by Linda Kay Hardie

The Perp Wore Pumpkin: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, edited by J. Alan Hartman.

Thanksgiving may be over for this year, but the holiday season is still chock-full of other family get-togethers. Sometimes some people get their fill of all this “happiness” and, well, let’s say they don’t react well. Also, on a more serious note, hunger is an issue that doesn’t go away when the giving season ends. That’s the reason for this suggestion to grab some copies of The Perp Wore Pumpkin and pass them out as last-minute gifts. Hey, these inexpensive books even make nice party favors!

But Perp does more than that. Buying this book actually puts food on the tables of America’s hungry families and solo folks. Here’s how White City Press puts it: “Thanks to the publisher’s ‘Misti Gives Back’ program, 100% of the net proceeds of the sales of this title will be split evenly among each of the contributors’ local Second Harvest Food Bank (a member of Feeding America) to help raise money to feed those most in need and at risk. If a contributor does not have a Second Harvest in their area, their share will go directly to Feeding America.”

The stories in this anthology take a comical look at crimes inspired by traditional Thanksgiving eats. The humor ranges from the slapstick to the snarky to the flat-out zany. Sandra Murphy’s “The Thanksgiving Parade” kicks off the book with talking turkey side dishes parading down Main Street, with some of the incognito participants having less-than-savory plans for the tasty annual event.

My story, “The Chile Pumpkin Pie Rebellion,” leans on snark to chronicle a dysfunctional holiday gathering of Louise’s in-laws that her critical, sharp-tongued husband drags her to. When her bossy sister-in-law demands she make pumpkin pies (knowing Louise is not a fan of this dessert), she decides to get back at this meat-and-potatoes family––but on the sly––with a recipe she found for Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie. Later, though, she comes up with an even better revenge plan.

The recipe is real. I found it in a copy of Sunset magazine mumblety years ago (yes, I am that old) in a feature called “A Southwest Thanksgiving.” In addition to the traditional pumpkin pie spices, you add ancho chile powder to the custard. Amazingly, it’s not the slightest bit hot (which Sandra Murphy would appreciate!). The chile adds a savory flavor of (dare I say it?) umami (the trendy foodie term meaning a tasty flavor that you can’t quite put your finger on). Like with my character Luisa, it’s the only pumpkin pie that I’ll eat without an entire tub of whipped cream dumped on top of each slice.

Here’s the recipe for the pie. And I’ll leave you to decide which story is the zany one. Or is it more than one? Read and find out! sunset.com/recipe/ancho-chile-pumpkin-pie

Editor’s note: You can read Linda’s story mentioned here, and help someone in need, by buying the book at whitecitypress.com/product/the-perp-wore-pumpkin-edited-by-j-alan-hartman

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Linda Kay Hardie writes crime, humor, horror, and SF/fantasy stories, as well as poetry, essays (often about cats but sometimes about baseball), and fiction for children. She also writes recipes and won a trophy in 2002 for best rib rub in the amateur division of the Best in the West Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada. She is also the reigning Spam champion for Nevada (yes, the tasty treat canned mystery meat) and represented Nevada in the National Chicken Cooking Contest years ago. Linda’s writing has won awards dating back to a fifth grade essay on fire safety, and in 2024 her post-apocalyptic short story “Grenade Blows Up” won a certificate of excellence from the Cat Writers Association. In 2022, she was honored with the Sierra Arts Foundation’s Literary Arts Award for fiction in Reno, Nevada, where she works as staff for Abyssinian cats. See Linda’s work at sierraarts.org/user/linda.kay.hardie.