Corinna Chapman, talented baker and reluctant investigator, has closed her shop until the New Year and is trying very hard to do nothing at all on her holidays. Her private eye boyfriend, Daniel, is busy investigating a corporate theft. Her apprentice, Jason, is off learning to surf. And her two shop assistants, Kylie and Goss, have found roles in a soap opera. It should be a time of quiet reflection, but quiet doesn't suit Corinna-she's bored.

Scenting a whiff of danger, she accepts a caterer friend's offer to do the baking for the soap in which Kylie and Goss have parts, and discovers that all is not sunshine and light on the set. Twists and turns and complications ensue, involving-bizarrely-nursery rhymes and a tiger called Tabitha. On the other side of town, a young woman is being unmercifully bullied by her corporate employers, who spend a lot of time cooking the books.

Cooking the Books is sixth in Kerry Greenwood's quirky, cozy Corinna Chapman series.