Corinna Chapman is an accountant-turned-bread maker, who has her own shop‒Earthly Delights‒in Melbourne, Australia. It has been a while since I read a book in this series, and I had forgotten how the author draws one in, giving Corinna's schedule, getting up before dawn, getting a bite to eat and going downstairs to her bakery to let the Mouse Police outside after a night protecting her pantry. One gets into the cadence of her life in a soothing way. Her sweetheart, Daniel, is in and out, investigating a loss of financial papers worth a lot of money. The accounting intern who left them in a phone booth is being bullied by the company she worked for. A homeless man found the papers and hid them, but gives Daniel nursery rhyme-type clues to keep him on his toes. Corinna is a good resource to help Daniel decode the hints. Corinna's accounting background is also a huge help for Daniel's investigation.
Meanwhile, Corinna's shop is closed for the holidays, and her young assistant baker is taking a holiday out of town, learning to surf, while also working. She's a bit concerned that he won't return. The two young women who help her with sales in the shop are extremely excited to have landed parts in a TV soap opera. An old schoolmate of Corinna's, Tommy, has landed the catering job for the film crew and coerces Corinna into helping her out while her shop is closed. A lot is happening: Tricks are being played on the top actress in the production, a woman who is terribly difficult to deal with. There are concerns that these tricks could turn deadly. The actress herself is said to have a child she gave up for adoption years ago. Perhaps the child is now a young adult on this film site?
The Corinna Chapman books don't have to be read in order, but the events in her life, and the people who live and work in her building, whom we get to know over time, are better appreciated in a chronological way.
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