Who could have killed voluptuous Rhonda Scharf, whose half-buried body Hannah's interfering mother discovers in the basement of an old house one of Hannah's swains has just purchased? The investigation proceeds unhurriedly, with plenty of time for cookies, coffee and small-town gossip. Enticing recipes for cookies and other treats, presented with helpful procedural hints, are an extra bonus.

When the president of Hartland Flour chooses cozy Lake Eden, Minnesota, as the spot for their first annual Dessert Bake-Off, Hannah is thrilled to serve as the head judge. But when a fellow judge, Coach Boyd Watson, is found stone-cold dead, face-down in Hannah's celebrated strawberry shortcake, Lake Eden's sweet ride to fame turns very sour indeed.