AT DEATH'S DOUGH

What do ice fishing, cat-napping, and historical research have in common? Murder, of course.

Delilah O’Leary’s Wisconsin restaurant is in the winter doldrums, and she’s counting on Valentine’s Day to boost her bottom line. She and her boyfriend, Det. Calvin Capone of the Geneva Bay Police, have both been too busy for much quality time together lately. Calvin’s mother, Lola Capone, has dinner at the restaurant, though, introducing Delilah to her nephew, Dominic Capone, who’s visiting town on business. Meanwhile, Delilah’s Auntie Biz, a dedicated ice fisher, thinks February is the perfect time to head out to her favorite secluded spot for a bit of fishing. Accompanied by Delilah and her nervous best friend, Sonya, she hauls her equipment on snowmobiles to start cutting holes in the ice. Leaving Biz to fish, Delilah and Sonya take a walk to an old mansion nearby, where they encounter real estate agent Jacqueline Hansen, who’s cagey about who’s buying the place once owned by a famous gangster. Back at the fishing tent, Delilah starts to drill new holes. The drill stutters, Sonya faints, and Delilah finds a human finger. Ignoring the opinions of Calvin and a furiously inquisitive Delilah, the police chief writes it off as a diving accident. The body turns out to belong to Dominic Capone, who’d been doing research at the historical society into a long-ago heist, some of whose valuable loot was never found. With Calvin out of town, Delilah and her crew at the restaurant start investigating and turn up the probable location of the cache. When her precious cat, Butterball, is stolen by a kidnapper who demands the information, she kicks into high gear and faces her fears to save him.

A fine combination of food lore, historical tidbits, and chilly adventures.