A Catered Birthday Party

A Little Taste of Heaven catering certainly knows how to feed people. Dogs, however..? When sisters Bernie and Libby sign on to cater Trudy the Pug's birthday bash, it isn't just any doggie do. Trudy's owner, Annabel Colbert, is one of the richest women in town - and as mascot of the Colbert toy company, Trudy herself is a bona fide celebrity. But when the big day arrives, mere moments after dipping into the wine, Annabel is shrieking she's been poisoned - and falling face first into her soup. After two days in a coma, Annabel is dead. It seems the woman who had everything also had her share of enemies. In fact, Annabel was cheating, blackmailing, or backstabbing most everyone she knew - including Trudy's trainer and kennel owner. With so many suspects, sniffing out the truth is a risky proposition. Bernie and Libby had better close the oven on this case fast - before they get burned...

From Publishers WeeklyAt the start of Crawford's diverting sixth mystery to feature Bernie and Libby Simmons (after 2008's A Catered Halloween), imperious Annabel Colbert hires the catering sisters of Longely, N.Y., to cook for her beloved pet pug's birthday lunch, demanding the same menu for the dogs and the people—at the same table no less. At the party, shortly after insulting all her human guests and drinking what she realizes is a glass of poisoned wine as soon as she gulps it down, Annabel collapses. Before losing consciousness, the wealthy entrepreneur (who dies two days later) gets Bernie and Libby to promise to find her killer. Suspects include Annabel's philandering husband; the husband's gorgeous, surgery-enhanced assistant; and the high school friend whose original idea Annabel stole to make millions. This gabby, low-key culinary cozy includes recipes for canines and humans, one a liver birthday cake you can serve to a person you dislike (Just frost with whipped cream and leave off the dog treats and Cheez Whiz). (Dec.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.