The Malted Falcon: From the Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye

Mysteries of a lighter nature are illuminated in Bruce Hale's The Malted Falcon, the 10th entry from the Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye. This time the gecko gumshoe and his mockingbird partner, Natalie Attired, track down a winning ticket for a chocolate dessert. With Hale it's the setting, not the solution, that's elementary (as in elementary school), and anything hardboiled is likely to be edible as well.