Cookies in the Cottage is the thirteenth book in Kathi Daley’s heartwarming The Inn at Holiday Bay series. The setting is charming, and the well-developed characters are three-dimensional, compassionate, and caring. The storyline is well plotted, and there are lots of twists and red herrings in the complex mysteries contained within this book. The storyline flows smoothly, and the book is a clean read with a perfect blend of mystery, heartache, joy, caring, along with a touch of sweet romance. Every time I pick up one of Ms. Daley’s books, I know I’m in for a treat, and I’ve never been disappointed. I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy well-crafted cozy mysteries.
After losing her husband and their infant son in a tragic accident, Abby Sullivan moved to Holiday Bay, Maine, opened the Inn at Holiday Bay, where she has made a new life for herself, and found a home and a family. Georgia Carter, who has also overcome obstacles in her life, is the inn’s talented cook/baker and manager, and she and her Newfoundland dog, Ramos, live with Abby, Rufus, a Maine Coon, and Molly, a terrier mix, in a cottage on the property. Georgia’s cable cooking show, Cooking with Georgia, is doing very well. Jeremy Slater, who lives in the inn’s basement apartment with his young niece, Annabelle, is a valuable asset as he helps Georgia with the day-to-day operations of the inn. Abby’s relationship with Police Chief Colt Wilder is progressing nicely.
In this installment, the three half-sisters, Shelby Morris, Sage Wilson, and Sierra Danielson, who recently stayed at the Inn at Holiday Bay and inherited millions of dollars from the grandmother they never knew existed, have returned to spend several weeks and Christmas together in the mansion they inherited. After hearing strange sounds and seeing strange lights during the night, they wonder if a person is “haunting” the house and ask Colt to look into their grandmother’s death. Shelby’s boyfriend, Scot, and his dog, Digger, are also staying at the mansion. Unfortunately, their holiday is interrupted when Digger finds the body of the ex-groundskeeper, William Andrews, stuffed in a shed on the property. Meanwhile, Abby is baffled by unique and thoughtful Christmas gifts addressed to her that are mysteriously showing up in the cottage.