A Sneak Peek into HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES

By Debra Sennefelder

January is now behind us and I’m settling into February quite nicely. Last week I finished the first draft of the next Food Blogger mystery and now it’s set aside for about a week while I turn my attention onto my next release, HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES. I’m so excited for this release because I love the story so much and I love, love, love the characters who populate the charming town of Wingate, Connecticut. The one downside to this book while I was writing it was that since it featured a cookie baker, I always wanted cookies. I thought today, I’d share an excerpt from the book with you. In this snippet, Mallory is leaving work and heading home to get ready for date night with her boyfriend.

With her apron off, she grabbed her cookie mug prototype for Gil’s company. On her way to the back door, she picked up her backpack. When she reached her bike, she set the cellophane-wrapped mug in the basket and then unlocked the bike. So many things had changed when she made the move from Manhattan to Wingate. She had traded her one-bedroom with a Hudson River view for a cottage. She had swapped her beloved high heels for supportive shoes. And her commute had gone from subway to bicycle.

A lot of changes in a short period for someone who craved stability and had an aversion to making spontaneous decisions. But it had seemed that the stars had aligned a few months ago. A lost promotion, a merger that made her position at her company vulnerable, and a backstabbing colleague had Mallory craving career independence. Then her aunt had called with the news that she wanted to sell her bakery, the place where there were so many memories of her childhood. By the end of the call, Mallory had said she would buy the bakery. Over the following weeks, she had pulled together a business plan and shared her vision of what she wanted her bakery to be. Then, with her aunt’s approval, she went for it. She’d never felt so exhilarated and scared to death at the same time.

She hopped on her bike and cycled down the driveway along the two-story building that housed The Cookie Shop. On the second floor was a studio apartment that was currently between tenants.

Then she turned onto Main Street. The winding street was Wingate’s central hub of activity and was postcard-perfect from one end to the other. Century-old lampposts dotted the long stretch of sidewalk where historic brick-façade shops mingled with Victorian painted ladies and stately Federal period buildings. Once a manufacturing town, Wingate was now known for its shops, restaurants, and galleries. Being named one of the Top Ten Shopping Destinations in the state for eight years running by CT Life and Style magazine, the town had become the place that had something for everyone—from thrifty shopper to antique connoisseur to weekend explorer.

Her next turn took her down Lilac Lane, a residential street where front yards bloomed with bright spring colors, and birdsong filled the air as she pedaled along the road. At the stop sign, she made a right onto Old Lantern Road, and within a minute, her rental cottage came into view.

Her for-now home was a hodgepodge of architectural styles—part cottage, part Craftsman, part Victorian. The sage green dwelling with a picket fence was utterly delightful. When she found it, she hadn’t hesitated to write the check for the deposit and one month’s rent. She also wasted no time in purchasing an Adirondack chair to sit by the pond where she could ponder her life-changing decisions. Unfortunately, though, she’d yet to have time for the reflective exercise.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into the book. To pre-order, please click here.

Now, I’d love to know what your favorite cookie is. Mine is oatmeal raisin (which is one of the recipes in the book).

Debra Sennefelder is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series. She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking, exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.