Sure, candy canes and hot chocolate are delicious, but they don’t even come close to gingerbread. Whether it’s in the form of cookies or drinks, gingerbread is the most cozy and delectable sweet treat that winter has to offer. Picture yourself sitting next to a fireplace and Christmas tree while reading a book and indulging in gingerbread. Sounds like a dream, right? So, let’s make it happen! Here are seven books that will undeniably make you crave winter’s tastiest sweet treat!
Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier, and Laura Levine
This book features three different storylines by three different authors. Each storyline revolves around an eerie gingerbread murder mystery.
In Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, Hannah Swensen finds her neighbor’s lifeless body, inside his condo, lying next to an unopened box of her gingerbread cookies. As she begins to investigate his death, she discovers a batch of murder suspects. Unfortunately, the list of suspects is as long as her Christmas shopping list.
In The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies by Laura Levine, Jaine Austen volunteers at her parents’ retirement community’s play. She acts alongside Dr. Preston McCay in The Gingerbread Cookie That Saved Christmas. However, the energy shifts when McCay falls to his death in the final act. It seems like an accident, but Jaine is aware of his playboy attributes and suspects a jealous lover is behind the crime.
In Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots by Leslie Meier, Lucy Stone discovers a dead body. When she finds out that the body belongs to Rick Juergens, she knows that something’s off. His five-year-old son, Nemo, recently disappeared. Luckily, there is evidence from the gingerbread cookie that she gave Nemo. Lucy is determined to reveal Rick’s killer and find Nemo before Christmas Day arrives.
The Gingerbread Queen by Carrie Anne Noble
Thirteen years ago, Gretel defeated the witch of the gingerbread cottage to save her brother, Hansel. Since then, they have changed their names and tried to live a quiet life in a small German town. However, their neighbors are always gossiping, and it overwhelms Hansel. Eventually, he stirs up the townfolk’s wrath, which leads Gretel to face the gingerbread cottage all over again. She returns deep into the forest, where a white duck awaits her. He leads her deeper into the enchanted forest and toward dark magic. The white duck has ominous secrets and intentions of his own. Although Gretel is determined to beat this dark magic once again, could the gingerbread cottage overtake her morals? Will she become the next cruel witch queen to rule over the gingerbread cottage?
The Gingerbread Men by Joanna Corrance
Eleanor is enjoying a Christmas market in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her fiancé, Eric. However, everything changes when Eric completely abandons her to follow a stranger. This stranger is a mysterious woman who owns a hotel in the Scottish Highlands. Once she leads him back to her hotel, he meets the hotel staff. To his surprise, the staff consists of only men who are just like him — full of secrets. Eric joins the staff as he does chores during the day and shares horror stories at night. However, he quickly realizes that the hotel rooms are always vacant. Eric begins to question why there aren’t any guests, why it’s always snowing, and why they can’t go home. As he dives into investigating the hotel, he becomes determined to reveal the answer to these strange questions.
Jake & The Gingerbread Wars by E.G. Foley
Jake Everton began his life on the streets of London, England. However, he finds out that he is the long-lost heir of a family with magical powers. Christmas is quickly approaching, and this is his first time celebrating the holiday with his powers and alongside his magical relatives. Therefore, he is determined to make it as perfect as possible. Unfortunately, he faces a troublemaker who is an elf. Humbug hates Christmas and is set on creating mischief instead of toys. However, Jake puts a stop to his mischief when he captures him. Jake and his friends must return Humbug to the North Pole, but the journey is tougher than they expected. As they are faced with snowstorms and gingerbread men, they wonder if they’ll make it back in time for Christmas Day.
A Gingerbread Cafe Christmas by Rebecca Raisin
Christmas is the best time of year, especially for Lily and her Gingerbread Café. However, she isn’t feeling the merry spirit in the slightest due to the café that just opened across the street. The owner, Damon, sells amazing baked goods, and all the women are obsessed with the delicious treats and him. Luckily, the Gingerbread Café thrives because of Lily’s chocolate-dipped gingerbread cookies. Everything comes together perfectly when Damon falls for her, and they decorate her Christmas tree together.
Fast forward to Easter, when Lily is preparing for the Chocolate Festival; as she works to win, her ex-husband shows up demanding money. Luckily, she’s able to maintain her relationship with Damon, and the Gingerbread Café wins the festival. Fast forward again to Christmas, but this holiday is different. Lily and Damon’s festive wedding is quickly approaching. As she prepares for her wedding and works to keep the Gingerbread Café thriving, she is faced with her overbearing and cruel mother-in-law. Everything is thrown into chaos, and she begins to question if she can handle it. Will her Christmas wedding still be as perfect as planned?
Death of a Gingerbread Man by Lee Hollis
Hayley Powell is a food and cocktail columnist and restaurateur who lives in Bar Harbor, Maine. She has an extremely long to-do list as Christmas quickly approaches. However, her plans get ruined when her father, Dwight Jordan, shows up unexpectedly. He hasn’t been in the picture since Hayley believed in Santa Claus, but he thought it was a good idea to show up as an unwanted gift this Christmas. Things get even worse when he becomes the top suspect in a murder case. Dwight is suspected to have killed the sore loser at the gingerbread house contest. However, Hayley doesn’t want her father to disappear again, much less have him spend the rest of his life in prison. With the help of her friends, she sets out on a mission to crack the case.
Gingerbread Kisses by Macie St. James
Tatum Parks owns a company that is known as Reindeer Ridge’s best-baked goods. Therefore, she must maintain her title and win the region’s first-ever gingerbread house competition. Bakers from across the nation will be traveling to Reindeer Ridge for a shot at winning. Ian Holiday is one of the many bakers who are seeking a national title. He wants to be known as the best baker in the country and assumes it’ll be fairly easy to beat his competition. However, once he tastes Tatum’s sweet treats, he knows he must put up a fight to win. And once he meets Tatum, he quickly realizes that the gingerbread house competition isn’t the only thing he’s determined to win.
This festive season, make sure to indulge in warm gingerbread cookies (or latte!) while cuddling on the couch with one of these seven books. May you enjoy winter’s best sweet treat and a cozy read!
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Want some other cozy mystery recs to hole up with this season? Check out our picks on Bookshop.org!
