The Barnes & Noble Review
Although Hanna Swenson firmly believed there could never be too many cookies, she had to admit there was at least one too many cookie shops in Lake Eden, Minnesota. She'd never cared for Shawna Lee Quinn, and the lovely southern belle's decision to tantalize Hannah's sometime beau, Mike Kingston, only added fuel to the fire. But when Shawna Lee opened her Magnolia Blossom Bakery right across the street from Hanna's beloved shop, The Cookie Jar -- well, that just took the cake! With its flashy new décor, grand-opening bargains, and promotional treats, the Magnolia Blossom was luring customers left and right; and even though Hannah knew that Shawna Lee's baked goods couldn't hold a candle to her own, she worried that her once-loyal clientele wouldn't find that out until after The Cookie Jar's finances crashed and burned.
Hannah tried to put her worries for the future aside, busying herself with preparations for her partner, Lisa's, upcoming Valentine's Day wedding. But her rival managed to insinuate herself even into this idyll. Bad enough that the Georgia peach planned to upstage Hannah by bringing her homemade cobbler to the reception; to put the frosting on the cake, Shawna Lee failed to arrive with her promised treat. After the reception and long past closing time, Hanna notices that the lights are still burning brightly at the Magnolia Blossom and, despite her personal pique, she makes a courtesy call to help her neighbor out…only to discover Shawna Lee's body on the bakery's kitchen floor. A suspect herself, Hanna will have to act fast to save her reputation -- and to figure out who had all the right ingredients to cook up this nearly perfect crime.
Bestselling author Joanna Fluke satisfies our sweet tooth with this tempting mystery, which includes 14 yummy-sounding recipes. Sue Stone
When we were thinking about the quintessential summer post, we thought about how many people enjoy a cocktail on summer nights with their friends and wondered, “how great would it be to pair great cocktails with fantastic books?” And that’s how this post was born. We talked to Toby Maloney about some of his brilliant cocktails and had fun pairing them up with some books to enjoy while you wet your whistle. He gave us fruity, spicy, refreshing, smoky, and spooky options which helped us come up with books for every reader, particularly lovers of mystery, romance, dramas laden with secrets, and horror.