The Missing Dough

In Cavender’s delightful sixth Pizza Lovers mystery (after 2012’s Killer Crust), the residents of Timber Ridge, N.C., including Eleanor Swift, owner of A Slice of Delight, the local pizzeria, and her sister, Maddy Spencer, have spent weeks preparing for Timber Ridge’s largest annual celebration, the Founders Day Festival. On the day of the fair, Maddy’s ex-husband, Grant Whitmore, shows up and picks a fight with Maddy’s fiancé, Bob Lemon. That evening, someone stabs Grant in the heart with a barbecue skewer, as Eleanor and Maddy later learn from police chief Kevin Hurley, who fingers Bob as the most likely murder suspect. When the sisters set out to clear Bob’s name, they discover that plenty of others had motives for the crime. Each suspect is a distinctive character, and, as usual, Cavender does a fine job capturing the feel of a small North Carolina town and its people. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (Dec.)