Pecan Pie and Pretense: A Small Town Baker with Dog Cozy Mystery

About Pecan Pie and Pretense: A Small Town Baker with Dog Cozy Mystery

Something's baking in Maple Creek... and it's not just the pies! When celebrity chef Dominique Laurent arrives in Maple Creek to headline the Fall Festival's baking showcase, bakery owner Maggie Harper is thrilled to reconnect with her former culinary school classmate.

But something seems off about Dominique's homecoming—a fact confirmed when Maggie's loyal golden retriever Max refuses to warm up to the famous visitor. As Maggie prepares her signature maple-bourbon pecan pie for the competition, she discovers Dominique isn't just visiting for publicity—she's actually Donna Lawrence, a local girl who left town thirty years ago under a cloud of controversy involving a stolen family recipe that launched her career. When Dominique collapses during a baking demonstration after being drugged, the festival is thrown into chaos.

Suspicion falls on Frank Miller, whose family claims ownership of the disputed pecan pie recipe, especially after he mysteriously disappears and withdraws from the competition. With the help of Tom, her veterinarian fiancé, and Max's uncanny detective instincts, Maggie finds herself untangling a web of decades-old secrets, bitter family rivalries, and unexpected reconciliations. Recipes and reputations are on the line as she navigates the complex history of shared culinary traditions that connect generations of Maple Creek families.

Will Maggie uncover the truth behind the drugging incident before someone else gets hurt? Can a legendary recipe dispute finally be put to rest? And most importantly—whose pecan pie will take home the blue ribbon?

A delectable cozy mystery featuring a charming small-town setting, a baking competition with a dash of danger, and a golden retriever with a nose for solving crime.