A Cookbook Nook Mystery

It's Pirate Week in Crystal Cove, California, and Jenna Hart has her hands full with pirate decorations and planning for the big Valentine's Day push. In Fudging the Books, Daryl Wood Gerber follows the exploits of culinary bookshop and cafe owner Jenna and her tarot reading aunt, Vera. The shop is decorated with chocolate-themed mystery books, cookbooks with plenty of chocolate recipes and all things chocolate.

The Chocolate Cookbook Club is hosting local chocolatier, aptly named Coco Chastain, at their meeting to discuss her new cookbook. She brings along her publisher Alison Foodie, who is also a local. There's an underlying feud among the author, her publisher and power-hungry copy editor over edits to the manuscript. When Alison wounds up dead, Coco is immediately suspected.

The suspicion spreads to several other characters leading Jenna and

police chief Cinnamon (love the name) Pritchett in one direction then the next. To complicate matters someone has stolen the pot of gold doubloons which was to be raffled off at the end of Pirate Week. The culprit begins posting photos of the pot of doubloons in various places in town tormenting the police to find them.

The plot weaves left then right and all over the place throwing suspicion on everyone in the book including Aunt Vera. Usually I enjoy Gerber's books especially when she writes as Avery Aames and her Cheese Shop books are entertaining, Although Fudging the Books had delicious chocolate recipes, the plot leaped all over and the clues never really lead you to the killer. I also felt some of the characters including Jenna's boyfriend Rhett were very flatly drawn.

The first book in this series is Final Sentence.