Lendle

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is back-and the cookies are crumbling-as acclaimed author Joanne Fluke serves readers another helping of murder, mayhem, and mouthwatering mystery.

Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota’s annual Winter Carnival—and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honor of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac—a half-baked idea, in Hannah’s opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show—sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Hannah’s suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac’s limo rolls into town. Turns out America’s Cooking Sweetheart is bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp—and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah’s famous blueberry muffins.

Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar’s kitchen crime scene off-limits. She’s a baker without an oven—and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah’s only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business—by finding the killer herself.

Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people—a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new.—Publishers Weekly