Cooking the Books, by Kerry Greenwood

Corinna Chapman is supposed to be on holidays. She has closed the bakery for January, sent her apprentice Jason off on holidays and is supposed to be relaxing.

He smiled at me. My heart did a complete flip-flop with pike. Beautiful Daniel, my Sabra turned private detective, who out of all the women in the city picked me, an ample size 20 who worked too hard making bread at my bakery, Eartly Delights. Since the advent of Daniel I have become susceptible to the idea that miracles might really happen.

Corinna Chapman is supposed to be on holidays. She has closed the bakery for January, sent her apprentice Jason off on holidays and is supposed to be relaxing. But when an old friend asks – nay, demands – that Corinna help her with the baking for the set of a soap opera, she finds herself back at work baking. And, of course, wherever Corinna goes there is a mystery or two to solve.

On the set of ‘Kis the Bride’, where Corinna’s two bakery assistants have scored roles, a diva is searching for clues to the fate of her long-lost son, and someone is busy sabotaging the soapie. Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, a young accounting intern is being harassed by her employers. Along the way she’s managed to lose a stack of valuable bonds. Daniel, Corinna’s beautiful boyfriend, and a private eye, has been hired to find the bonds and restore the girl’s name.

Cooking the Books is the sixth title featuring the divine Corinna Chapman, baker, ex-accountant and part time sleuth. As a reader you can’t help loving Corinna – and she is surrounded by people who find her similarly pleasing – Daniel, Jason, the grils, and most of the eclectic residents of her apartment building. The other problem the readers strikes is battling hunger pangs. Corinna loves food, and the reader is taken on a culinary journey. Fortunately author Kerry Greenwood provides some recipes at the back of the book.

Wonderful stuff.

Cooking the Books

Cooking the Books, by Kerry Greenwood
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742370217

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.