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AMATEUR SLEUTH/COZY/
CATS/CULINARY/HUMOR/
ROMANTIC/WHODUNIT MYSTERY
Carrot cake murder
Summertime has finally arrived in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery, is looking forward to warm, lazy days, eating ice cream, and sharing picnics with friends. But when a family reunion takes a deadly turn, it's up to Hannah to find a killer.

Between baking up a storm for The Cookie Jar and unraveling the mystery of her cat Moishe's recent strange behavior, Hannah Swensen has a lot on her plate. But she'll always make time for her business partner, Lisa, who's in the midst of preparing for a big family reunion. Everyone is delighted when Lisa's long-lost uncle makes a surprise appearance. No one has heard from Gus in twenty-five years-and his arrival has everyone buzzing with excitement.

Uncle Gus is immediately the hit of the reunion, telling tales of his great success and flashing money for all to see. He's almost as popular as Hannah's scrumptious carrot cake, which is also Gus's favorite dessert. But the next morning, as the whole family gathers for the group photo, one person is missing. Hannah offers to track down Uncle Gus, but her search leads to a shocking find. Over by the bar at the pavilion, she spots two slices of her infamous carrot cake, frosting-side down on the floor-and Gus's corpse with an ice pick jutting out of his chest!

A little snooping reveals that not everyone was celebrating Gus's return. And when Hannah unearths more secrets from Gus's past, she discovers even more people with an axe to grind. Now Hannah's got to sift through a long list of suspects to find a killer-even if it could mean a recipe for her own demise.

Includes 12 original dessert recipes for you to try!
Read A Review:

Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota, is helping her business partner, Lisa, and her husband Herb plan a big family reunion for both sides of their families. Lisa's uncle Gus hasn't been heard from for 30 years since he left town in the middle of the night. So everyone is surprised when he shows up. It also stirs up gossip and hurt feelings.

When everyone is assembling for the big family photo, it's realized Gus is missing. Hannah is sent to find him. Unfortunately she finds him dead.

Could someone have held a grudge for 30 years? Why did he leave town in the middle of the night so long ago? Could it relate to his death?

I always enjoy the books in this series. It's been fun seeing them change and grow through the series. While I would love to see Hannah choose between Mike and Norman, this installment didn't leave me feeling so frustrated by her indecision.

I liked that the mystery played such an integral part of this book and can't wait to read the next one. I highly recommend this book and the complete series.

Dawn Dowdle