It's always a fun and suspense-filled roller coaster ride when Jake and Ellie are on a case! I'm always sitting there reading as fast as I can as they get into one investigating scrape after the other, but most of the time they get away without being seen. Although their friend and police officer Bob's watchful eyeballs usually do see them or had a report of them doing something, and they have to answer to his lecture later. At least he's never gone through with his arrest threat...yet lol.

I know who I desperately wanted to be the killer, but things don't usually work that way. At least I had the real killer in my radar. The showdown was quite the hair-raising experience for the girls, followed by everything being explained with a nice wrapped-up ending.

I liked that they addressed Mika's issues after having her second child. I've heard it 's a very real thing to have brain fog trying to take care of a toddler and an infant. The solution couldn't have been better though, and it helped several people by ending up that way. I liked Helen and Anna's side story too, and that ended well for all involved. I'm always looking forward to the next book and what adventure one of my favorite bestie sleuth pairs will get into next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This is the first book in the series I have read, and I'll be going back to read the previous 3~as this one was such fun! Jake and Ellie have the hands full with the bakery and soon with watching over Billy's sister, meanwhile Jake has problems at home with a crowded house, with 3 generations trying to sort out their issues, that thanks to the small town, are pretty intertwined with the recent death. Jake and Ellie seem to have a lucy/Ethel habit of getting into trouble while sleuthing, and this time is no different! Even if you guess the ending, it's such a fun read, you want to finish it!

This is the second book I read in this series and I loved it.
It's an entertaining and engrossing story that kept me hooked.
The characters are fleshed out and likable, the mystery is full of twists and turns. It kept me guessing.
I look forward to the next installment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Jake and Ellie should really consider getting proper PI licenses with all of the work they do, plus they could consult with Sheriff Bob, that is if he doesn't finally lock them up to keep them safe. This is one action packed sleuthing adventure and the story will have you constantly guessing as to who did in Alvin because we all know it wasn't Billy. A crazy amount of red herrings and partial solutions. As always, Jake and Ellie manage to pull each other into one situation after another. I think that this was the most action packed installment yet and it gave some excellent backstory regarding Jake's past employment with a certain unethical group of people. My only complaint is that while I really like the chocolate sauce recipe, I was hoping for the chocolate snickerdoodle recipe.

3.5 Stars

Small towns carry their fair share of secrets and sometimes it takes a murder-mystery to unravel them. Some people hope to bury their secrets forever, but sometimes these secrets are meant to be known. In a small town, where everyone knows of each other, a murder-mystery will bring people closer than ever before. Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle is the fourth book in-series, A Death by Chocolate Mystery by Sarah Graves.

Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White are best friends often finding themselves in a whole lot of trouble and together they run the Chocolate Moose in the quiet town of Eastport, Maine. But when a murder occurs in their small town and one of their friends is a murder suspect, Jake and Ellie take it upon themselves to investigate and solve the mysterious death before the consequences take a life of their own.

Often times, the characters set the tone for the mysteries and their manner and characterization of each character set the pace in the unraveling of clues. For example, loud characters often find themselves in loud situations and the book is usually filled with loud scenes and murder angst. The characters in this book are decent, but quiet and the scenes are slow paced. At first, I had a bit of difficulty engaging with the story, the focus was placed in getting to know the characters at the beginning of the book, but as the story progressed, it became easier to follow along.

The story and the mystery are good. I liked that there were several shady characters circulating throughout the mystery, it kept my attention and imagination going. I did feel like the story dragged on a bit. The main characters took several unnecessary risks, like going several times to the scene of the crime. I also found the motive to be a bit imaginative, but by the end of it all, it wrapped up nicely.

A good story with a good mystery and quiet characters. Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle, (which by the way is not what caused the death of the murdered character) is imaginative and satisfying.

~ Patricia

Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle is the 4th book in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series by Sarah Graves. I picked up this series with Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake (book 2) and I also thoroughly enjoyed book 3, Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut.

In Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle, Jacobia (Jake) Tiptree and Ellie White, the owners of 'The Chocolate Moose' are enthusiastic about Eastport, Maine’s Great Downeast Snickerdoodle Bake-Off. They have entered the competition for fun but are aware that their customers are expecting great things from them. As they set about creating their delicious chocolate sensations with the help of Mika, Jake's daughter-in-law, their plans go awry when Jake's elderly father, Jacob, and her stepmother, Bella Diamond arrive, followed by Sam, her son. Sam drops a bombshell - a body has been found by Sam's co-worker, Billy Breyer. The dead man is grumpy old Alvin Carter the owner of inherited land holdings including a seaside estate and the biggest client of Sam's landscape business. He was found with a pruning hatchet embedded in his skull...

I really adore the way Sarah Graves brings to life this fictional, yet seemingly real, small-town of Eastport. The story is highly entertaining, with plenty of action and an ample choice of suspects. I was delighted with the dynamic among Jake's extended family, and the reveal at the end is fulfilling, thrilling and little shocking!

With its fabulous story and wonderful characters, I would recommend Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle to all lovers of cozy mysteries. If you prefer more suspense and mystery than humour to your cozy reading, then this would be a superb choice. I hope this series continues and I can keep following Jake and Ellie's madcap adventures. My rating is five out of five chocolate hearts! 🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I always enjoy spending time in Eastport, Maine in the company of Jake and her best friend/business partner, Ellie. They own a small bakery that I can almost smell as I read about the wonderful confections they create at the Chocolate Moose. In this outing Jake and Ellie are looking forward to the local snickerdoodle challenge. (I would love to be a judge in that event - yum). Too bad that a killer has had enough of the local former lawyer/crook and bumps him off. For many it's good riddance and no tears will be falling but Jake and Ellie are drawn into the case when the suspect the police are focusing upon is Billy who works for Jake's husband. Billy found the old codgers body but that isn't proof that he had anything to do with the guys death. Time for Jake to shift into sleuth mode and do whar she does very well - track down a killer. But this time something is added that puts the lives of the whole community at stake - fire.
This is a great series with a lovely setting and a great cast of recurring characters.The mystery kept me engaged from the first page to the last and had me picking the wrong person several times. It can be read as a stand alone but if you are new to this series and you enjoy this entry as much as I did, be prepared to line up the previous three books and binge read them in order.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I've read in this series and it was exceptional. I will definitely continue with the future books. Jake and Ellie are amazingly developed characters to the point of feeling like they are your neighbors. This is a must read for all who enjoy mystery, adventure, laughs, and love.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle is the fourth in the Death by Chocolate mystery series. by Sarah Graves. It can be read as a stand alone.
Graves has written an easy to read Cozy with twists and turns that has you guessing to the end. The characters are likeable and relatable. You get family and friendsh[p along with humor.
When the town curmudgeon is found with an axe in him, all fingers point at a family friend of Jacobia's. This sets the path for Jake and her pal, Ellie, to find the real murderer. Once they start on that path, numerous secrets come out.
I was given an ARC from Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.

I’ve read all of the previous books in this series and this book fits in well with the overall theme.

Jake (Jacobia) Tiptree and Ellie White are the owners of the Chocolate Moose, a bakery in small town Maine that specializes in things made of chocolate. What could be wrong with that?

The thing is, there is always something afoot in Eastport, Maine (a real town, by the way) that Jake and Ellie get sucked into investigating.

What happens is that Ellie blazes the way and Jake follows behind, clumsily, and doing everything that should get them noticed but usually does not. Jake is always getting wet somehow or getting preyed upon by a natural predator. Actually, human predators as well.

I always get a huge laugh and also end up investigating different fauna and flora that are mentioned in these stories.

When a young man they know is blamed for the gruesome death of a townsman, the ladies jump into action. They need to prove his innocence so he won’t end up in the slammer and his underage sisters (who he has custody of) don’t get sent to the evil witch, whose name is Prunella. Who names their daughter for a prune? But it certainly does fit the lady’s persona.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This is the 4th installment in the Death by Chocolate series. Jake (Jacobia) and Ellie run the Chocolate Moose bakery and are debating what cookie to enter into the town contest when Jake’s son Sam comes home because his employee Billy finds one of their customers dead. The deceased is Alvin and is known for being the crankiest and perhaps nastiest man in town and when Billy is found with Alvin’s blood on him he becomes the prime suspect. Billy swears he was just trying to help and see if he was still alive. Billy has no money and is barely making it with the help of his teenage sisters. A family tragedy a couple of years prior left the three on their own with only a meddling Aunt who wants to send the girls to boarding school. Ellie promises the girls they will try and help their brother. Jake is also concerned about Sam as he cannot keep up with all his customers without Billy and he does not want to hire anyone else since he believes Billy is innocent. Everyone believes Billy is innocent except for the State Police. Jake is also trying to help Mika who is her daughter in law get her confidence back as she is trying to get back into the workforce after her second child. Sam and Mika live with Jake and Wade her husband along with Jake’s father and wife who is Jake’s housekeeper. The multigenerational family living in one house is great in my opinion and adds to the depth of these characters. There were plenty of other suspects that no one was looking at but I admit I could not take the chances that Jake and Ellie did in finding the culprit. The police chief Bob is a great guy and just wants to keep them safe. The ending was scary and thrilling. This is a good solid mystery but is pretty intense at times for a cozy. Lots of interesting and strange characters in that town.

It is always delightful to return to the picturesque setting of Eastport Maine and our favorite bakers turned sleuths. I love the atmospheric setting of a beautiful village in Maine, the small town and the well crafted charcters.

This is the 4th Death by Chocolate Mystery by cozy author Sarah Graves. I highly recommend this series. This book can be read as a stand alone.

In this next in series our favorite bakers Jake and Ellie enter the towns Snickerdoodle bake off. They are popular bakers in town but have some stiff competition. When a local lawyer is accused of murder they agree to help his family prove his innocence although they find more people against him then for him due to his nefarious past. As fires break out causing chaos across the town they are at the center of the controversy and chasing suspects and clues.

I loved this next in series. The sleuth kept me guessing to conclusion. The charcters are fun and all add to the story. I look forward to the next in series.

This book starts off fast and wild and I thought to myself, “oh, we’re just diving in okay!” Needed to buckle up, I didn’t know! I really loved that kind of transition from a normal cozy to just go to town and really start with a murder and a hatchet and a very suspicious person.

Jake (Jacobia) and Ellie were so wonderful. They truly are the Lucy & Ethel friends of friends. This is the 4th book in the series (A Death Bh Chocolate Mystery) are tasked to run their bakery and prove Billy’s innocence. There was great character development and hilariously witty banter that kept me laughing and turning pages to know whodunit til the very end.

Overall, loved it! This was such a pleasant surprise of wonderful storytelling with enjoyable characters. This is my first Sarah Graves book, but will not be the last! Thank you NetGalley & Kensington for the gifted copy! Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle is out 02/23/2021, so go get yourself a cookie and figure out what really happened! And that’s the way the cozy crumbles!

Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle by Sarah Graves is the 4th book in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series, and another fun addition. Jacobia (Jake) Tiptree and her best friend, Ellie White, from the Home Repair is Homicide series, have opened up a waterfront bakery called The Chocolate Moose, In Eastport, Maine. The Chocolate Moose, and the rest of the town is getting ready for a baking contest. When the body of the town's fearsome old man is found and one of Jake's friend is blamed, the sleuthing begins. I love the uniqueness of this book, I can't wait to read the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book/series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Death by Chocolate Mystery series is hands down one of my favorite cozy mystery series. When the approval for this ARC came through, I will admit to doing a happy dance.

In Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle, Sarah Graves serves up another great cozy mystery in Eastport, Maine. Jake and Ellie have signed up for an annual cookie-baking contest, but a local murder throws a wrench in their schedule.

I flew through this book, even though I wanted to slow down to savor it.

Sarah Graves once again delivers quirky yet lovable characters, delicious desserts, and an all-around fun read!

Death By Chocolate Snickerdoodle is the 4th book in the Death by Chocolate series by Sarah Graves---though this is the first book that I have read. The cover and the blurb drew me to it. The small town cozy is my favorite setting and chocolate?? I am sold! This is a murder mystery that has a lot of moving parts plus humor and characters that feel like real friends, I enjoyed this read!
Thank you #NetGalley and #Kensington Publishing for giving me an E-book to read in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own--I review books I enjoy so that others can enjoy them, too.

Jake and Ellie do more than bake and sell cookies. They have adventures. Mostly ones that put them in danger. Also Jake's clumsiness gets annoying and overdone at times to her and my dismay. Still it is a fun and entertaining cozy mystery that will keep you guessing. Family issues are also interesting.

Jake and Ellie don’t need trouble to find them, they go looking for it in the most head shaking, laugh out loud ways you could possibly imagine.

Death By Chocolate Snickerdoodle has Jake and Ellie gearing up for the annual cookie competition. Jake’s daughter in law, Mika is trying to find the balance of work and kids, Jake and Ellie use the contest to help her gain some of herself and confidence back. A grouchy old man is murdered and it hits too close to home as the prime suspect is none other than Billy Sewell. Billy is an employee of Jake’s son and a close family friend. Between baking up their delicious goodies at The Chocolate Moose, Ellie and Jake can’t help but to help and snooping is the name of their game.

Author Sarah Graves makes sure the reader laughs right along with their mystery. Death By Chocolate Snickerdoodle is excellently plotted to keep the reader thinking yet is completely entertained with the antics of Jake and Ellie along the way. There is nothing and I mean nothing these two will not get themselves into. How they just drag each other along is a riot. That’s some real friendships there. I wondered several times if they thought that they had some weird special superpowers only known to them that gave them a no fear approach to their mission. I love Jake and Ellie and their never give up attitude. They push limits and have fun and help while doing it. Death By Chocolate Snickerdoodle it’s fun, entertaining and a very enjoyable read.

Jake and Ellie are happy in The Chocolate Moose and hope to get in a few good orders before winter sets in. Sam is busy with his landscape business and Mika with the 2 kids. Then everything seems to fall apart at once. Sam loses his largest job and landscape partner in one fell swoop. Mika feels she has lost all her brain cells as she’s thinking of taking on a new job. And the two teen girls who hang out at The Chocolate Moose are being sent to boarding school by a great aunt. Will solving the murder fix any of these problems?

I have read most of the Sarah Graves Home Repair is Homicide mystery but this is my first of her Death by Chocolate Mystery series. I love seeing the familiar characters and how the kids have grown. It’s nice to see Eastport again where the summers are bustling and the winters long and cold. Great mystery story!

Jake and Ellie, owners of a bakery in a small Maine fishing village, have a real conundrum on their hands: how to make snickerdoodles with chocolate. It sounds like a great idea, but somehow it's just not working out.

They 're getting distracted, too, by brush fires, family issues in their town, family issues in their own families, and a murder that threatens to push all those issues into the open.

Of course, Jake and Ellie can't resist trying to solve all the problems. The series is big on local color and likable characters, and this installment is no exception. The story is full of twists and turns -- and way more action and drama than two nice ladies should have to cope with. An exciting and satisfying read.