Virginia Lowell is my guest tomorrow for Cozy Wednesday. Her new book, One Dead Cookie (A Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery) was released this month. When I realized I was one book behind in this series I had to remedy that right away.
When the Cookie Crumbles
(A Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery)
3rd in Series
Cozy Mystery
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Group (August 7, 2012)
Published by The Penguin Group
Cover Illustration by Mary Ann Lasher
Cover Design by George Long
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425251485
E-Book File Size: 538 KB
ASIN: B0073XVA24
Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House–a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie–and her best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious treats for their parties. But the real-life version of their magnificent gingerbread house is about to crumble to pieces…
Chatterley Heights’ is celebrating its 250th birthday and Mayor Karen Evanson is running the planning committee ragged with her demands and numerous meetings. Maddie is busy making a Gingerbread town including a house that looks like the famous Chatterley Mansion. Olivia is on cookie making duty and at Karen’s beck and call. Everyone just wants the celebration to go smoothly and maybe bring some tourists to Chatterley Heights.
The entire town gets a big surprise when Paine Chatterley shows up right before the celebration is supposed to begin. Everyone thought he was dead. In fact the town took over care of the mansion and volunteers did a major renovation because they believed there were no more living Chatterleys. Paine informs everyone he will not be opening the mansion to the public for the celebration and this sends the committee scrambling.
Someone must have taken this news badly because Paine is soon found dead. Olivia ends up right in the middle of the investigation and as secrets are revealed it turns out the town’s history may not be that sweet after all.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Get your cookie cutters ready, Virginia Lowell has done it again. She gives us wonderful characters, a marvelous mystery and some mouth watering virtual cookies that will have all of us wanting more!!
The friendship between Maddie and Livie continues to be the icing that binds these stories together. They each have their quirks and little ways to tease each other that add the humor and fun to the story. They are in each other lives 24/7 365 days a year and it warms my heart the way they are always there for each other.
Lowell also gives us Mayor Karen and her over the top craziness and Binnie the blogger with her desire to create havoc with her lies and innuendo. We are also treated to the strangeness of Hermione and Paine Chatterley. The eclectic characters needed in every cozy mystery.
The plot is well thought out and engaging. The details of cookie and gingerbread decorating was really interesting. A perfect balance of mystery and suspense is reached with the necessary humor and a touch of romance. I highly recommend this one!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I love this series! The characters are really great!
I must start at the beginning. Dee
I haven’t read any of her books and this one looks delightful. I had to laugh at the title. If you remember Martin and Rowen’s Laugh In, this was a phrase that came up often and we said it a lot along with “beautiful, downtown Burbank” although living in London we had no idea where that was!
This sounds like a interesting cozy! Its on my to be read list. =)
Thanks for the review. Love the cover. Going to have to add this to my reading.
Sue B
I’ve never come across this series, but I will have to look into them. This one sounds like a lot of fun!