Holiday Spies: License to Bake

di Henry Galio (Autore)

Henry Galio, 2025

You can paste this as your main description and trim as needed: It was supposed to be cookies. The whole time. Just cookies. On December 1st, James Barlow does something wildly out of character: after four eggnogs and one weaponized smirk from his neighbor Derek, he bets he can finally beat him in the Maple Street Christmas Cookie Competition. Derek has won seven years in a row. His lawn is perfect. His lights are perfect. His cookies are allegedly "Grandma Margaret's secret family recipe." James can't bake. He once summoned the fire department by boiling water. Engine 7 has a plaque about it. Determined not to humiliate himself again, James arms up the only way a modern suburban dad knows how: a $2,400 AI-powered smart oven (CroCK) that critiques his technique, tracks his heart rate, and quietly reports cookie telemetry to a server in Reston, a ten-year-old daughter with seven color-coded binders and appendices on "Dad's Known Weaknesses," and a bored CIA analyst college buddy who decides this is more fun than his actual job. Derek, meanwhile, has been cheating for seven years, buying his "homemade" masterpieces from a fancy Georgetown bakery—and now his Special Forces brother-in-law is running counter-surveillance out of their guest room. Holiday_Spies_20251207_103636 What starts as a petty cookie war between two dads rapidly escalates into: nine federal agencies arguing in a cul-de-sac about whether an oven is a national security threat, Russian and Chinese operatives emotionally compromised by a glitter-covered golden retriever, a hamster in a tiny purple cape (Business Greg) being evaluated as a "potential asset," and a Reaper drone accidentally deleting Derek's twelve-foot inflatable Santa from orbit. While their wives run quiet damage control via group chat and their terrifyingly competent children update binders, James and Derek end up in an underground black site on Christmas Eve, being interrogated about cookie logistics, vanilla expenditures, and why the oven has something called "AI Protocol." Holiday Spies: You Only Bake Twice is a fast, funny, surprisingly heartfelt Christmas caper about: two dads who take a neighborhood bet way too far, a sentient oven that just wants emotional honesty in baking, found family, suburban chaos, and second chances, and what happens when pride, friendship, and weaponized sugar collide. Perfect for readers who love: absurd spy spoofs with real emotional stakes, cozy holiday stories that go completely off the rails, and ensemble casts featuring wives, kids, spies, and one permanently sparkling dog who is, scientifically, "a very good boy."

• Autore: Henry Galio
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: Henry Galio
• Formato: EPUB3 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798232542306