Recipes For Love and Murder

When newspaper editor Hattie tells Maria that her recipe column is being discontinued, Maria and rookie journalist Jessie compete to write the new advice column—and, of course, Maria squeezes a recipe in there, too. One of Maria"s letter writers is a woman with an abusive husband, and when Jessie happens upon a crime scene, they quickly figure out that the victim is Maria"s letter writer, Martine.

Maria and Jessie and local detective Khaya are all trying to solve Martine"s murder. The prime suspects are Dirk, Martine"s husband, and Anna, her best friend, who was also in love with her. Without enough evidence to charge either of them, the police let them go, but tensions between the two quickly boil over into violence. Meanwhile, in Scotland two people are trying to track down Maria.

While scrutinizing the crime scene late at night, Jessie and Maria hear another murder taking place, as Martine"s gardener, Lawrence, is killed. Scared off from investigating, Maria tries to help a man who has been deceiving his fiancée, and Jessie helps her mother solve a mystery at the local hospital. Meanwhile, Anna and Dirk are still trying to kill each other, even from their hospital beds.

Martine"s cousin Candy arrives in town to plan the funeral, and she quickly gets in the way of Jessie and Regardt"s budding romance. With Jessie avoiding the office, Maria focuses on a letter writer in search of her father and tries to avoid her Scottish connections, who are still looking for her. After learning what Grace had to say about Martine, Candy is convinced she knows who the killer is.

Maria and Candy confront John, Martine"s ex, but he insists he"s innocent. Marius Rabie, a local property developer, puts pressure on Dirk to sell his land to him and tries to get the Gazette to stop running articles with a political angle. Maria unravels the misunderstanding about what happened between Regardt and Candy.

Prison escapees Dirk and Anna attack John, believing him to be the killer. While Candy begins a flirtation with Khaya, Maria tries to help a letter writer with a very unusual doughnut problem. At Martine"s funeral, her father collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Khaya confides in Maria that he suspects Martine"s brother could be the killer.

A last-minute will by Martine"s dad is not what it seems, and the doctor reveals the truth about his collapse. While Maria tries to help some sparring siblings, she gets a death threat and is placed under police protection. Maria"s memories of the past keep haunting her, and she and Jessie start to wonder if they have been missing something obvious all along.

Maria helps a letter writer struggling with her faith and finally figures out who has been following her around town. Jessie"s cousin who works at the Koop has a tip-off for her. Khaya and Maria bond over dinner, but their evening is cut short when they get a shocking call.

As Maria retraces Jessie"s steps, the police try to track down Jessie"s cousin. Following up on a hunch, Maria makes a discovery at Martine"s house—but not before the killer discovers her. With her life at stake, Maria agrees to an unusual culinary request. The police also figure out who the killer is, but will they be too late?

Maria makes a desperate escape with the killer in pursuit, as the police close in. A frantic search ensues for Jessie, but the amount of ground to cover over the Karoo"s vast terrain is daunting. An emotional Maria and Khaya finally allow themselves some time to connect, bolstering Maria to face her past when it arrives on her doorstep.