Cooking the Books: A Questionable Character by Lorna Barrett

Tricia Miles is accompanying her sister Angelica on a tour of the latter’s latest property renovations when they shockingly discover the body of their contractor’s right-hand man, Sanjay Arya, bludgeoned to death in the mansion’s pantry. They immediately call it in to the cops and are nonplussed at the professional—if not outright personable—reaction they get from Stoneham’s new Chief of Police, Ian McDonald. It’s a far cry from the hostility of his predecessor, so when he asks them to stay out of investigating Sanjay’s death, the sisters are more than happy to oblige. After all, Tricia only really snoops when she has a personal connection to the death. Since that isn’t the case now—and since Chief McDonald seems perfectly competent—she’ll gladly leave any investigating to the proper authorities. Angelica, who usually only gets involved in these kinds of shenanigans due to Tricia, is even more relieved to leave this one alone.

Unfortunately, the Miles’ attractive new intern at the Chamber of Commerce has no such compunctions. David Price did his homework on Stoneham prior to arriving in town, and he’s well aware of both the high concentration of murders in the area and Tricia’s reputation for solving them. When he hears about Sanjay’s murder, he’s eager to jump right into sleuthing. Tricia’s initial instinct is to discourage him, but after Angelica basically orders her to stop him, she finds herself quietly, and defiantly, showing him the ropes of amateur detection instead.

Complicating matters is Tricia’s growing attraction to David, who is about two decades younger than she is. He keeps wanting to spend time with her—ostensibly to discuss Sanjay’s case but really, she suspects, for more personal reasons. In order to nip all this in the bud, she decides to hurry up and help David figure out whodunnit so they can go back to having a properly professional boss and intern relationship.

Uncomfortably enough, their sleuthing uncovers more than one age-gapped romance in Sanjay’s life, as he had apparently been in the habit of romancing various older women in the area. Will Tricia be able to keep herself and her young “friend” out of trouble of more than one kind, as their snooping draws both small-town gossip and the attention of a killer?

At the start of this book, I was somewhat taken aback by how snippy so many of the characters were with one another, especially in comparison with previous installments of the Booktown Mystery series. As A Questionable Character progresses, though, our main characters’ motives become not only clear but completely understandable as they deal with their relatable fears and neuroses. Tricia, especially, is large-hearted and empathetic despite her own self-doubts and occasional moments of being judgmental. No one is perfect, and her flaws only make her that much more believable and compelling as a heroine.

There were four cookie recipes included here, some easier than others. I decided to try one of average difficulty.

½ cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

½ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, Gas Mark 5).

In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, syrup, and vanilla until well-mixed. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the coconut and nuts (if using).

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

I used parchment paper instead of greasing the cookie sheet, and as usual, I eschewed nuts in making these. I’m especially glad I did because of the very light texture of the cookies. The airiness goes really well with the flaked coconut but would contrast too much, I feel, with anything crunchier.

I actually managed to make just a little over three dozen cookies from this recipe, almost all of which my kids absolutely housed in one evening (they thoughtfully left a few for their parents, though). We’re all big fans of maple flavor, and these cookies showcase that in a delicately delicious manner.

Next week, we head a few states south to bake up another sweet treat while paranormally investigating a hit-and-run. Do join me!

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