Anytime there is a mystery that revolves around baking, I'm already interested before opening the cover and the story didn't disappoint.

I really liked Teddie as I read the first book in the series and I'm glad that we get to learn a little more about her and her relationships as they are evolving. The mystery kept me guessing and I enjoyed meeting more of her friends in Lake Potawatomi.

It was nice easy read that kept me up way too late at night.

I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

In Laura Jensen Walker's second Bookish Baker Mystery, writer and amateur baker Teddie St. John enters a baking contest in her small town of Lake Potowatomi, Wisconsin. Teddie discovers the body of one of the contest judges, womanizing Les Morris, murdered by her grandmother's rolling pin. Of course, Teddie and her dog, Gracie, have to investigate to clear Teddie's name from suspicion.

I was bound to enjoy this book as it features two of my favorite things: baking and books. As an avid fan of The Great British Bake Off, I appreciated the frequent allusions to the show and its judge, Paul Hollywood. The first book in the series goes more in depth into Teddie's experience working as an author, and I look forward to reading more about her writing career as the series continues.

Teddie is an absolutely delightful heroine. It is clear that she is imperfect and has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth, but she has a big heart and is devoted to her family and friends. She is a cancer survivor who has accepted her body post-treatment, which is admirable. Her devotion to her American Eskimo, Gracie, also endears her to this dog owner. She had me rooting for her to solve the case throughout the story.

Walker does an excellent job creating the community of Lake Potowatomi. The reader is drawn into the small town and gets a strong sense of the many different personalities in the town including the town gossip, Wilma, and Jeffrey, an artist who does a nude sculpture of Teddie's mom.

The mystery kept me engaged as well. I was trying to figure out the murderer's identity as I read, and Walker both included foreshadowing and deliberate misleading clues to the ending.

Deadly Delights was a fun and quick read that reminded me why I love cozy mysteries so much. I am excited to read the continued adventures of Teddie and Gracie.

Every August Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin holds its annual baking contest—a version of The Great British Bake Off, where local bakers compete to win the title of Best Baker of Lake Potawatomi. Baker-turned-mystery writer Teddie St. John has also entered the baking contest and hopes to win.

Unfortunately, Les Morris, the president of the chamber of commerce, also happens to be the head judge of their annual baking contest. They’ve been complaints about Lester’s inappropriate behavior but nothing has been done about it.

For the first entry which is cookies, Teddies presents her recipe: classic peanut-butter blossoms topped with a Hershey’s kiss 🍪

Back at home while Teddie’s making her second entry—cherry pie— 🥧 Sophie, Teddie’s neighbor, and fellow contestant drops by to ask for Teddie’s help in decorating her table in advance seeing as Sophie’s grandmother has an appointment the following day and Sophie won’t have time to set her table before the judging begins. Teddie agrees and they head out.

The next day while Skyping with her boyfriend Tavish, it begins pouring so Teddie heads back to the park to check on the baking tent. There she finds the tent in a state and the body of the head judge lying facedown in Sophie’s coconut cream pie. Matters worse, lying beside him is Teddie’s embossed rolling pin. Moreover, Sophie’s pie wasn’t there when they left last night. So why was it there?

Lester’s wife Patsy immediately accuses Teddie and Sophie of being in cahoots and killing her husband together. Besides, the previous day everyone saw Teddie hit Lester with her rolling pin when Lester pinched her butt. Sheriff Brady Wells, who’s a sheriff, and Char’s boyfriend investigates. Char Jorgensen is Teddie’s best friend and bookstore owner.

With the help of her friends, Teddie decides to do some digging of her own to clear her name and find out who set her up. A quick read, good mystery. Would recommend

Thank you to Laura Jensen Walker, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book.

Teddie is participating in a baking contest when one of the judges is murdered. She and another contestant discover the body, and that Teddie's distinctive rolling pin is the murder weapon. She and her best friends, Char and Sharon, (with some help from a local artist Astrid) begin looking for the killer. Teddie and Gracie are great characters and there are some changes to the relationship between her and her mother. The mystery has got twists and turns and the characters are likable. There is even a little romance tossed in. I enjoy the humor and the mystery was much better than her first novel. I can't wait for number three! #netgalley #deadlydelights

Deadly Delights by Laura Jensen Walker is the second in the Bookish Baker Mystery series. The plot was fun with twists and turns that kept me on my toes. The characters are likeable and well-developed. I like the recipes that are included and will be trying the banana bread first. I liked this book so much; I bought the first one so I can follow Teddie’s journey from the beginning.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Such a great read. I really enjoyed the plot of the story. I felt like I was a character interacting within the story. Couldn't put it down.

Even though I have not read the first installment in this series I still thoroughly enjoyed this book! Easy to read cozy mystery with interesting characters and a fun mystery. I always like these mysteries that incorporate cooking into them. All in all an entertaining fun read! I look forward to reading the next books in this series.

A delicious second installment to a tasty series. Every page is like taking a bite into your favorite meal, the characters the first initial flavor, then second layer the setting, and to round everything off for the perfect bite, a dash of murder. Everything about this story was well executed, the character relationships developing along, and the mystery itself enough to keep the reader on the end of their seat.

Entertaining. The mystery had me guessing at the very end with some surprise twists. There were some very funny moments. When Teddy thinks she has witnessed her widowed mother coming home from an all-nighter judgments and hilarity follow. I really liked how Teddy was very comfortable in her own skin and didn’t have a problem telling other people about her double mastectomy. But if it is repeated multiple times in a book it will become old fast. I also got a little annoyed with the inserted supposed thoughts of her dog and calling Teddy mommy all the time. I began to wonder if I was reading a paranormal mystery but it wasn’t labelled that.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It's fast paced, interesting story and has great characters. I was shocked by who the killer really was. #DeadlyDelights #NetGalley

This was a delightful cozy featuring Teddy St. John and takes place in Southern Wisconsin in small town Lake Potawatomi. Teddy is a 40 something cozy mystery writer who likes to bake and after a cancer scare decided to chuck a government job and do the things that she loves.

We're introduced to the murder victim right at the start. Lester Morris is a lech who is the president of the chamber of commerce and unfortunately one of the judges of the annual local baking contest Teddy has entered the contest and is one of the five finalists, along with her neighbor's granddaughter Sophie who publicly slapped Lester when he got a bit handsy.

The next morning, there's a bad storm and Teddy goes to the judging area to check on the display she had set up the night before. There, she discovers Les's body and he's been bludgeoned with Teddy's rolling pin,

Teddy and her friends decide to do some snooping on who could have hated Les enough to murder him. There are plenty of suspects as he truly was despicable.

The mystery is a good one with plenty of red herrings due to the plethora of suspects I stayed up late in the night to finish and it kept my interest.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, however the opinion expressed is my own.

Deadly Delights is the second book in this series and it was an entertaining read. I like Teddy as well as the other characters in the book.
If you enjoy a cast of colorful characters, an interesting mystery, and a fast paced story, then out this book at the top of your TBR pile.

Theodora St. John is a cozy mystery writer and baker. She has entered this years baking contest , but unfortunately the head judge ( a lecherous and arrogant man) is found murdered in the baking tent.

This book was an easy read , the characters seem genuine in nature and are well rounded. Theodora ( Teddie) has depth , she is a breast cancer survivor and mentioning this subject brings some grounding to the story. I have not read the first in this series but this did not detract from this novel ,the author gives just enough back story and description of her friends to make the book flow along easily. There are twists and turns , you think the killer has been found and then there is another twist which keeps you guessing until the end , I think it’s a great twist at the end .

The description Teddie’s baking made me want to eat a piece of cake whilst reading , and the recipes at the end are a nice touch. A really enjoyable read , looking forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to Crooked Lane books and Netgalley for the arc copy.

Deadly Delights is the second installment in the A Bookish Baker Mystery series set along the shores of Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin and featuring Theodora (Teddie) St. John, baker and cozy mystery writer. It's August and Teddie, in between books, is competing in the local baking contest hoping to be named Lake Potawatomi's Best Baker. She'll have her hands full trying to usurp Patsy Morris, who has won the contest nine years running thanks in part to her husband, Lester being one of the judges.

Lester Morris is a despicable man. Even though he's well on in years, he has a penchant for young girls and his lecherous behavior towards all women has turned most of the townsfolk against him. True to form, he pinches Teddie's butt and she whacks him with her rolling pin, then he whispers a disgusting comment in her young neighbor, Sophie's ear which is overheard by all thanks to the microphone. A ferocious rain storm blows through town and when Teddie heads out to check on the tent where the contest is being held she stumbles across the body of Lester, bludgeoned to death with her prized rolling pin.

In order to clear her name (and Sophie's), Teddie sets out alongside her best friends, Sharon and Char and Sheriff Brady Wells to roll out a killer. A fast paced plot offers up returning series regulars, a furry sidekick and mouthwatering recipes. Teddie's relationship with fellow author Tavish Bentley is blossoming even though he's back home in England working on his latest novel. A delightful addition to the series.

I received an advanced copy of Deadly Delights from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

The dessert descriptions in the book will definitely hit your sweet tooth, yum. Felt a bit lost with not reading the first book, but overall interesting story.

Even though I didn’t read the first in the series, this second book was good. The characters were full of life and likeable. I like the twists and turns within the mystery! The subtle background to her breast cancer story was also moving too.

Teddie St. John, mystery author and baker extraordinaire, is at it again in Deadly Delights. The town's lecherous old man is murdered and Teddie and a friend become suspects in a baking contest gone bad!

The mystery was full of twists and turns that I loved! Teddie's sense of humor and natural curiosity makes the book come alive. I especially liked the scenes with Teddie and her mother. As with the first book, the descriptions of the desserts made me want to snack! The "three musketeers" were in fine form and were involved in everything from baking to scoping out an exotic lounge! Fast-paced and fun, the mystery kept me reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Teddie St. John is a shoo-in for her small town’s baking contest but the competition gets derailed when one of the judges is found murdered with her rolling pin and face down in her friend’s pie. Will Teddie be able to find the murderer and clear her and her friend’s names?

I was intrigued by the mystery and baking elements in this book but it fell a bit flat for me.

Teddie is a likable main character. She’s well developed and I felt like I had a great grasp on who she was without having to read the first novel. However, I felt that the minor characters were one dimensional and underdeveloped. Her friends are likable characters but they only exist to be part of her girl group—we don’t get a sense of who they are apart from Teddie’s friends.

The premise was interesting and the outcome was creative and unpredictable. However, the pacing was a bit off. Most of the action (aside from discovering the man who was murdered) happens in the last 50 pages or so. And A LOT happens in those 50 pages. Before, I found myself skimming parts of the novel because I wasn’t invested enough in the characters or the small-town charm. The ending of the book was when I was absorbing every single word and looking for hidden meanings.

Overall, the novel is a quick read with a great premise but the execution fell short for me.

This mystery was just okay for me. Books, baking, and murder seem like an irresistible combo, but this falls a bit flat. The narrator's habit of talking in italics for both her and her dog and always referring to her as "my Eskie" or something gets on my last nerve. We get that you love Gracie. Just call her Gracie! And hearing the narrator think "Good night Mom" on behalf of Gracie--nope. And that's from an animal lover who definitely talks to and for animals in real life. But it just comes across as kinda strange here.

Also, it's ludicrous to make the killer <spoiler> someone who used to live in this small town! THe idea that nobody recognizes her now is just crazy. The whole book we hear comments about this small Wisconsin town. But now the killer is somehow as anonymous as if she moved back to NYC.</spoiler>

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wisconsin, Norwegian Americans, murder, murder-investigation, family-dynamics, friendship, relationships, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, pets, dogs, mastectomy, cancer-survivor, situational-humor, verbal-humor, recipes, cozy-mystery*****

Good cozy with lots of twists, misdirection, great characters, and humor.
Theodora (Teddy) has returned to her home town after surviving mastectomies and chemo and has entered the area Baking Contest. Little did she know that a confrontation with the local lecher would get her accused of his murder! It's a real laugh fest and roller coaster ride of a cozy complete with awful puns. Amidst all this is a long distance romance with another author and a problematic issue with her widowed mother. Excellent read and there are recipes.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books vi a NetGalley. Thank you!
The review of the mystery is as honest as a Norwegian-American from Southeast Wisconsin with close ties to the bakeries can get while sending Kringles to Brooklyn, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.