I have read the entire series and love each new book in the series. This is a charming series with a great protagonist , strong supporting charcters and the perfect setting of a wonderful breakfast cafe.
In this next in series our protagonist Marley McKinney finds a flyer stuck to her front window announcing the opening of a new waffle house by a resident with a very bad reputation. Wally Fowler has come to put Marley out of business. But soon somebody murderers him in a gruesome way when Wally’s head is found shoved into a vat of liquid nitrogen.
. When Marley’s friend and chef are suspected of the murder, she is sure they are not involved and she is determined to find the real killer. Soon she is in danger as she gains closer to the real suspect.
I loved this story and how Marley jumps into help her friends. The plot was well crafted so I was unable to figure out the true suspect until the end. The townspeople are crafted to perfection as supporters of Marley and her business. This was a fascinating mystery and a fun read. I have loved every book in this series and I can’t wait for the next Pancake House mystery ! Thank you to the publisher, the author and Net Galley for the ARC. My opinion is my own.

A new pancake restaurant is opening in Wildwood Cove and the owner of the Flip Side, Marley McKinney, is a little uneasy about the competition. The self-proclaimed "Waffle King" is making a lot of noise and Marley wonders if there is enough business to go around. Wally Fowler, the owner of the new restaurant, grew up in Wildwood Cove and made no friends there. Marley thinks that the much-loved Flip Side will survive just fine. But when Wally is murdered inside his restaurant, suspicion quickly grows around Marley's best friend, Lisa, and her gruff chef, Ivan. A second murder makes the situation worse.

The Pancake House Mysteries have continued to improve with each book in the series. Yeast of Eden has all the ingredients for a successful series: a colorful setting, memorable, mostly likable characters, and a twisty puzzle. I particularly enjoyed the secondary story of two girls who disappeared decades before. Marley's attempts to solve both mysteries get her into real danger this time.

Thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

Protagonist Marley McKinney owns The Flip Side, a pancake diner that sounds very quaint and perfect for a small coastal town of Washington. She has the ideal support characters surrounding her, including friend Lisa and her chef extraordinaire, Ivan Kaminski. One of the town's old residents, Wally Flower (aka the Waffle King) has come back to create a state-of-the-art breakfast restaurant that would surely offer competition to Marley.

My first experience with both the author and the series but functions well as a standalone. Once brought up to date, discovered the author has carefully woven in a multi-layered plot that grabbed my interest and kept me engaged.

Wally is found murdered in a most bizarre way, and she is drawn in after her friend Lisa and Ivan are inexplicably viewed as persons of interest. Marley decides it is time to get up in the attic to retrieve some Christmas decorations and discovers a diary in an old trunk detailing what leads into a second mystery.

Even with two opposing threads going, it's not difficult to keep up with either and they each send in some hit and run herrings. The well-plotted storyline takes on some interesting hypotheses, most sounding plausible, and I must admit I did not guess who eventually emerged as the antagonist to the murder.

While the mystery of the murder was compelling, it was actually the sub-plot, that of her relative that I found of most interest, although both will have you speculating. I nailed it, albeit with just a slight twist. A satisfying outcome. So who killed Wally? I know, but..huh? A taut and head-spinning climax in the murder mystery!

I was given this download by the publisher and NetGalley and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. I'll be looking forward to the first of her new series and in the meantime recommend this one to any who enjoy an engaging cozy mystery you can work on solving.

Wally Fowler has returned to Wildwood Cove to open The Waffle Kingdom, direct competition with Marley and The Flip Side. He makes a lot of people unhappy with his return, least of all, Lisa, whose sister died and she was adamant that Wally was responsible. Then, one evening Wally is found dead in his new restaurant and it appears he was murdered. Lisa and Ivan, her chef, become persons of interest in the killing. Marley decides to explore Wally's death in order to clear her friends. There are other story lines going on in this story. Brett, Marley's boyfriend is dealing with a family situation when his father suffers a heart attack and must be revived. He and his family head off to Seattle while he has heart surgery leaving Marley worrying back home. The second mystery in this book has to do with a murder/disappearance from twenty years earlier. When Marley finds a set a journals from a relative, she reads about this mystery and with her curiosity in overdrive, she starts asking questions and gathering information about this long cold situation.

I have read all the books in this series and have watched the characters grow and develop. I like Marley, she is a likable and relatable protagonist. She has grown as a business woman running the restaurant and has developed many relationships around town. Her romance with Brett is progressing very nicely. I thought the mystery was well done and even though there were two storylines, they meshed well together. Both are wrapped up nicely, with the mystery in present coming to a rather climatic conclusion. I had my suspicions, but was not sure about the culprit until just before it was revealed by the author. I will continue to read this series and find out what else Marley stumbles into. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book to read upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.

This absolutely would have been a 4-star read if it had not been for the overwhelming, gushing, "I have a serious boyfriend and therefore have no life and will pine away when he isn't with me" romance aspect of the book. The mysteries were excellent [I did guess the killer, but had talked myself out of it so I was semi-surprised when I was correct! LOL] and I liked the twists and some of the very real family drama that Brett has to deal with - it was all very realistic and believable.
What was NOT believable was how mushy and gushy Marley has become; when she first came on the scene, she was a force to be reckoned with - she dealt with the death of her uncle, starting running the Pancake House and solved the murder! She was seriously kicking butt!!!
And then Brett enters the picture and things get serious and Marley all the sudden loses herself. Now, I like Brett as a character and in no way is he holding her back. He actually is a decent boyfriend as far as book boyfriends go, but Marley all of the sudden becomes this mush-laden "what WILL I do without him" kind of girl and it is really annoying. AS are all the mushy, gushy, romance scenes. IF I wanted a romantic mystery, THAT Is what I would have sought out on NetGalley, NOT a cozy mystery. But that is not what I wanted and by the end, I was totally and completely over the romance aspect of this book. Blech.

All that said, I will absolutely read another one of these should she write another one and I have her new series on deck to read as well. I like her as an author and I would like to see Marley and Brett's and the town of Wildwood Cove story continue. Though I will say that if the romance level continues like it was in this book, I might have to reconsider that statement.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Lyrical Underground Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this latest installment of the Pancake mystery series, in fact I would say this is my favorite of the series so far. This story had a double mystery, the murder of the Waffle King as well as a historical family mystery in Marley's history. I loved the historical mystery addition. The killer was a surprise to me and that's hard to do. A great cozy mystery.

I would like to thank Kensington Books for gifting me with a free electronic ARC of this book. As I am a fan of the ‘Pancake House Mystery’ series, and follow Ms Fox on social media, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read the next instalment. Any and all reviews I now give I do so openly, honestly and obligation free.

In other words, suck it up those who think I am paid to write nice things in exchange for free books. ;-)

Okay, so on with my review of ‘Yeast of Eden’. This is book four of the ‘Pancake House Mystery’ series and I have to say it was a relief and delight to read. A relief as… quite honestly… I wasn’t a fan of book three. I feel it lost its way as to what it wanted to be. But book four redeems Ms Fox and any issues I had with this series. It is back to the wonderful blend of cosy, mystery, friendship and life in small town America that I love and feel works so well in this series.

‘Yeast of Eden’ is set a few months after the last book - ‘Of Spice and Men’ - and winter has come to Wildwood Cove, and with it a combination of new and old mysteries for the main character Marley to solve.

I won’t give the plot away too much, but I did enjoy the mixture of old and new mystery in this book. At first I thought it was too much clutter into the one story line. I mean, we had the current murder to solve, Marley and Brett’s relationship progressing, family crisis, seasonal Pancake House treats to describe, the usual goings on of the regular characters… and then an older mystery to solve? I felt it was going to be too much plot padding and not enough actual plot.

But I was wrong. And apologise for doubting that Ms Fox could pull it off. As cluttered as that all might sound when I write about it, I can assure the reader it was balanced perfectly by Ms Fox and barely even appeared like plot padding. In fact, it helped reinforce the friendships and history of Marley and her friends in Wildwood Cove.

‘Yeast of Eden’ was, as I have said, that great balance of all of those things and none of the secondary plot ideas got in the road of the main mystery. And the main mystery itself had just the right balance of red herrings and plot twists which kept me guessing a little longer than usual to figure it out. And I do like a cosy that keeps me guessing and doesn’t just spoon feed it all to me in the first few chapters and then spend the rest of the book trying to sound clever about why it happened. Ms Fox’s ‘Pancake House Mysteries’ do indeed keep me guessing.

I also have to say that I loved the idea of gingerbread crepes! And am thankful the recipe is in the back of the book. The other dishes mentioned came across as a little too sweet for my liking, but I can really see the gingerbread crepes being attempted in my house soon! ;-)

Now for the usual nitty gritty behind the scenes stuff. The layout of the book was excellent and was formatted perfectly for Kindle eBooks (I do hate it when publishers forget to format the book properly so the margins and paragraphs end up all over the place). Yes, there were a few minor grammatical slip ups (it’s not as if I don’t do a LOT more). But this sort of thing is always acceptable in an ARC and is fixed by the final print. Trust me; Kensington Books are professionals at this!

So, all in all it was a well-paced, well thought out story. An excellent next instalment in a thoroughly entertaining cosy series and just perfect to read at this time of the year… though possibly more so if I was in the northern hemisphere and not the southern one! :-D

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would… and yeah it COULD be read as a standalone, but the reader would be doing themselves an injustice. Reading it as part of the series works so much better as you can really see the characters and their relationships grow through the different stories. So lovers of cosy crimes and mysteries in small town America would enjoy this… but read it as part of the series and thank me later, okay?

Would I buy this book for myself?

Yes I would. Any issues and concerns I had after reading book three in this series are well and truly dead and buried. It was obviously just a book I didn’t connect that well with. ‘Yeast of Eden’ on the other hand was back on track and just my sort of book. This leads into me confirming that the ‘Pancake House Mystery’ series is still indeed my favourite sort of cosy series.

In summary: A great bundle of mystery and intrigue in one book, while also a fantastic continuation of an enjoyable series.

Yeast of Eden

by Sarah Fox

The Flip Side is Wildwood Cove’s favorite place for breakfast with hours extending until 2:00 PM. Now Waffle Kingdom, owned by obnoxious former resident Wally, is opening up to challenge that position. Owner Marley is determined to keep that from happening by continuing great, friendly service and delicious, creative dishes. Marley doesn’t worry for long as she discovers Wally’s body in his restaurant and her own chef there as well. Certain that Chef Ivan, although formidable, is not a murderer, Marley sets out to prove his innocence by finding out who really killed Wally.

Yeast of Eden by Sarah Fox also contains an interesting subplot in the form of a local town mystery: the story of two dead young women and a missing mayor’s son. Marley, who obviously is addicted to amateur sleuthing, determines to solve this cold case as well.

Readers will enjoy following Marley as she pursues various leads in both cases while getting to know various interesting townsfolk who populate Wildwood Cove. There are a lot of people with strong motivations as no one actually likes Wally. After a second death, you have to wonder if Marley will discover the killer before there are even more victims.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: # 4 in the Pancake House Mystery Series but works well as a standalone.

Publication: October 30, 2018—Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press)

Memorable Lines:

“My eyes are more dull gray than blue.” His arms snaked around my waist from behind and he kissed the side of my neck. “There’s nothing dull about them. They’re like the ocean. Sometimes stormy gray, sometimes blue, and always full of depth.”

Wally Fowler is in town to put some competition on Marley McKinney and her pancake house, The Flip Side. Wally thinks his Waffle King place will be better, and a little competition is a good thing right? Right! Until he is found dead in his state of the art kitchen. Did Marley do it? Can she prove she didn't kill anyone? You will have to read the book to find out ...... and bonus! there are recipes in the book too!!! I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from the publishers.

YEAST OF EDEN is the fourth book in the popular Pancake House Mystery series but the first I have had the opportunity to read. I do not know why I have waited so long to give the series a try, but I am glad I did. It can be read as a standalone, and, with its beautiful Washington setting, likable characters, and intriguing mystery, it is a delightful cozy read.

Protagonist Marley, the proprietor of the local breakfast spot, is confident that her restaurant will hold its own against Wally Fowler, the self proclaimed Waffle King. Pompous, arrogant, and not well liked, this prodigal son of Wildwood Cove is a testy thorn in Marley’s side. However, when Marley’s chef Ivan finds Wally dead, Marley does her best to unmask the real killer and save her friends, the prime suspects.

There are actually two mysteries within the pages of YEAST OF EDEN, and they work well together to make a cohesive whodunit. Marley is a smart amateur sleuth, ever mindful of not accusing suspects of anything without proof. She is quick to put the pieces of the puzzle together and handles herself in a sensible way, not falling under the “too stupid to live” category at all, when faced with danger. I was blindsided by the killer’s identity, making the climax all the better. The characters are well developed and realistic. I enjoyed getting to know them and especially like Marley, Brett, and Ivan. The pace of the writing is good and the style just right.

I highly recommend YEAST OF EDEN.

I received an e-ARC of this title from the publisher and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

This is the fourth installment of the Pancake House series. This is better than the previous book which I found weak. The cover and description were inviting. I am so glad I gave this series another try.

Marley McKinney is the owner of The Flip Side, a pancake house in Wildwood Cove, located on the coast. When the Waffle King plans to opens a waffle house right across the street from Marley's Flip Side, and is murdered, Lisa, her best friend and Ivan, her chef become prime suspects.

A well-written and well-paced story. This is a standalone. The author provides enough information so you do not feel lost or left out of what is going on.

Recipes are an added bonus.

I have enjoyed this series since the beginning, and it just keeps getting better! This is fourth in the Pancake House Mystery series and is my favorite; it can be read as a standalone. Watching the characters grow closer together and stronger is a delight. The beautifully described oceanside setting of Wildwood Cove makes me want to pack up and go there! The mystery kept me guessing throughout as the suspects grew in number.
Marley McKinney inherited The Flip Side, a pancake house started many years earlier by her grandmother’s cousin, who left it to Marley. It is the only restaurant in town that specializes in breakfasts. Marley and Ivan, the chef who almost always wears a scowl, develop seasonal recipes, currently signature dishes in preparation for Christmas.
Wally Fowler, a former resident of the Cove, inherited millions from his great-aunt, so he returned to Wildwood Cove to start a new breakfast restaurant, Wally’s Waffle Kingdom. Wally had few friends when he grew up there and is liked even less now. Shortly before his grand opening, Marley leaves Ladies’ Night at the hardware store and sees that the tires on Wally’s van are slashed. She goes into the waffle shop to tell Wally, and runs into Ivan, who was there to tell him the same thing. Unfortunately, Ivan found Wally dead in the kitchen, possibly murdered.
As Marley tries to help her friend, the prime suspect in the murder, she is caught up in another mystery. The wife of her late cousin had a sister who disappeared many years earlier. Marley finds the sister’s journals and an album of the newspaper clippings in the attic and is fascinated with the very cold case.
Brett, Marley’s boyfriend, helps his father with his remodeling business during the winter. Brett’s father collapsed on a job site, and he gives his father CPR until paramedics arrive. He is transferred to a hospital in Seattle for bypass surgery; Brett, his mother, and sister Chloe will stay there with him.
Each of the characters is defined well through actions and realistic dialog; Marley and her best friend, Lisa, are my favorites. Even the grumpy Ivan is a favorite in his own way. Sienna, a part-time waitress for Marley, is an enthusiastic friend and employee, who decides to be Marley’s sidekick as she listens for information about Wally. Few people liked Wally and several people despised him because of the things he did when living there before. Even so, he didn’t deserve the horrible death he died.
What a great mystery! The days are fraught with tension with so many people Marley cares about either ill or falsely suspected of murder. Even as she works hard at the Flip Side, Marley pores over old journals and tries to gently ask questions about Wally without sounding like she is accusing anyone. One family takes exception to the questions, even threatening Marley. She has good instincts, and may get ahead of herself at times, especially when led down a questionable path by a distraught teen…and almost ended up in jail. I was stunned to see who the real guy bad is, someone I would not have guessed. The end is satisfactory, leaving no loose ends. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys well-written cozy mysteries set in the Pacific Northwest, breakfast restaurants (and recipes!) and realistic characters.
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of the e-arc from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Sarah Fox writes a wonderful series set on the West Coast about a Pancake House that is one of the series I look most forward to reading, anxiously awaiting the next instalment, in Yeast of Eden, Sarah doesn't disappoint.
I love the cover, and the way Sarah writes the series it is so easy to picture and relate to the setting and the characters. This one tugged at my heart strings, the mystery as much as the history in this one was really touching and even though it is set around Christmas, it did not feel overly Christmasy or sickly sweet. A perfect blend! My mouth watered at the mention of the items offered in the Pancake house and I am grateful for the recipes at the end of the book. This one is out October 30th and is the fourth book in the series! I totally recommend this series for binge reading and a stack of pancakes to go with it!

This was a great book. It pulled me in right away and I couldn't put it down. A great winter read or anytime. I highly recommend this book, which would be a perfect read in front of a fire or snuggled inside watching the snow fall

Yeast Of Eden is the fourth book in the Pancake House Mystery series by Sarah Fox. I’m a long time fan of this series I was thrilled to read it.
The book is fast paced, well written with plenty of plot twists and red herrings to keep you guessing as to the motive and the murderer.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Yeast of Eden was the secondary mystery. I was as caught up in it as I was the primary one!
I always enjoy a visit to Wildwood Cove, and was sad to see this one come to an end! Already looking forward to the next book to see what’s in store for Marley and company!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for ARC of this book

"Yeast of Eden" is a delightful Cozy Mystery! I love the characters and it's a great story.
Marley McKinney is the owner-operator of The Flip Side, a cozy pancake house in the seaside town if Wildwood Cove.
As expected, someone is murdered and it's up to Marley to figure out who did it.
This is the 4th book in the Pancake House Mystery Series and I loved reading each of them!

Wally Fowler moves in as the waffle king and he's competition for the pancake shop. When he comes in her shop and talks his up, Ivan, the chef, sends him on his way. Not much later he's found dead in his shop. Almost everybody hated him but who killed him?

Lyrical Underground and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published October 30th.

When Marley's best friend, Lisa, becomes a suspect, Marley starts looking for another suspect. There are plenty around. She even suspects innocent people for a while. Then there's another murder. Will she find the killer or will the killer find her?

Pancakes, waffles, and murder. I liked this book a lot. It is a fun and easy read. The mystery is satisfying and the characters are likeable. Read this book then go have some pancakes! Thank you netgalley for providing the arc. The opinion is my own

Marley is cooking up pancakes and is worried about the pending opening of a waffle house. Very quickly her troubles change when the owner is murdered and her cook and friend are the lead suspects. Add to that a decades old mystery that pops up when she finds some old diaries in the attic. I liked that the storyline dug up some history of the town and Marley's family while continuing to endear her to the other residents of Wildwood Cove. Hard to imagine she has only been there 8 months! This was a great little cozy to make you crave breakfast any time of the day.

When a waffle house seems to be heading to Wildwood Cove, Marley McKinney thinks her pancake cafe Flip Side might be impacted. But when the Waffle King winds of up, she has more to worry about. Wally had grown up in town, but was not well liked by anyone. In fact he sold drugs to Marley's friend's brother and he still struggled with addiction. His sister Lisa becomes a suspect and Marley works hard to find the real killer.