Cookies!

I don't know about you, but I'm inundated by cookies - at home, at work, at friends' homes, everywhere! So, if you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em. Here are some books with bakers playing a crucial role. And, if you haven't had your fill of cookies or cakes or pies yet, some of these titles even include recipes. Remember, there are no calories consumed in just reading about sweets!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanna Fluke

Cookie-baking sleuth Hannah Swenson must protect her reputation when a popular delivery man is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's cookies scattered around him. Includes recipes.

Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman

Leilani Trusdale sets up her own cupcake business on Sugarberry island in Georgia, but when her former boss, Baxter Dunne, wants to film a segment of his cooking show at her bakery Lielani has to come to terms with her true feelings about him and her own future. Includes recipes.

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier

When Lucy Stone stumbles upon the dead body of Mimi, the annoying and whiny wife of local developer Fred Stanton, she launches her own investigation into the murder, a quest that makes the killer nervous and results in threatening notes.

Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray

Ruth draws on her talent for concocting delectable cakes and desserts when her family begins to disintegrate around her--her husband loses his job, her mother moves in, and her long-estranged father shows up at the door with no place to go. Recipes included.

Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson

A new stint hosting a cooking show for PBS turns sour for caterer Goldy Shulz when the taping session at one of Colorado's most exclusive skiing resorts is plagued by accidents and death. Includes recipes.

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Merry Wynter incurs the enmity of Binny and Tom Turner after moving to Autumn Vale and converting her late uncle's castle into a muffin bakery, and so when Tom is found murdered, she investigates in order to clear her name.