Erin is trying to get the Merc ready for Christmas on Decorating Day (the day when ALL the businesses try and get gussied up for Christmas), she realises though that two boxes have got mixed up and so she (and her mother Fresca) head off to the other shop to swap them over.  When they get there however they end up witnessing an altercation between Tara and her daughter Merrily, Tara has never forgiven Merrily for stealing and being sent to prison ... even though she is well and truly on the straight and narrow and obviously wishes to make amends. Erin invites Merrily back to the Merc for a warm drink and to help her relax after the upset.  The two of them get on well and so Erin also invites her to take part in the cookie swap she is running and Merrily happily agrees to be part of it.  The problem is on the day she doesn't turn up, and on the Monday Merrily doesn't arrive for work at the Building Supplies Store ... and then the store discovers money missing and the finger points firmly at Merrily, the problem is she can't defend herself as she is dead!

Erin takes on the task of proving that her instincts are right and that Merrily didn't steal, oh and to find out who killed her, and just in case that isn't enough she and Adam are getting married on Christmas Eve ... no pressure then!

Erin Murphy and her fiancé Adam are getting married during one of the busiest seasons for a retailer, Christmas. But the season is about friends, family, and neighbors and when another resident of Jewely Bay, Montana returns home things begin to get even more interesting when she turns up dead.

Being a rather successful amateur sleuth, Erin finds herself trying to figure out what happened to the woman she felt was going to be one of her new friends. Things are never what they appear to be at face value and Erin soon figures out there is more than meets the eye here as well. But will she find the killer and make it to her wedding in one piece?

While this is the fifth book in the Food Lovers Series, this is the first one I have read and there was no disconnect at all. This is a great standalone, though I WILL be reading the first four books soon! 

The author’s writing style is fantastic and she has been added to my list of authors I follow. The plot is well written, the characters multidimensional and the pace moves at a good clip. I wasn’t quite sure who did it close to the very end…fantastic! I highly recommend this book!

It’s Christmas time in Jewel Bay and the Merc is busy. What would possess Erin to choose this time of year to get married? When the black sheep of a local family returns home, not everyone is happy to see her. When she is murdered Erin adds solving the crime to he growing to-do list.

A review of As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles will be published on www.MapYourMystery.com on May 14.

I guess maybe it was just me but I thought the book dragged. I love cozy mysteries but this book just didn't keep my attention at all. I really had to force myself to finish it.

Fun book! It's my first by this author and i enjoyed it very much. I will most definitely go and look for the previous books!

As The Christmas Cookie Crumbles is a well written cozy mystery. I loved the plot and the cast of characters. This was a new author to me and I enjoyed the writing style and will be reading more of her work. I highly recommend to mystery fans.

Erin is still running The Merc in the busiest season of the year for retailers, all the while planning her wedding. When an exiled citizen returns to town, determined to make amends and have a relationship with her parents, ends up murdered, Erin is once again caught up in solving a mystery.

I really enjoy this series, and this is an excellent addition to the series. I find the characters likable and believable. The mystery was excellent, and I was completely surprised when it was revealed who the killer was, and the reasons for the murder.

New to this series and yes I think I missed something coming in so late in the series but it was a really good book. Made me laugh at points with the antics of the characters. Really fun series and will look into the rest of the series.

As Erin is getting ready for the big Christmas wedding an old friend is murdered in town and she is determined to find the real killer and set things right before the big day.

The snow is falling and the Christmas spirit is rising in Jewel Bay, Montana. Oh so one thinks. Erin, the Merc, manager has befriended the two pariah, Merrily Thornton. Almost twenty years ago her family shunned her when she pled guilty to taking money from her place of employment. She has comeback trying to make amends with her family and finds herself dead on her parents property. Erin cannot resist sticking her nose into the investigation but will she live to see her Christmas dream wedding come true?

This is the fifth book in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series but my first and I am hooked. I already want to start looking for the first four books in the series. Erin, the main character, is a perfect amateur sleuth for me. She is feisty, sweet and loves her family. I have been reading a lot of cozy mysteries where the sleuth is not close with her/his family so I found this a great twist for me. I love the Sunday family dinners her family has. Her mother would drive me crazy just popping in and taking over her house but I understand why she does.

One of my favorite things about the book is their is not a love triangle. Erin is perfectly happy with her fiancé and he is not a jerk. Sometimes I find the love triangle over takes the story in cozy mysteries. With the main character already in love and pretty much settled we can focus on the mystery.

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles may be a Christmas book but I believe you will enjoy it anytime of the year. Grab your warm blanket, a hot cup of yumminess and sit back and relax and get to know the residents of Jewel Bay. You will be glad you did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for a copy to read in exchange for my honest review in my own words.

This is the fifth book of the Food Lovers series which is set in Jewel Bay, Montana during the Christmas holidays. This is the first of the series that I have read. I can’t wait to have time to read the rest of them.
Erin Murphy runs her family's Montana specialty food shop, the Merc. She is extremely busy preparing for Christmas, getting settled into her new home, and planning her upcoming wedding to Adam.
Erin’s new friend, Merrily, is found murdered the day after the Christmas cookie exchange. Merrily has a previous criminal record. After merrily dies, she is accused of embezzlement for the second time in her life. Erin doesn’t believe Merrily is guilty and sets out to find the killer. Erin is on a mission to find justice for her friend, and investigates both the murder and embezzlement. I like Erin’s use of a spreadsheet to solve the crime.
This book kept me engaged throughout the story. I also liked that recipes were included at the end of the book.

This is only the 2nd book I've read in this series.
I really like the way all the different shops come together to make this a quaint little town.
I've always enjoyed visiting small towns like this, so it's very easy to imagine myself inside the story.

The characters are all colorful and quirky.
This story centers around Christmas and of course, Erin's wedding. Murder puts a damper on the festivities and it's up to Erin to find the answers.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

This was warm, fun book. I love Erin's passion for everything & her need to help the people around her. Her effort to help solve Merrily's murder is based on compassion and understanding. And Landon is cute as a button. It has a nice easy rhythm to it, it is a very easy read. I was given the opportunity to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley and the publisher.

When Erin Murphy is outside the Mercantile stringing Christmas lights, she decides to look at the Thornton's shop window. Every year, they have the most amazing display, and this year is no different...except that their daughter Merrily has arrived in town, and with no welcome from her parents. When she hears the conversation - Merrily's mother Taya is berating her and telling her to leave, Erin takes pity and invites her into the Merc. After commiserating with her and feeling sorry for Merrily, she invites her to the cookie exchange she's having that Sunday.

It seems Merrily spent time in prison for embezzlement when she was only a teenager, and most people think she got taken advantage of by the true embezzler; yet her parents haven't forgiven her, and it doesn't look like they ever will. But when Merrily doesn't show up for the cookie exchange, Erin is concerned until she receives a phone call from Greg Taylor - and it doesn't bode well.

Greg hired Merrily to work for him as a bookkeeper, but when he discovered missing money and she didn't show up for work he went looking for her - and found her, dead - with a string of Christmas lights around her neck. He called Erin because she'd been through this before. But Erin can't figure out what Merrily could have done to get herself killed - she doesn't believe she stole from Greg's hardware store, since there's no real evidence; but there doesn't seem to be any other explanation.

It seems Greg is the main suspect, and his sister Wendy asks Erin to investigate since she thinks the police will arrest him for the crime. So Erin tells her she'll think about it - and that she does, discovering things along the way that don't make any sense. Where is the missing money? Merrily wasn't living high, and Erin discovers evidence that shows she didn't leave her home of her own free will. But finding the truth could take some time - time Erin doesn't have with her wedding day nearing, and she might not make it anyway if someone else has their way...

I enjoyed reading this book, the fifth in the series. This time around, Erin is getting ready for her Christmas wedding to Adam when the tragedy of murder occurs. Although she's not a friend of Merrily, who was years ahead of her in school, she still knows the family and hears the history of why Merrily left. But the woman looked so bereft that Erin knew she had to reach out to her, and when she didn't show for the exchange, Erin was concerned.

What follows is a maze of clues all leading in one direction, but that direction isn't easy to find. You have to sift through them (they are there) before you find the truth. And the truth isn't an easy pill to swallow. It makes one wonder how there are people who can go through this life seemingly caring for others, but in reality are a different type of human being altogether.

In the end, it was a very good mystery and put together well, and I enjoyed reading it. Although it takes place at Christmas, I believe that it can be read any time of the year, and can also be read as a stand alone. Recommended.

Cookie has an interesting, well developed story. I didn't like Merrily's parents and had a hard time accepting Merrily's actions, but we all know and read about people like them so it's not unacceptable.

While I liked the book, I was stunned when I started it to realize I didn't remember the characters or setting even though I know I've read all the previous books. Now, as a voracious reader, I have forgotten large chunks of books I've read only once, but the "lightbulb" usually turns on after a bit and I'm reminded of what I previously knew about the series, not so here. I don't think that's a positive sign for the series, yet I didn't let it affect my review, because I liked the story and it kept me guessing as to whodunnit.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.an interesting, well developed plot

I enjoyed this cozy mystery exploring the small-town dark side of family, secrets, trust, and betrayal. I've only read one other book in this series so far, and it was pretty good, but this one was even better. The solution was a little convoluted and a lot sad, but it was a very good read. I liked the main characters, and the author did a good job of keeping a number of suspects in the mix so that I couldn't predict the ending. Looking forward to the next one!

Food Lovers' Village Mystery series is on my list of favorites. I like the town, cast of characters, and all the food, which is why I requested to review this book and subsequently held my breath until I heard back.

This is the fifth installment for the series. Erin, manager of the Merc, gets involved in the investigation of the murder of Merrily Thornton. (Her parents love Christmas, can you tell? The sister's name is Holly...) After having recently returned to Jewel Bay, Merrily has been accused of embezzlement (for which she went to jail twenty years earlier) when her body is discovered. What follows is a complicated web of lies, stealing, and just about the worst family dynamic I have seen in a cozy. All the meanwhile, Erin is trying to keep the Merc afloat during the busy holiday season and plan her wedding, which is to occur on Christmas Eve.

There's a lot of different things going on here, but it's presented well and isn't confusing. I also appreciate "The Cast" listed at the beginning as it has been awhile since I read one of the books in the series and there is a large amount of characters. Also while there is a hint, it is not obvious who the guilty part is (or are...?), which I always prefer. Definitely recommended.

My first one in this series, well written with depth and complexity and great characters. Another series to add to my to be read pile.

I read other books written by Leslie Budewitz but this is the first one in this series (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery).
Even though it was the 5th one I had no problems in understanding the characters and their relationship.
This is a cozy mystery and a book about making amends and starting anew even if people seem not to be able to forgive or forget what was in the past. It is also a book about families and betrayal.
It is well written, kept me guessing til the end and was really funny and enjoyable with some food for tought.
Really recommended.
Many thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley.

As the Christmas Cookies Crumbles is the fifth installment in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series. This book is the first in the series that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. I absolutely loved this book. The town of Jewel Bay Montana is a cozy as can be, with quaint shops and shop owners, a town where everyone knows everyone else and everyone's business. Erin is busy with her own Christmas wedding preparations as well as running The Merc, the family mercantile shop. When her new found friend, Merrily Thornton goes missing, Erin finds herself in the middle of a mystery that spans twenty years. There are a lot of characters, but this adds to the charm of the small town and make it all seem so real. It is the type of town you would want to visit or live in. There is plenty of action, mystery and a bit of romance to keep a reader's attention, as well as some wonderful recipes. This is one of the best cozy mysteries I have read in a long time and am anxious to read the rest of this series. I was provided a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I must admit this is the first book I've read in the series, but overall had no issues with keeping up with the story. Erin runs the family mercantile store, that has been in her family for generations, and is getting ready to marry her old college friend from years ago. Adam is not shown much, but seems like a nice guy. When a woman gets found murdered, and Erin's friend is one of the main suspects, she decides to get involved and help find clues on who the real killer is. With a lot of red herrings and twists and turns, it makes for a lively cozy mystery. Well written and fun characters, except for the parents of the victim. Would recommend.