Who could be driven to kill by books and sweets? While school psychologist Skye Dennison eagerly anticipates the grand opening of a new bookstore called Tales and Treats, many of Scumble River's most outspoken citizens want to shut down the owners before they even open- and one is angry enough to commit murder...

"Kizzy Cutler returns to her hometown of Shadow Bend, Missouri, to kick off her new line of cupcakes with a competition that Devereaux "Dev" Sinclair has agreed to host in her five-and-dime store. But when her assistant dies from a mysterious ailment and Kizzy escapes several near misses, Dev is convinced someone is out to kill Kizzy"--

"Shadow Bends library closed years ago because of budgetary problems, so when a wealthy benefactor offers to reopen it, everyone, including Dev, is thrilled. But Devs excitement wanes when she realizes the mysterious donor is actually her runaway mother Yvettes latest husband, Jett Benedict. Dev suspects that Yvette and Jetts intentions arent as noble as they appear, but before she can discover what theyre really up to, Jett turns up dead--and all...

"Her honeymoon may have been less than relaxing, but Skye Boyd née Denison is still high on marital bliss with her new husband, Wally. The fact that their family is about to get bigger is even more exciting, even if Skye is dealing with morning sickness--and trying to hide the news from her ever-meddling mother, May. But Skye quickly comes crashing down from cloud nine when the body of one of her coworkers, science teacher and volleyball coach Blair...