When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion-and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah leading the way. The annual Christmas buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden holiday buffet cookbook. The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife-all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog....

With her dream of opening The Cookie Jar taking shape, Hannah's life matches the hectic December hustle and bustle in Lake Eden-especially when she agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas Ball from the past in honor of Essie Granger, an elderly local in hospice care. But instead of poring over decadent dessert recipes for the merry festivities, she instantly becomes enthralled by Essie's old notebooks and the tale of a woman escaping danger...

"While Hannah speeds through a lengthy holiday checklist, drama in town grows like Santa's waistline on Christmas Eve. Her sister Andrea wants to stave off the blues by helping out at The Cookie Jar, Michele's love life is becoming complicated, Lisa needs Hannah's advice, and Delores has a Christmas secret she's not willing to share. But nothing dampens the holiday mood more than the chilling mystery surrounding the man found near death in an abandoned...

Christmas caramel murder: "Hannah and her good pal Lisa have agreed to provide all the goodies for the town's annual production of A Christmas Carol. But before anyone can say 'Bah, humbug!' the actress playing Mrs. Claus exits stage left for good. As murder suspects pile up faster than snowdrifts in a blizzard, it might take a visit from ghosts of Christmas past to wrap up this mystery in time for the holidays"-- Christmas cake murder: "Hannah's...

The twelve desserts of Christmas: "It's the perfect mix of naughty and nice when two lovestruck boarding school teachers watch six kids over Christmas break. But when someone wants the cozy couple's romance to burn out faster than a scorched fruitcake, it's Hannah Swensen to the rescue, armed with her sleuthing skills--and twelve deliciously festive recipes..." -- Page [4] of cover. Nightmare on Elf Street: "Aside from the mortifying costume, how...

During the Christmas party at Lake Eden's community center, Hannah Swensen stumbles upon a murder when Martin Duinski's new wife, a former Las Vegas showgirl, is found dead with Hannah's mother's silver cake knife buried in her cleavage.