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Authors: Virginia Lowell

When the Cookie Crumbles

BOOK: When the Cookie Crumbles
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Praise for the Cookie Cutter Shop Mysteries

Cookie Dough or Die

“It’s always a joy to find a new series that…contains such promise.”


CA Reviews

“Virginia Lowell made me a cookie cutter convert with her cleverly crafted
Cookie Dough or Die
. In fact, I unearthed my mother’s collection and looked at it in a whole new way after finishing this yummy tale…The writing is strong, the story line engaging, the characters ones you’d like to be your friends. This is what makes a good cozy mystery a special read. I look forward to more cookie adventures—with sprinkles and chocolate icing on top.”


AnnArbor.com

“Readers will find the sleuthing of the main character hard to resist…This is a good cozy mystery.”


Fresh Fiction

“Four stars! Here’s a dough-licious debut for the new Cookie Cutter Shop Mysteries…Olivia is a charming lead, and Chatterley Heights will entice cozy readers who like the drama and close-knit relationships in small towns. A great start to a new series.”


RT Book Reviews

“This was a great read. With a wonderful cast of characters and a great setting, this story will have you craving for one more cookie. The tone was very comfortable, and the witty and entertaining dialogue kept me engaged as I quickly turned the pages…[A] welcome addition to the cozy genre.”


Dru’s Book Musings

“The author does a great job of setting up this new series. She includes such vivid descriptions of Olivia’s store that you can visualize the store and nearly smell the scent of baking cookies. Realistic, humorous dialogue supports the plot and keeps the story moving forward…Fans of Joanne Fluke or of Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mysteries will enjoy this new culinary mystery series.”


The Season

“Practically jumps off the page with an endearing heroine (and her little dog, too); smart, wisecracking dialogue; an ingenious plot; and a thoroughly satisfying, melt-in-your-mouth ending. And the cookie references were tempting enough to send me to the kitchen to whomp up a batch of my mother’s favorite decorated butter-sugar cookies (no kidding, I did). If you love mysteries set in a small town and treats fresh from the oven, follow this author! You will not be disappointed.”

—Sherry Ladig,
Irish Music and Dance Association magazine

Berkley Prime Crime titles by Virginia Lowell

COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE

A COOKIE BEFORE DYING

WHEN THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

When the Cookie
Crumbles

VIRGINIA LOWELL

BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

WHEN THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / August 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher.

Cover design by George Long.

Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58133-9

BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME

Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10    9    8    7    6    5    4    3    2    1

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

In memory of Carol

Acknowledgments

Writing a mystery series focused on cookie cutters and baking is great fun, in part because of the folks whose paths I cross during the journey. I am grateful to my editor, Michelle Vega, and to the skilled staff at Berkley Prime Crime; their perceptive queries more than once helped me clarify a scene or deepen a character. As always, my longtime writer’s group—Ellen Hart, Pete Hautman, Mary Logue, and K. J. Erickson—gave support and friendship, for which I am endlessly grateful. They also offered insightful critique, which I truly appreciated…after a few deep breaths and a couple cookies. And I am especially grateful to my husband, who missed celebrating a landmark birthday because the manuscript was due four days later. Instead, he helped enter my edits into the final draft and hardly complained at all. Not to worry, however; I threw him a big party a month later.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

Olivia Greyson made a mental note to develop spontaneous deafness the next time someone asked her to serve on a committee.

Olivia and four other Chatterley Heights citizens sat in a circle near the large front window of her store, The Gingerbread House, ostensibly planning the two-hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the town’s founding. For Olivia, the aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves drifting from the store kitchen held more allure than the clash of egos going on around her. Planning a birthday bash for Chatterley Heights had brought out the worst in some of its citizens.

“Mauve,” said Karen Evanson, the newly elected mayor of Chatterley Heights. As always, Karen wore a tailored suit, rich burgundy, which showcased her slender figure. The knee-length skirt revealed toned calves. She looked both professional and younger than her forty-six years. “Absolutely, the banner for the band shell must remain mauve. It’s
a Victorian color, most appropriate.” The mayor’s authoritative voice left no room for argument. “Anyway, it’s far too late to change. The sewing club has nearly finished the banner. You should have spoken up sooner, Quill.”

“I did. You ignored me, as usual.” Quill Latimer, PhD and town historian, crossed one long, thin leg over the other. Quill’s languid voice, tinged with disdain, exuded professorial superiority. He was in his midfifties, with a receding hairline, though Olivia suspected him of shaving the top of his head to look more scholarly.

Olivia’s mind flashed to her father, who had died of cancer when she was a teenager, half a lifetime ago. He had been a scholar and author of popular books on ornithology. He was vague and forgetful, but never arrogant. Quill Latimer, on the other hand, often behaved as if he had something to prove.

“Since Chatterley Heights’s founding date was close to the Revolutionary War,” Quill said, “I still maintain that mauve is the wrong color for the banner. Red, white, and blue would be far more—”

Proving Quill’s point, Karen ignored him. “We’re running late, and we have several more topics to cover. First, I should remind you all that I expect you will return your keys to the Chatterley Mansion directly to me once this weekend is over. And I assume that no one has lost theirs and everyone has been using them to check in and make sure everything is on schedule?” The committee members nodded in unison, and Olivia half expected them to singsong like schoolchildren, “Yes, Miss Evanson.” Karen seemed satisfied. “We’ll continue with a report from Mr. Willard.” She held a voice-activated recorder toward a gaunt, elderly gentleman and asked, “Are all the permits finally in place?”

Mr. Willard, whose real and cumbersome name was
Aloysius Willard Smythe, had been advising the committee on the legal aspects of their proposed weekend celebration. He was also Olivia’s attorney. With a gentle smile that stretched his skin across his prominent jaw, Mr. Willard said, “Rest assured, we may now parade the streets of Chatterley Heights without fear of arrest.”

BOOK: When the Cookie Crumbles
2.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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