Earthly Delights: Corinna Chapman Mystery    by Kerry Greenwood Order:  USA  Can Poisoned Pen, 2007 (2007) Hardcover     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth When I see the name Kerry Greenwood on a bookcover, I immediately think of the Phryne Fisher series and know I am in for a good read. However, Greenwood's Earthly Delights opens another series, this one starring ex-accountant Corinna Chapman. As I expected, it's also a good read. Corinna is a baker, having thrown over her accountancy job as well as her husband James. She runs her own business now and lives in an apartment modeled after Roman architecture in Melbourne, Australia. The tenants are as varied as the apartments which each have their own Roman name, and there's a roof garden for evening relaxing. Shops line the first floor, including the bakery. When Corinna finds a girl who has OD'd in the back alley outside her bakery, she is thrust into Melbourne's drug world. Though that is bad enough, the whole apartment building is also being threatened by an unknown person, who declares in letters that the women are whores and the retribution of God awaits them. They are all to die! Some good does come into Corinna's life. She meets a dreamboat who - although she has a more than ample figure - declares her beautiful. A young homeless kid asks for work and Corinna ends up with an assistant baker with a knack for baking muffins. The occupants of the apartments could each have books written about them. And let's not forget the resident cats at the bakery. It only takes one book for the reader to want more of this clever series. Multiple plot threads are cleverly twisted into one tale. Nighttime Melbourne - the homeless writhing through its streets, each with their own agenda - is certainly not a tourist's idea of the city. But the characters drive the mystery, as each of their stories is revealed - that, and the marvelous breads that Corinna bakes and sells. And the apartment building could also classify as one of the interesting characters. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews