Candy Cane Murder Anthology

A collection of three holiday mysteries includes stories by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meyer, and features fourteen Christmas recipes.

Three weeks, three deaths and one bloodied, sugar-coated clue. The Candy Cane Killer is a free short story, prequel to the suspense serial Lethal in Love. A serial killer is making his mark on the streets of Melbourne this Christmas, killing his victims and leaving a blood-dipped candy cane as his gruesome calling card. Georgie Tanneras is lead on the case and will do anything to keep her city safe. So when the killer murders his third victim, she determines it will be his last. If only she can keep her mind on the case and off her partner's muscle-clad shoulders and sexy smile. Then the killer moves in and she finds herself in the line of fire. As the case gets personal and temperatures soar, will her obsession cost her the man she loves, and ultimately, her life?

It's Christmas time and while that jolly elf dressed all in red is preparing to deliver presents around the world, Allie McSwain and crew are in Goose Bay, Alabama visiting Allie's mother and working to solve a murder. Allie's daughter Jennifer discovers a murdered neighbor on the lawn and it's up to Allie and Alec to figure out who the murderer is before there's another victim.

Introducing a sleuth that“mothers everywhere will identify with”—first in the long-running series from the New York Times bestselling author(Publishers Weekly). As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband’s gift, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right. Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, Lucy’s investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa’s Christmas Eve route. She is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller. But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she’s about to receive a present from Santa she didn’t ask for—a killer who won’t be satisfied until everyone on his shopping list is dead, including Lucy herself . . . Praise for the Lucy Stone Mystery series “A solid mystery.”—San Francisco Chronicle “A surprising and intelligently constructed plot.”—Cape Cod Times “Lucy Stone is an endearing sleuth.”—Dorothy Cannell “Leslie Meier has created a town I’d like to live in and a sleuth I’d love to meet.”—Jill Churchill

It promises to be a busy week for Hannah Swensen. Not only is she whipping up treats for the chamber of commerce booth at the Tri-County fair, she's also judging the baking contest; acting as a magician's assistant for her business partner's husband; trying to coax Moishe, her previously rapacious feline, to end his hunger strike, and performing her own private carnival act by juggling the demands of her mother and sisters. With so much on her plate, it's no wonder Hannah finds herself on the midway only moments before the fair closes for the night. After hearing a suspicious thump, she goes snooping–only to discover Willa Sunquist, a student teacher and fellow bake contest judge, dead alongside an upended key lime pie. But who would want to kill Willa and why? Now Hannah needs to crank up the heat, hoping that Willa’s killer will get rattled and make a mistake. If that happens she intends to be there, even if it means getting on a carnival ride that could very well be her last… Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!

“If your reading habits alternate between curling up with a good mystery or with a good cookbook, you ought to know about Joanne Fluke.”—Charlotte Observer This summer has been warmer than usual in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen is trying to beat the heat both in and out of her bakery kitchen. But she’s about to find out the hard way that nothing cools off a hot day like a cold-blooded murder. At the grand opening of a local hotel, a police department employee nearly dies falling from a penthouse—and then another woman, with whom Hannah has a less-than-friendly relationship, winds up dead. Hannah is the prime suspect—and to clear her own name, she’s got to find out who iced the victim… Features cookie and dessert recipes from The Cookie Jar, including Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes and Chocolate Covered Peanut Cookies! “Culinary cozies don't get any tastier than this winning series.”—Library Journal “Loaded with mouthwatering recipes and clever plotting, the latest Hannah Swensen mystery delights.”—RT Book Reviews

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen has a dress to fit into and a date with her sister, Andrea, at Lake Eden's new health club, Heavenly Bodies. Dragging herself out of bed on a frigid Minnesota morning for exercise, of all things, is bad enough. Discovering the body of man-eating bombshell Ronni Ward floating in the gym's jacuzzi? Okay, that's worse. Nor does it help that there's a plate of The Cookie Jar's very own cream puffs garnishing the murder scene. Trying to narrow the list of Ronni's enemies down to fewer than half the town's female population, Hannah has her plate full. Trouble is, when it comes to cookies--and to murder--there's always room for one more. . . "Foodie fans will eat up Fluke's cozy. . . A fluffy mix of sweets and suspense." --Publishers Weekly "Entertaining and sprinkled with tempting recipes. It's a sweet treat of a novel." --The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) "A tasty treat." --Kirkus Reviews

When Larry Jaeger, the owner of the Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot, is murdered, bakery owner Hannah Swensen must sift through a wealth of suspects during the busiest time of the year--before a murderous Scrooge strikes again.