Dani Baker

Linn Sommer just can’t seem to avoid murder and mayhem, even at the salon getting her hair trimmed for her Valentines date with Detective Inspector Bas van de Groot. This time the victim is none other than Maurice Woodard, Linn’s hairdresser. As per usual, there are a host of plausible suspects, motives, and baked goods. But trust Linn to find the murderer, even if much of her sleuthing is accidental, prone to red herrings, and bedazzled by her boyfriend’s steely good looks. But it’s February in Kitchener, Ontario, and love, as well as a fair bit of snow, is in the air.

Baker positively romps through this delightfully frenetic tale. You’ll need to keep your wits about you. But you may pause when a recipe, straight the Hansel & Pretzel Bakery, is proffered. And this time the recipes are all French bake goods. It is a tasty treat with, admittedly, a few markers that it has been translated from its original German. Not to worry, as that merely adds to the charm.

Gently recommended.… (altro)

Linn Sommer is a relative newcomer to Kitchener, Ontario. But when she stumbles on the murder of Hank Myers who is playing Santa at the annual Christkindl Market held in Kitchener City Hall, it’s already her second murder-mystery in the past year. Together with her police inspector near-boyfriend, Bas, her journalist friend, Kamryn, and her melange of quirky but lovable roommates in the large house they share just off Victoria Park, Linn (real name, ‘Sieglinde’) is set for a roller-coaster ride of clues, red herrings, romantic tensions, and scrummy baked goods (because she works at the Hanzel and Pretzel Bakery in Kitchener). It’s a delightful confection that will keep you guessing as each new twist adds another ingredient to the mix.

Filled with local colour — Dani Baker’s cosy mystery series was originally written in German, this being the first in the series translated into English — there is plenty to enjoy, both for local readers and for those further afield who will nevertheless be astounded by the ethnic and cultural ingredients that make up Kitchener-Waterloo.

Warning: all the discussion of baked goods will make you peckish. Fortunately, Baker has included a number of recipes for traditional German Christmas treats. Bonus!… (altro)