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The Great Elvish Bake-Off Just Got Deadly
Today Candy Cane Hollow smells like butter and bravado. I'm helping at the Elvish Culinary Guild's grand induction and tasting, and Gilbert, our house-elf at Claus Cottage, has made the finalists' bench with his prized mince pie.
Then the celebrity headliner takes one bite of a showpiece pie and drops. Guild security locks the doors while city police sweep the kitchens. Whispers fly: a rival with a temper, an apprentice with something to prove, a sponsor with money on the line, a producer who prefers ratings to recipes.
It doesn't matter what else I hear; the police decide the killer is Gilbert. They circle the pantry, question his spice tins, and treat every crumb like a confession. With Mrs. Claus calming frantic caterers and Nick keeping me in cocoa and courage, I start sifting clues--swapped tins, "secret" blends, alibis that crumble under heat. This isn't bad pastry; it's careful malice.
I'm not letting them pin a murder on my friend. I need answers before the Guild shutters the finals and Gilbert is led out in cuffs.
Mince Pies to Die For is the ninth book in the Candy Cane Hollow Christmas Cozy Mystery series. A warm, magical and clean holiday whodunit for fans of Hallmark-style cozies and anyone who wishes they could spend Christmas in Santa's own hometown.
_________________________________________
Praise for the Candy Cane Hollow Christmas Cozy Mystery series:
5 out of 5 stars "This Christmas cozy mystery series is by far the best I've ever read!"
5 out of 5 stars "Great characters and story lines. A definite read for any fan of cozy mysteries."
5 out of 5 stars "It's all things cozy, cute and Christmas perfection."
5 out of 5 stars "Simple and full of the type of Christmas magic that helps you escape your everyday problems."
5 out of 5 stars "A delight to read... built on all the wonderful coziness of Christmas Corpse."
5 out of 5 stars "Magical setting... the mystery was good and not easily solved."
5 out of 5 stars "So much fun, couldn't put it down... keeps you guessing."
5 out of 5 stars "Another fun book in this delightful series... Couldn't put it down."
5 out of 5 stars "What a delightful story... It is full of Christmas magic!"
5 out of 5 stars "This was an easy-to-read Christmas murder mystery... a happy ending."
5 out of 5 stars "This was a great read... The small-town feeling sounded wonderful year-round."
Today Candy Cane Hollow smells like butter and bravado. I'm helping at the Elvish Culinary Guild's grand induction and tasting, and Gilbert, our house-elf at Claus Cottage, has made the finalists' bench with his prized mince pie.
Then the celebrity headliner takes one bite of a showpiece pie and drops. Guild security locks the doors while city police sweep the kitchens. Whispers fly: a rival with a temper, an apprentice with something to prove, a sponsor with money on the line, a producer who prefers ratings to recipes.
It doesn't matter what else I hear; the police decide the killer is Gilbert. They circle the pantry, question his spice tins, and treat every crumb like a confession. With Mrs. Claus calming frantic caterers and Nick keeping me in cocoa and courage, I start sifting clues--swapped tins, "secret" blends, alibis that crumble under heat. This isn't bad pastry; it's careful malice.
I'm not letting them pin a murder on my friend. I need answers before the Guild shutters the finals and Gilbert is led out in cuffs.
Mince Pies to Die For is the ninth book in the Candy Cane Hollow Christmas Cozy Mystery series. A warm, magical and clean holiday whodunit for fans of Hallmark-style cozies and anyone who wishes they could spend Christmas in Santa's own hometown.
_________________________________________
Praise for the Candy Cane Hollow Christmas Cozy Mystery series:
5 out of 5 stars "This Christmas cozy mystery series is by far the best I've ever read!"
5 out of 5 stars "Great characters and story lines. A definite read for any fan of cozy mysteries."
5 out of 5 stars "It's all things cozy, cute and Christmas perfection."
5 out of 5 stars "Simple and full of the type of Christmas magic that helps you escape your everyday problems."
5 out of 5 stars "A delight to read... built on all the wonderful coziness of Christmas Corpse."
5 out of 5 stars "Magical setting... the mystery was good and not easily solved."
5 out of 5 stars "So much fun, couldn't put it down... keeps you guessing."
5 out of 5 stars "Another fun book in this delightful series... Couldn't put it down."
5 out of 5 stars "What a delightful story... It is full of Christmas magic!"
5 out of 5 stars "This was an easy-to-read Christmas murder mystery... a happy ending."
5 out of 5 stars "This was a great read... The small-town feeling sounded wonderful year-round."
Price: $19.99
Pages: 300
Publisher: Vinci Books Ltd
Imprint: Vinci Books Ltd
Publication Date:
06 October 2026
Trim Size: 7.80 X 5.10 in
ISBN: 9781036714246
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Crime and mystery: cosy mystery, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / Culinary, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / Paranormal, FICTION / Holidays, Romance: cosy / cozy, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives
ONE PENNY A STORY, I called across the playground.
Entirely unusual, given how shy I was (and still am), for me to be shouting anything across a playground.
But there I was, a double-sided sheet of narrow ruled paper (I've always been kind of particular about the paper I like. Back then, narrow ruled. Now, grid.) in my hand, selling stories I hadn't yet wrote.
Every line featured a different title. I'd lay on my bed the night before thinking of them all, probably singing along to Boyzone songs as I did [hey, don't judge... I see you over there like you never thought you were destined to marry a boy band singer...].
My school friends could buy a Mona original for one penny. One penny!
They'd pick the title they liked, hand over their sweaty penny, and I'd write the story for them.
And I've never grown out of writing stories.
Now, I write cozy mystery stories from my den in the Peak District, and when I'm not writing them, I'm reading them.
Entirely unusual, given how shy I was (and still am), for me to be shouting anything across a playground.
But there I was, a double-sided sheet of narrow ruled paper (I've always been kind of particular about the paper I like. Back then, narrow ruled. Now, grid.) in my hand, selling stories I hadn't yet wrote.
Every line featured a different title. I'd lay on my bed the night before thinking of them all, probably singing along to Boyzone songs as I did [hey, don't judge... I see you over there like you never thought you were destined to marry a boy band singer...].
My school friends could buy a Mona original for one penny. One penny!
They'd pick the title they liked, hand over their sweaty penny, and I'd write the story for them.
And I've never grown out of writing stories.
Now, I write cozy mystery stories from my den in the Peak District, and when I'm not writing them, I'm reading them.