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THE COZY TIMES

Special Edition

 

Today The Cozy Times is featuring the 

The Colwestern Chronicle

Arson and murder and the mob . . . oh my!

 

Check out this article from the Chronicle.

Arson or Accident?

Submitted by Staff Reporter Catherine Bruns

Hot off the presses! Last evening, fire raged through Sally’s Samples, a bakery located at 39 Elk Street. While details are sketchy, rumors abound from the local town gossip that proprietor Sally Muccio became upset over a nasty fortune cookie message and may have even started the blaze herself.

The shop is famous for their free, homemade fortune cookies that are given out with every purchase. Unfortunately, the specialty cookie shop is also known for a high murder rate. It seems accurate to say that Miss Muccio is a magnet for disaster when it comes to attracting killer crimes at her business location.

Sadly, the dead body of notorious mob member Bernardo Napoli was found in the back room of the bakery. Police Officer Brian Jenkins, one of the first to arrive at the crime scene, would not comment on this when contacted by phone. Straight from the cozy grapevine, we’ve heard that’s because he’s interested in more than just Miss Muccio’s chocolate chip cookies.

Meanwhile, the heat is on for Miss Muccio and head baker Josie Sullivan, as arson is suspected. Miss Muccio’s sister, Gianna, an attorney who lives over the shop and was also defending Mr. Napoli on racketeering charges, is reported as missing. The location has been shut down and the owner could not be reached for comment. An acquaintance of Miss Muccio’s explained that due to lack of retail space in town, the bakery will temporarily be run from her crazy parents’ home. We’ve heard that you can purchase cookies in one room and coffins in another, thanks to the new career path her father is “undertaking.”

Reporter’s Note: I’ve eaten baked goods from Sally’s Samples. While I agree that feisty Mrs. Sullivan is a whiz with her culinary skills (I wouldn’t dare say otherwise for fear she might hurt me), the unique fortune cookies and their messages seem to be the real draw. The one I read last week recommended that I write a book about her bakery. Seems like a crazy idea to me.

The staff of The Cozy Times wishes Sally's Samples all the best! 

A special thank you to Staff Reporter Catherine Bruns of 

The Colwestern Chronicle.

~*~*~*~

That's it for this week's edition of 

The Cozy Times

Special Edition 

I hope you enjoyed!

******************

To learn more about wonder Colwestern, and 

it's residents, read the 

Cookies & Chance Mystery series by author 

Catherine Bruns.

Today's Cozy Times was based on the happenings in book 3 of the Cookies & Chance Mysteries

BURNED TO A CRISP

Book Three

From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next sinfully delicious Cookies & Chance Mystery...

Just when things appear to be going well for baker and sometime sleuth, Sally Muccio, life turns up the heat again.

It’s summertime, and the living is easy for the Muccio clan. Sal’s wedding to her beloved fiancé is rapidly approaching, Mom’s won a beauty contest, and sister Gianna is now a licensed public defender. But when the bakery Sal’s worked so hard for goes up in smoke—along with her dreams!—she’s not sure how much more she can stand. Even worse, the man found dead in the bakery’s back room is none other than Gianna’s latest client, Bernardo Napoli. 

The dough really hits the fan for Sal and Josie when they’re forced to temporarily relocate their bakery to the crazy Muccio home. Trouble is quickly stirred up as the best friend team must now contend with Sal’s father and his new mortuary business “undertakings,” a middle aged mother parading around customers in bikinis, and an Italian family hell bent on revenge. For Sal, several questions demand answers. Where has Gianna disappeared to? What role did she play in Bernardo’s death? What secret is Sal’s fiancé hiding from her? Sal is determined to find answers...before she gets burned once again! 

**Recipes Included!** 

Book One

Sally Muccio’s had her crosses to bear: a cheating ex-boyfriend, crazy Italian parents, and an unfaithful husband, just to name a few. After her divorce, she returns to her hometown to start a novelty cookie shop whose specialties include original fortune cookies, served with a sprinkle of foreshadowing. But there’s no warning when her ex-husband’s mistress drops dead on Sal's porch, and police confirm it’s a homicide. Determined to stop her life from becoming a recipe for disaster, Sal takes matters into her own hands. With two very different men vying for her affection, dead bodies piling up, and a reputation hanging by an apron string, Sal finds herself in a race against time to save both her business and life—before the last cookie crumbles. 

Book Two

USA Today Bestseller! 

Baker turned reluctant amateur sleuth, Sally Muccio’s, finally found the happiness that’s eluded her for years. She’s in love with a great guy, her bakery is thriving, and now she and her best friend Josie Sullivan are gearing up to appear on the popular reality baking show, Cookie Crusades. But a visit from Sal’s greedy ex-husband Colin, who's looking to cash in on the bakery’s dough, changes everything. Within a few hours Sal’s world—like the shop’s original fortune cookies—is broken apart when Colin turns up dead, and her boyfriend’s arrested for the crime. Now Sal’s mixing it up with vengeful ex-inlaws, a suspicious new employee, slippery baking competitors, and a greasy mobster who’ll stop at nothing to collect on Colin’s unpaid debt. Can Sal prove her man is innocent in time? Or is she about to get baked herself?

**Recipes Included!**

All three titles are available at Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. 

Note: There have been sales running on the Kindle copies, so head over quick to make sure you grab up a great deal! 

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