Mrs. Prebbles Weighs In

by Mrs. Prebbles

from FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE by Janet Cantrell

Of course, I know who Anna Larson is. I remember her from the other Minny Batter Battles. I can’t say, by the way, that I am fond of the name of this challenging contest. Somehow, Grace Pilsen gets everyone to give way to her. No matter. It’s grown into quite an important local event in the few years we’ve held it.

I will say that I am the one who brought up sending a special invitation to Anna, and I’ll add that this action was approved over Grace’s protests.

What took me by surprise was learning that Julie Larsen is her granddaughter and that Chase Oliver is her business partner at the dessert bar shop, Bar None. Why, I remember teaching those two girls (back when they were girls) in my home economics classes. No one was more surprised than I was to learn that Chase is now a professional baker. The way those two best friends used to giggle their way through the cooking lessons!

I must admit that I stole into the Bar None when neither Chase nor Anna was around to see what the shop looked like and to sample their wares. This was after we had voted to admit Anna ahead of the regular applicants, but I proved to myself that I had been right to insist.

The shop is darn cute. I like the pink stripes on the walls and the neat displays of boxes dessert bars. The pastries I bought were heavenly. And such a selection! Margarita Cheesecake, Raspberry Chiffon, Peanut Butter Fudge, Cherry Almond. After the Minny Batter Battle, I’ll return to scoop up some more of those. I hope the Bar None is around for a long, long time.

FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE is the third mystery in the Fat Cat series, published April 5^th. Please check Janet’s webpage for ordering links.

http://janetcantrell.com/

When their former classmate Richard “Dickie” Byrd throws a high school reunion to gather support for his mayoral campaign, it drums up some not-so-sweet memories for dessert shop proprietor Chase Oliver and her friend Julie Larson. Julie would rather not reconnect with Ron North, the creepy kid who had a crush on her back in the day. His social graces haven’t exactly improved with age, but is he creepy enough to kill?

The next day, Chase is in the park testing a new cat harness for Quincy, who quickly proves that he cannot be leashed. But when his escape leads Chase to Ron’s body, the police wonder who else got away. Now, with Julie suspected of murder, Chase must prove her innocence before the real killer plans another fatal reunion.

Includes dessert bar recipe and leash training tips for cats!