Sticks & Scones by Diane Mott Davidson - 2001

Bantam Books. Used; Good. Previous owners bookplate<br />The New York Times bestselling author of Tough Cookie dishes up another tasty treat of murder and mystery -- as caterer turned sleuth Goldy Schulz stirs up a heap of trouble while trying not to get burned by a killer who is striking far too close to home.... <br /><br />For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, accepting a series of bookings at Hyde Castle is like a dream come true. It's not every day that she gets to cook authentic Elizabethan fare -- especially at a real castle that was brought over from England and reassembled stone by stone in Aspen Meadow. Goldy is determined that everything will go right -- which is why, she figures later, everything went terribly wrong. <br /><br />It all started before dawn on the day of the first Anglophile lunch, when Goldy had just about the rudest awakening possible: a shotgun blast through her living room window. With her home now a crime scene and her cop husband, Tom, out of town searching for a fugitive hijacker, Goldy has no choice but to show up at the castle -- six hours early. And it doesn't take her long to realize that her early morning wake-up call was only the beginning.... <br /><br />While out checking on the tables for the luncheon, Goldy spots something strange lying in the Cottonwood Creek. Upon closer inspection, she can see that it is a body, clad in flannel and shot through the head. Goldy quickly dials 911, but before the police arrive, shots ring out for the second time that day -- and this time, someone Goldy loves is right in the line of fire. <br /><br />Now Goldy has to face tough question: Was the victim killed by his partners in crime to keep him quiet -- and would they go so far to target Goldy herself? Could Tom's investigation have trigger a murder? Or could that shots be completely unrelated, perhaps coming at the hands of Goldy's violent and recently paroled ex-husband? <br /><br />With her own life in peril, the last thing Goldy wants to think about is Shakespeare's Steak Pie, 911 Chocolate Emergency Cookies, or Damsel-in-Distress Plum Tart. But with death peering around every corner, she has no choice but to cook up some crime-solving solutions -- before the only dish that's left on her menu is murder.... . 2001. BOOK CLUB EDITION..