Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven and, for Phyllis Newsom, sharing that loving with family and friends is something special that gives her a lot of pleasure. As Thanksgiving approaches, Phyllis is fine-tuning her Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffin for the Harvest Festival baking contest while she is spending time with her grandson, Bobby. She has a good chance of winning this year, since her friend and fierce competitor Carolyn would be judging the contest. But as preparations for the festivities ramp up, Phyllis and Carolyn discover one of the decorative scarecrows to be hiding the body of organizer/real estate agent Logan Powell, and all fingers point towards Logan's wife, Dana, as the killer.

Naturally curious, and recruited by Carolyn to help clear her friend Dana's name, Phyllis begins to do a little sleuthing. With the help of her beau, Sam Fletcher, Phyllis soon begins to turn up clues that just might turn up the heat on the real killer before the investigation is done.

In THE PUMPKIN MUFFIN MURDER, the fifth book in her Fresh Baked Mystery series, author Livia Washburn takes her readers back to the quaint town of Weatherford, Texas where life is certainly lively, and there's always a murder or two around the corner. Washburn's enjoyable cast of characters (including Phyllis, her housemates Sam, Eve and Carolyn, and her family) are just the warm, friendly type of people that you'd want for next door neighbors, and her depiction of Weatherford is exact and true. (I used to live near Weatherford, and have been delighted to recognize town landmarks that Washburn uses throughout her stories.) Add in the delicious recipes that are included in the back of the book, and you have a true winner in this charming book. If you are looking for a cozy mystery that truly lives up to its "cozy" name, you can't go wrong with THE PUMPKIN MUFFIN MURDER.