Trick or Treat (Corinna Chapman Mystery)

Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen Press (2009)
ISBN 9781590585320
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (5/09) 


For somebody who has – rather involuntarily! – given up most carbohydrates, reading Kerry Greenwood’s “Trick or Treat” is bordering on torture. Greenwood’s descriptive powers are nothing short of miraculous, and all of those breads, buns, rolls, muffins and other assorted yummies fairly jump off the pages, as do the various characters of the story. Everybody has a distinct personality, even the characters’ pets. And one would be hard pressed to find a more likeable, if truly motley crew. The residents of the Insula, an eclectic apartment house, as well as the employees of the Earthly Delights are a bunch of highly likeable and hugely entertaining individuals, and the one linking them, who also happens to be the heroine of Kerry Greenwood’s “Trick or Treat,” is the baker Corinna Chapman. Not only does one yearn to have a friend as loyal and as gifted as Corinna, but one would gladly move into the Insula just to share the neighbors.

If this all sounds too good to be true let me assure you that mayhem and disaster are looming on the horizon. Corinna’s bakery is being threatened by the newly opened, cut-price franchise bakery that recently opened around the corner from Earthly Delights. On another front, Corinna’s lover Daniel all of a sudden acquired a flat-mate, an old friend – or is it an old flame? – who just happens to be an utterly stunning long-legged blonde of a not altogether nice disposition. In addition to that, several people in the area seem to have lost their mind, and that outbreak of madness is centered on the area where Corinna lives and works. To make matters worse, a large number of Wiccans have recently arrived to the city, and they seem to be adding to the utter confusion and insanity. What can one woman do?

Will the customers stay faithful to Corinna’s quality or will the cheap goodies entice them to change their loyalties? Are Daniel’s feelings for Corinna stronger than Georgianna’s charms and determination? What is causing the madness? And what really brought the Wiccans to the area?

Kerry Greenwood’s “Trick or Treat” is a delightful and truly insightful mystery, filled with clear-cut personalities with individual, very distinct voices. The storyline is suspenseful, and the tangential off-shots do not take away from it all. If you like a well written, intelligent and engaging mystery, by all means reach for Kerry Greenwood’s “Trick or Treat.” Just make sure that your other hand is occupied as well, or you might find yourself succumbing to the lure of freshly baked muffins – if you can find some as good as the ones from Earthly Delights. On second thought, there are fates worse than that…

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