Francesca Eve, chef, caterer, and baker extraordinaire, has never desired the limelight. But when she’s accepted onto the country’s favourite cooking competition, she can’t help but wonder – what would it be like to win? The one thing she’d never imagined, though, was sharing the kitchen with a killer…

When Francesca Eve arrives for the Christmas special of the country’s most popular baking competition, she knows she’s out of her depth. For not only is she there undercover, reluctantly investigating strange threats to Miranda Appleby, the famous presenter-come-chef, but she swiftly gets roped into competing herself when another contestant can’t cut the mustard and quits.

Cooking may be bread and butter to Fran, but under the bright lights her cranberry sauce won’t set and her mince pies burn. When the real reason she’s there ends in total failure and Miranda is found with a cake slice through the heart - ‘lights, camera, cook’ becomes ‘lights, camera, murder…’

Miranda may have looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, but looks can be deceiving… From her harassed PA to the rakish producer and even the disappointed contestants, everyone on set seemingly had reason enough to want to bump her off. But who would be nuts enough to cook Miranda’s goose in such an obvious way?

As the police arrive to take over the investigation, Fran can’t help but continue her own lines of enquiry. She’s come to know the crew and contestants and can’t believe that any one of them would be guilty. But Fran must harden her heart to her new friends and focus her mind.

Someone may have thought Miranda was justifiably given her just desserts, but what Fran uncovers takes things to a whole new tier. Can Fran uncover the truth before another death occurs, and before the spirit of Christmas (cake) is ruined forever?

An utterly gripping cozy crime mystery set at a Christmas cooking competition. This is perfect for fans of Faith Martin, M.C. Beaton and The Thursday Murder Club.

Fran and Adam go undercover to a TV cooking competition as journalists to find out who is sending cooking show host Miranda Appleby threatening notes. When one of the contestants drops out Fran is roped in to replacing her which gets her closer to the action and the people she is investigating but then, while most everyone is on the set filming, Miranda is murdered and her assistant becomes the prime suspect. Sure that Midge is innocent Fran and Adam delve deeper into the investigation to find the killer while Fran also must concentrate on her cooking so when the show airs her customers do not come to believe she is a bad cook.

I enjoy the dynamic between the two main characters: Fran, a middle-aged caterer and Adam, a 20ish game designer. I had wondered after the first book in the series how a caterer could keep stumbling over dead bodies and still have people hire her to cater but so far each case seems to flow naturally into Fran’s life - in this case Fran and Adam were asked to help investigate by Nell, the police officer they deal with the most. I had suspicions of who the murderer was but not until fairly close to the denouncement. This is a really delightful series with plots just complicated enough that you do not realize who the murderer is immediately following the murder.  I look forward to more of Fran and Adam’s escapades. Recommended ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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