Where's Hansel and Gretel's Gingerbread House?

A Gabby Grimm Fairy Tale Mystery, #2

Deputy Gabby Grimm, a girl with a gun...A desperate plea for help from Cousin Annette takes Gabby to NYC just before Christmas, to unofficially hunt for a missing co-worker at Frist and Company.

The opinionated widow, still not used to life without Paul, a true prince of a husband, isn't having much luck with finding a new guy. It's been one embarrassment after another, especially after a jealous wife went ballistic on her in front of her co-workers. Annette's latest office romance? It's a complete disaster -- the guy has disappeared without a trace. Is he a con man who took a powder on purpose, leaving Annette with egg on her face, or did something more sinister happen?

As if that's not bad enough, Annette's terrified she leaked confidential information to a company competitor -- there will be legal hell to pay if her employers find out. When things get ugly fast, it's up to the experienced deputy from Latimer Falls, Vermont to rescue the bossy damsel in distress, but first Gabby has to sort things out. What is so special about the scale model of the condo development that Annette crafted out of gingerbread? It's just a Christmas decoration, isn't it?

Her plan to bring Annette to Black Forest Farm for safekeeping goes awry as the FBI, hot on their heels, closes in. The feds want to make a mob case involving possible fraud and dangerous construction practices, so they pin a bull's eye on Annette, hoping to get her to roll over. Unbeknownst to Annette and the deputy, the FBI had an inside man on the job. Now they're squeezing him to produce results for the DOJ, but he's got it bad for Annette, and that ain't necessarily good. Can Gabby help her cousin navigate her way out of this mess, or is Annette going to find herself behind bars for the holidays? When the heart of the ugly construction fraud surfaces, how far will the real bad guy go to protect his vile scheme? Is he willing to sacrifice Annette to get what he wants?