters, especially the warm, principled Savvy, and will be relished by fans of culinary cozies." --Booklist

"What's really fun about Jackson-Opoku's books is the richness of detail--with references to poetry, fiction, and song scattered throughout the text--as well as reports from friends and family... A great new series to enjoy." --First Clue

Praise for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes

"Novelist Jackson-Opoku makes her move to mystery with great flair and finesse, serving up a tasty combination of soul food comfort dishes that culinary mystery fans will crave, as well as a vividly evoked setting populated by an engaging community of characters about whom readers will come to care." -- Library Journal (starred review)

"Entertaining, suspense-filled...unforgettable." -- Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"A charming mystery filled with quirky characters whose Southern roots influence their daily lives." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Feisty, well-drawn Savvy is a hero for fans of strong Black women protagonists, and the food frame, the lovingly described Chicago setting, and the delicious-sounding recipes will appeal to those who enjoy food-centered cozies." -- Booklist

"Sinister suspects and culinary delights abound in Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." -- Woman's World

"Jackson-Opoku's debut cozy crime novel has charm, cadence, and culture." --Raquel V. Reyes, Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series

" Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a delightful debut filled with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and unexpected twists. This loving tribute to soul food and its culture will leave you begging for a second helping." --Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of A Shimmer of Red, an Odessa Jones Mystery.

"A whodunit that shines with culture, food, and an interesting murder, or two! Savvy Summer and the Sweet Potato Crimes introduces characters readers will love spending time with, a fun tale of mystery, delicious food descriptions and recipes. Cozy mystery enthusiasts will enjoy this first in series." --Abby Collette, author of A Deadly Inside Scoop

" Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes offers the reader an intimate look into the world of Chicago soul food, plus a fun mystery. Sit back and enjoy but beware the powerful pangs of hunger Sapphire can create. And remember it's a sin to die before you finish your sweet potato pie." --Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author

"Jackson-Opoku's seasoned Sapphire Summers transforms the world and conventions of the mystery novel into allegory of Black women's power to balance the scales tipped by race and class. But for paying homage to African American soul food and Chicago's one-of-a-kind Pan-African population along the way to justice for a senseless inner-city murder, Jackson-Opoku stands alone and may have just begun a new genre for others to follow her into." --Kalisha Buckhanon, critically acclaimed author of Speaking of Summer and Upstate

"A homespun traditional mystery with tons of Chicago culture and great soul food recipes." --Kallie E. Benjamin, author of the Bailey the Bloodhound mysteries.

"Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
is a very modern take on the traditional cozies I loved as a child, complete with a memorable cast of characters and a shocking ending I definitely didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to more adventures - and recipes - in this mouthwatering new series." --Kellye Garrett, award winning author of Missing White Woman

"Dead guy at table 2! Was owner Savvy Summers' vegan sweet potato pie to blame? Child, hush your mouth! What a fun read! And set in Chicago, too! Jackson-Opoku has given us wonderful characters we can root for. Two whisks up for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes." --Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Det. Harriet Foster series

"Jackson-Opoku cooks up a delightful tale featuring strong-minded Savvy Summers in the lead; the twisty mystery is sweetened with delicious recipes and witty sayings." --Jennifer J. Chow, Agatha Award-nominated author

"Is a cozy mystery allowed to be this wild? Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is soul food for cozy readers who carry hot sauce in their bags." --Lori Rader-Day, award-winning author of Wreck Your Heart



Publisher Marketing:

The next delectable mystery featuring quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, owner of a soul food café in Chicago.

Savvy has her work cut out when an old friend hires her to cater a company luncheon at a nearby office building on Chicago's South Side. Stepping out of her traditional soul food comfort zone, Savvy whips together a menu of Creole classics, with her own spin, of course--mini po'boys with assorted fillings, sunburst salad, and bread pudding using Great Aunt Essie's famous buttermilk biscuits.

But when someone is found dead in the company's conference room, Savvy's culinary creations are suddenly in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. While the focus should be on their delicious flavors and inventive techniques, Savvy's beloved café instead becomes the center of a murder investigation once again.

Caught within a messy web of gossip, miscommunication, and fraught coworker relationships, Savvy will have to settle the confusion to clear her name. Somebody's hiding something, and with the help of her trusty assistant manager, Penny Lopés, Savvy sets out uncover exactly who is to blame. With familiar faces turning up the heat on her investigation and her café still in hot water, will Savvy be able to save her reputation before it's too late?



Review Citations:

  • Booklist 05/01/2026 (EAN 9781250428066, Hardcover)
  • Library Journal 06/01/2026 pg. 64 (EAN 9781250428066, Hardcover)
  • Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781250428066, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Jackson-Opoku, Sandra
Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of the award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. She also coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works are widely published and produced in Adi Magazine, Midnight & Indigo, Aunt Chloe, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, New Daughters of Africa, Obsidian, Another Chicago Magazine, storySouth, Lifeline Theatre, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and others. Professional recognition includes a Plentitudes Journal Prize, the Hearst Foundation James Baldwin Fellowship at MacDowell Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, an American Library Association Black Caucus Award, a City of Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, a Globe Soup Story Award, the Joan Perry Barnes Fellow in Crime Writing at Storyknife Writers Retreat and a Pushcart Prize nomination.