Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am happy to share an excerpt from Leslie’s new book and to kick off her Great Escapes Book Tour!
The Great Christmas Cookie Debate
By Leslie Budewitz
Excerpt from As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (June 8, 2018, Midnight Ink)
In the dining room, we oohed and ahhed over the offerings. Date pinwheels, spritz cookies, bourbon balls. Candy cane cookies studded with crushed peppermint. Big, soft coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate. Jam thumbprints. Fudge ecstasies—crackle-topped cookies that make me ecstatic.
“No biscotti?” Heidi said. “Isn’t it a law that every Italian must make biscotti?”
“Everyone makes biscotti,” I said, “Italian or not. So what’s the point?”
“You brought peanut butter cookies?” Chiara asked Molly, who is not half Italian.
“They’re my favorite,” Molly answered. “Everyone loves peanut butter cookies. These are simple—six ingredients.”
“But they’re not Christmas cookies.”When it comes to cookies, my sister and I were on the same page. Certain traditions must be followed.
As you might imagine, in anticipation of a book with cookies in the title and all over the cover, I’ve been talking cookies a lot lately. Christmas cookies. And I’ve been as surprised as Erin Murphy, my main character, to discover that not everyone agrees with her about Christmas cookies.
Don’t get us wrong. We both love peanut butter cookies, and the flourless version her young cousin Molly brings to the Murphys’ annual friends-and-family cookie exchange is both yummy and easy. We bow to no one in our love of a good chocolate chip cookie. And snickerdoodles? Joy, rolled in cinnamon sugar.
But they aren’t Christmas cookies.
What, to Erin, me, and both our mothers, makes a cookie a Christmas cookie? Some are clearly seasonal—only an author testing a recipe is likely to color dough red and twist it into candy canes in June. Christmas cookies feature an ingredient not used in an everyday cookie. Fruitcake has long been relegated to December—or in some households, to the trash bin, but I don’t hold with that either—so that’s when fruitcake cookies or bars surface. Candied fruit, dates, and nuts are holiday staples.
A gingerbread boy or girl served any other time of year? Just plain wrong. A sugar cookie in the shape of a star or a bell, trimmed with frosting or sprinkles? You know I’m right. And spritz? Case closed.Quite a few readers mentioned jam thumbprints as holiday faves, and I can’t recall eating one any other time of year. Other cookies are holiday stars in certain European traditions—pfeffernusse, Berlinkranzer, lebkuchen, pizzelles.
Then there’s the snowball with its pseudonyms—Russian tea cakes or cookies, Mexican wedding cakes, and pecan sandies. So important to the holiday that they even play a role in the mystery. I can hardly wait to try the “Dirty Snowball” one reader created by adding cocoa powder added to the powdered sugar. But I will wait, until December 1.
And we haven’t even talked about fudge, divinity, or peppermint bark.
Now it has been brought to my attention that some cookbooks call the snickerdoodle a Christmas cookie. If it meets your criteria for special, and you only make it in December, then by all means, go ahead and give it that label. After all, traditions do vary. Frankly, I think you’d be unnecessarily depriving yourself the joy of those little balls of crackly dough wrapped in sugar and spice and everything nice the rest of the year.
Or maybe that just leaves more for me. And Erin. And you, if you stop by. Because no matter what the cookie, no matter what the season, cookies taste better when they’re shared.
As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Montana
Midnight Ink (June 8, 2018)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738752419
Digital ASIN: B075W25FNF
Erin is one smart cookie, but can she keep the holiday spirit—and herself—alive till Christmas?
In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily has turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.
When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?
Includes delicious recipes!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Time to celebrate Christmas and a wedding in Jewel Bay. Adam and Erin are getting married on Christmas Eve! That is after she gets Murphy’s Mercantile all ready for the holidays. The community has turned out for Decoration Day and Erin is surprised to see Merrily Thornton has returned to town. She is even more surprised about how Merrily’s family is treating her. She immediately invites Merrily to her cookie swap the following Sunday,
Merrily fails to show up at Erin’s house or at work the next day. Then her boss notices his bank deposit was short the cash Merrily was supposed to take to the bank. The woman is reported missing and sadly her boss is the one to find her dead eerily with a string of lights wrapped around her neck. Erin is rocked by her new friend’s death and decides she must find her killer. Hopefully, she doesn’t cross the killer or Adam may be left standing at the altar all by himself.
It was a lot of fun to read a story set at Christmas when the temperatures outside were climbing way past 90 degrees. Decorating Day is Jewel Bay sounds like the perfect way to get in the Christmas Spirit.
The characters in this series are some of the most realistic I have ever read. It is very easy to get invested in their lives. Even though Merrily’s family wasn’t the nicest they still come across as real. I don’t agree with the way the handled things in their family, but we have all met people we don’t agree with.
The mystery this time really keep me guessing. Truthfully at one time or another, I suspected everyone the victim had come into contact with. Red herrings, there were a bunch. Several twists too. I was right about one part of it and totally surprised about everything else. I enjoyed how Erin jumped right into her investigation even with the holidays and her wedding coming up quick. I loved her method for keeping all the facts and suspects straight.
The story has an excellent pace. Many events take place within the 288 pages, but nothing is rushed or missed. The author describes people and places so clearly that pictures formed quickly in my mind. The dialogue was wonderfully written too.
A loving family and a family pulled apart come together in this terrific cozy mystery.
The author also includes recipes in the back of the book. The one I am excited to try is the Classic Italian Lasagna. Several differences from ours but without the Murphy’s sauce, it will probably be hard to duplicate.

About the Author
Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician, and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model, and avid bird-watcher.
Connect with her on her website, http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
Purchase Links
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – COZY WEDNESDAY
June 7 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
June 7 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
June 7 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
June 8 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
June 8 – Carole’s Book Corner – GUEST POST
June 9 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
June 9 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
June 10 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
June 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
June 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 11 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
June 12 – Island Confidential – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
June 13 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW
June 14 – cherylbbookblog – REVIEW
June 14 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
June 15 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW
June 16 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
June 17 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 18 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 19 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
June 19 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
June 19 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
June 19 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
June 20 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
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Love the cover. This combines the best if two world’s Christmas stories and mysteries.
Wow I love Christmas cozies!! Crossing my fingers…
Anytime is good more a holiday story.
I received some stained glass cookies one Christmas — they were good and are definitely seasonal ~
Love Leslie Budewitz’s books and love Christmas so I can’t wait to read ” As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles”.
Thank you for the tour, your review and introducing everyone to this amazing author.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I love this series and can’t wait to read it (and try the yummy recipes). Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for hosting me, Lori — so glad you enjoyed the return trip to Montana, on the page!
Love the location and the premise for all of Leslie’s books! Thanks for the giveaway.
Sounds like a good book.
Sounds like a real interesting cozy. I really enjoy these. Thanks for this opportunity.
Leslie’s books are always a great read. I’m certainly looking forward to reading this one!
Any cookie can be a Christmas cookie if you put red and green sprinkles on it. Or use red and green m&m’s instead of chocolate chips.
I love both of your series. And I can’t wait to read this one in December. I tend to start reading primarily holiday themed books the day after Thanksgiving. This is going to be a fab addition this year!
As The Christmas Cookie Crumbles sounds like a terrific book, which I’m eager to read!
Sounds like an awesome holiday mystery. Looking forward to reading the book and I’m sure there are some great Christmas cookie recipes to try out.
Thank you for the giveaway! My mom LOVES Christmas cozies and reads them incredibly quickly that she isn’t allowed to read them until Thanksgiving. LOL!
Congrats on the new release! It sounds like a perfect book for the holiday season.
What writers have inspired you?
I love holiday theme cozy mysteries! Love the cover.
Love love love the cover!
Do you prefer e-books or print books?
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
How long does it usually take you to write a book?
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
What book(s) are you currently reading?
How did the cover come about?
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
Do you proofread/edit all your books or do you have someone to do that for you?
Congrats on your new release! It sounds wonderful.
What do you think of “trailers” for books?
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Who is the greatest influence in your writing career?
Do you have a favorite series or characters in the book(s) you have written?
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?