Emily and Nina experience a few challenges as they manage the Deputy Donut booth at the Faker’s Dozen Carnival in Fallingbrook: the event manager makes it difficult for them to unload their ingredients; someone steals a vital ingredient, and a magician sneaks money from the till, causing Nina to give chase and she sees the mime is an accomplice. After confusion over handbags and keys, Emily finds the actor in Nina’s apartment with broken limbs and near death. Nina enters her home and registers surprise at what she sees.

The next day police arrest Nina for the mime’s death, concluding it is murder, and the evidence points only to Nina. Emily decides to investigate since the police are no longer looking at other suspects.

Ginger Bolton concocts a compelling story that she delivers at a relentless pace. The mystery is complex, with stunning red herrings abetted by elaborate twists. Nina refuses to disclose critical information that could help her. Emily identifies a few suspects, but they prove elusive, suddenly disappearing. And a significant distraction for Emily is the upcoming wedding of Samantha and Hooligan. As usual, Dep (that’s the feline Deputy Donut) contributes to solving the crime and supporting Emily. This fifth entry in the Deputy Donut Mysteries is strong, engaging, and delightfully entertaining.

In this book the wedding between Samantha and Hooligan is finally happening. The book starts off with mystery and ends with a wedding! It takes you on trials and gives you very little idea who did it the twist and turns it takes makes you keep guessing till the end. love the end and can't wait till the next book.

BEYOND A REASONABLE DONUT is the fifth book in the Deputy Donut Mysteries by Ginger Bolton. This series just gets better and better with each new addition! With strong characters, led by protagonist Emily Westhill, the reader is enticed into getting to know them better while the well-developed plot kept me turning pages to find out what happens next. With a fun-filled Friday the thirteenth Faker’s Dozen Carnival as the backdrop, Emily’s Deputy Donut Café is well suited to the theme as they serve up piping hot corny fritters. The author does an admirable job of capturing the essence of a small-town carnival from the food, the music, the rides, and the entertainment. Of course, carnivals have a sullied reputation for attracting grifters and the wrong sorts of people, and Ms. Bolton uses that aspect to set up the murder. A missing bucket of sugar, a sticky-fingered magician, a mime, and a rodeo performer add to the twists and turns of the plot.

When the mime attacked and left for dead in Nina’s (Emily’s employee/friend) home, Nina is the number one suspect and is thrown into jail. Knowing her friend wouldn’t have committed the crime, Emily begins asking questions. First and foremost is what was the relationship between the mime and Nina? They share a very strong resemblance. Trying to piece together if Nina could have been the intended target and delving into the past Nina had tried so hard to hide, Emily’s investigation is more complicated than traversing a house of mirrors. Ms. Bolton provides plenty of misdirection and suspects to keep the reader guessing. With a darling puppy and Emily’s protective cat, Deputy Donut, involved in the exciting reveal, this cozy mystery ticks all the boxes for a tilt-a-whirling ride!

With lots of fair food mentioned throughout the book and of course delectable donuts served at Emily’s Deputy Donut Café, the reader’s appetite will be whetted. The author includes a couple of recipes at the back of the book for the home cook to try.

The fifth book in this series is a delicious delight.
The premise of a "donut shop" cozy has certainly been done before, but this series gives it a fresh taste.
The characters are some of my favourites, well written and entertaining.
The whodunit grabbed me from the get go, and kept me guessing until the end.
I recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

HOW did I miss this series about the daughter of a cop who opens a donut shop and drives an old cop car with a large donut on it????

But apparently I did, as this is the 5th book in the series, but can easily be read by itself. From the locale to the characters, everything screams cozy mystery, but this book provides much more punch than that with a full class mystery at its heard, with espionage, identity theft and more! This is one of those books you don't want to start unless you have plenty of time, as you may end up reading it in one sitting, like I did! I'll be going back to check out the first 4 books and I know you will too once you read this fun book!

'Beyond a Reasonable Donut' was a perfect addition to Ginger Bolton's A Deputy Donut Mystery series. We learn much more about Donut Store employee Nina and her background as she is the major suspect in a murder. This had a great mystery and all of the characters are engaging. I especially enjoyed young widow Emily's coming to a realization of the importance of a certain police detective in her life. I can't wait for more, and to see where that goes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Doughnut shop owner Emily Westhill is pulled into another murder investigation in this book. With her loving friends and family, she explores the mysterious history of a mime, a magician, a bartender who might be an artist, an employee who seems like she might have more going on than anyone thought, a rodeo performer --

And this is why this is not my favorite in the series. There's just too much going on. This series can get a little over the top, but this installment is way over the top. There are plenty of loose threads left at the end, and quite a few odd and unnecessary details that end up being red herrings.

It's still a fun read, but others in the series are better constructed and more enjoyable.

A cozy mystery that starts at a carnival and ends in a resort with a lot of donuts and coffee in between. While there is a backstory between many of the characters, you don’t have to read earlier books in the series to enjoy this book. With an unexpected suspect and motive that keeps you guessing, this is a good book to read while enjoying your own cup of coffee and donut.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and as expected, I enjoyed reading more about these characters, especially Dep the cat!

In this one, Emily, who owns Deputy Donut’s with her late husband’s father, and her assistant Nina are working a carnival and there’s an obnoxious mime there adding to some trouble. A bag of powered sugar goes missing and when the mime is later found dead at Nina’s apartment with the bag of powdered sugar, Nina is the obvious suspect. Emily knows Nina isn’t the killer so she sets out to find the real culprit.
The whodunit was a bit of a surprise, always a good thing with reading a mystery.

The one thing that I didn’t love in this one is the Emily and Brent situation, it’s been one step forward and three steps back with them and it just felt unnecessarily dramatic when I hope they’re going to be the endgame. Still, this has been another solid entry in the series and I’m looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another favorite by a great author. The plot of the story was very well written. The author really draws the reader in as you read. I felt like I was an unnamed character in the story. This made me laugh.

This is the fifth in the Deputy Donut Series. I do recommend reading the previous books before reading this one. I am a big fan of this series but this was not my favorite of all the books.

The main character, Emily, and her employee, Nina, are making fritters at the Fakers dozen carnival that celebrates Friday the thirteenth. While at the carnival the bad luck starts right away. Their bucket of confectioner's sugar disappears and then while a mime creates a distraction, a magician robs their cash register. After the carnival the mime is found in Ninas apartment and Nina is the main suspect.

Can Emily help clear Ninas name? I really want to see the relationship between Brett and Emily change from friendship to more. They are wonderful together!!

This is a great series and I recommend it!!

I enjoyed this book. It's a typical cozy mystery, with an interesting mystery and likeable characters. There are parts of it that try too hard. The scene where the bad guy is caught is a little chaotic. I was surprised by who the bad guy was. #BeyondaReasonableDonut #NetGalley

A Deputy Donut cozy mystery is always a tasteful read. The re-curring main characters are endearing, and it’s always a pleasure to visit with them between the pages.

Emily, a widow, co-owns Deputy Donuts with her father-in-law Tom, a former detective and police chief. Nina is one of the shop assistants, and helps Emily fry and sell fritters at the local Faker’s Dozen Carnival. Soon after, a mime called ‘Zippy’ who they saw at the carnival turns up dead in Nina’s apartment. Nina’s arrested with no bail allowed, yet jail could actually be the safest place for her while her friends desperately search for information to clear her name.

I appreciate that Emily is written as a really strong leading character. I’m ready for her and Detective Brent Fyne’s relationship to become romantic. I believe they belong together, and Em’s deceased husband would approve. I also admire the strong, supporting friends who surround Emily—many of which are law officers or medical rescuers. The author developed a complex plot with red herrings so plentiful, I’d reel one in, then have to throw it back because it was the wrong one. Humor is sprinkled throughout the story. The wind-up to the killer’s arrest is unique and fun, and I enjoyed the parts Emily’s cat, Deputy Donut, and a cute puppy play in the capture! I noted the story is a light mystery and a bit slow to start to me, then the pace takes off. Author adds tasty recipes for readers.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

I absolutely love the Deputy Donut series. This was a great addition. The mystery is always a fun one to solve and the books always have a little love twist thrown in.

Friday the 13th? Yes please.

Witty, enjoyable read like a cozy mystery book should read. Characters who make you laugh, you find relatable and enjoy their story make it that much more enjoyable. If there’s talk about donuts count on me for a read.

This book opens with Emily and one of her employees, Nina, making donuts at a local fair. A man attempts to steal money from their register and they have a few odd encounters with a mime. Odder still when Emily goes to Nina’s apartment after to drop off her purse and finds the mime dead in truly bizarre circumstances. Nina is quickly arrested and Emily spends the book working on clearing her name.
Once again, Bolton gives us a delightful mystery that brings up a lot of questions about Nina’s past and if it is connected to current events; there is no shortage of suspicious characters suddenly hanging around, and for what?
What is not working is the will-they-or-won’t-they between Emily and Brent. This moved forward a couple books back, then that apparently was erased from the author’s memory, and now despite them being into each other, spending their spare time together, and the heroine being widowed for 7 years, she’s insisting that Brent will wind up with someone else. Just, not, you know, that other character. Or her, either. Clearly they are going to wind up together. There is no reason for it to be dragged out this long - the author has the skill to make it work. It’s a smear on an otherwise enjoyable story.

This was another fun addition to this series. The only negative was that I always crave donuts after these books! The characters (and Dep the cat) were all fun and I liked the slight change in setting. I always get excited when I see that there's going to be another cozy in this series, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

This is the first in the series I have read and really enjoyed it. I think I would have picked up on the relationships better if I started with book one. Emily Westhill and her assistant Nina are working at Faker’s Dozen Carnival. Things are smooth sailing until a series of unfortunate events happen. A body is discovered at Ninas place.
Emily works hard to keep Nina out of jail and to find the killer.
#BeyondaReasonableDonut #NetGalley

After selling fritters at the fair, Emily goes to Nina to return her keys. But the door is unlocked and when s he enters Nina's apartment she finds a person with a bucket of confectioner's sugar over her head. It all goes downhill from here and eventually Nina is charged with murder and sits in a jail cell while Emily tries desperately to help her detective friend solve the case. Some terrific humorous scenes really make this book..

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the fifth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. This is such a fun series to enjoy (be forewarned, it will make you wish for lots and lots of doughnuts!). Emily Westhill and her father-in-law own and operate the town’s amazing doughnut shop, named after her cat, Deputy Doughnut (Dep for short). The widow of a police officer, Emily focuses on her business and her friends, while supporting all the unique events in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. This time, it’s the annual ‘Faker’s Dozen Carnival’, celebrating Friday, 13th. When she and her assistant, Nina, arrive at the carnival, they’re greeted by the obnoxious organizer, Marsha Fitchelder, making it difficult to unload everything for their food stall. Working it all out, Emily and Nina are present when a mime mimics Marsha’s officiousness and then leaves. Finding a giant bucket of their powdered sugar missing during all the confusion, Emily is dismayed to later find it covering the head of the mime while in Nina’s apartment. With Nina as the prime suspect, Emily looks to Nina’s past and how it intersects with her present to ensure Nina has a future!