Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils: A Mystery (Savvy Summers Mysteries)
Cozy Culinary Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Illinois
Publisher : Minotaur Books
Publication date : July 21, 2026
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250428068
ISBN-13 : 978-1250428066
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1250428073
ASIN : B0FLZ4MXPD
Audiobook
ASIN B0FRB6KHGS
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?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Creole classics with a custom twist are on the menu when Savvy Summers caters a luncheon for Lefty Lucy, a left-handed tool design firm. The next day, when she returns to pick up a piece of equipment, she witnesses one of the employees suffering a health emergency after eating a sandwich Savvy had prepared. The woman later dies, putting Savvy, her food, and her business in the middle of another murder investigation. The sandwich had been tampered with, and Savvy’s friend Dori is Detective Emerson Jacob’s prime suspect. Determined to clear Dori’s name and the reputation of her soul food café, Savvy and her assistant manager Penny Lopés serve up their po’boys and try to serve up a little justice.
Sandra Jackson-Opoku has created fabulous characters for this series. Savvy is sassy, smart, and fun. She is always trying to take her soul food to the next level. Penny is a hoot with her vast music knowledge and her bursting into song whenever she can. Savvy’s “wasband”, Chicago Police Sergeant Fanon Franklin, stops by the café often and may have hopes of rekindling his relationship with Savvy. Detective Emerson Jacobs just wishes Savvy would keep her mind on her business and out of her investigation. Savvy’s daughter, Nzinga, calls her mom with some interesting information that really makes Savvy think.
In this installment, Savvy meets an intriguing unhoused man, Jimmy Blue, and his dog, Sergeant Stubby. Jimmy Blue is teaching his dog to speak in a unique way. A person clearly hiding their identity visits the café daily. They have Penny quite twitterpated, but Savvy just rolls with it. When and if they open up needs to happen at the customer’s pace. We are also introduced to the staff of Lefty Lucy: Savvy’s friend Dori, Kaden Boudreaux (Kahuna), Marge, and Minerva.
Something is truly wrong at Lefty Lucy, but would one of them kill to get what they want? Who else had access to the premises? I really enjoyed how Ms. Jackson-Opoku twisted together what was happening in Savvy’s life, the mystery guest, the unhoused man, his dog, and the murder. The story flowed seamlessly, with twists and turns, and clues precisely placed. I had a great time tagging along for all of it and appreciated the summary of the case and the outcome of all involved to tie up any loose ends.
As mentioned in Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes and throughout this book, Essie’s Café is closing while a new “multimillion-dollar community development” takes place. The ending was a little heartbreaking, but Savvy’s future looks bright. She will be catering, has landed a primo place to stay, and the new Essie’s place will be opening within the year. I hope readers are invited to the grand opening and a new mystery.
Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils is a fresh and fun cozy mystery with engaging and unique characters, a captivating whodunit, and delectable soul food, wrapped in Chicago history. A Perfect Escape that I highly recommend. Read Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes first for maximum enjoyment. Be sure to check out the recipes!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
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.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.
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