Gingerbread Cookie Murder (novella collection)

This is a collection of three short mystery novellas, each set at Christmas time and each involving cookies.  The first is a Hannah Swensen story by Joanna Fluke.  The others are by Leslie Meier and Laura Levine respectively.  I must admit I liked the Joanna Fluke one best, but the others were pretty good, too.  All three fit into what I am coming to understand as the Cozy Mystery formula.  The detective is a woman who is not a beauty, maybe a bit frumpy, but very comfortable.  In the third story the main character is married and has grandchildren, but in the other two the main characters are single and past prime marriage age. All three women are compassionate, caring people who just want to help others, and the people who end up dying are pretty nasty and probably made the world better by leaving it. All three stories include recipes either in the middle or at the end.  If you want something fluffy and fun to read over the holidays, this isn't a bad choice. (2010, 304 p.)