A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange: A Mystery with Recipes

In Crawford’s busy ninth mystery featuring Longely, N.Y., sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons (after 2012’s A Catered St. Patrick’s Day), the elderly ladies of the Christmas Cookie Exchange Club are excited about the Baking for Life TV program coming to town for a contest. In particular, 82-year-old Millie Piedmont is confident her Millie’s Majestic Meltaways will be the winner. On the way to the show, Millie is injured in a car accident. Before she expires, she tells her niece, Amber, who works for the sisters’ catering company, that she wants Bernie and Libby to “find her murderer.” As the constantly bickering Bernie and Libby investigate, they discover that every club member had a grievance with Millie. Since the sisters are the contest’s judges, they face a potential conflict of interest when Amber announces her plan to take her aunt’s place. Squabbling suspects and a demanding TV producer create further complications in this lightweight holiday cozy. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Nov.)