Summary
Olivia Greyson owns The Gingerbread House, a store that specializes in cookies and cookie cutters. When her mentor, Clarisse, dies, Livie doesn’t think it was an accident.
Fortunately, a few things start happening that clue the police into the possibility that Clarisse was murdered. Unfortunately, those things also make Livie look like the culprit. Can antique cookie cutters, internet research, and some family and friends help Livie catch a killer?
Review
This is the first book in this series that is now 6 books long. The main characters – Livie and Maddie – are fun. They balance each other out in their business, but work well together in investigating.
I enjoyed the mystery. The first part of the book focused on determining if the death was an accident or not. When murder seemed likely, the focus shifted to alibis and motives. I did not figure out the killer before it was revealed; I focused on one of the other suspects instead so the end was a nice surprise.
The theme – cookies and cookie cutters – was unusual. There are no recipes in this book. I think there are plenty of culinary mysteries with recipes. This one doesn’t NEED them, but I think they would have tied in well. Cookie cutters, though, were the real emphasis. Maybe some history notes or details about antique cutters or something might have made a fun addition to support the theme.
I’m looking forward to trying another book from this series.