Member Reviews
Thomas and Kerry are getting married. Juliet and Torte are doing all the catering. The wedding is to be held in beautiful Lithia park. Getting set up the morning of the nuptials Juliet heads underneath for an extra table to hold more beverages and discovers one of the members of the wedding band stabbed with his own guitar and Kerry’s father arrested for the crime. Juliet’s determined to ease Kerry’s mind so Kerry can enjoy her honeymoon. She investigates finding many suspects, stumbling onto the killer at the last moment. Can she escape and have the happily ever after that she and Carlos have been planning? This series is always worth reading!
This was a fun and entertaining read for a cozy mystery. It had well developed characters, a great plot, and enough action to keep you interested and reading.
I love this series. With each book you get to know the characters in more depth. This is a wonderful series!
Fans of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mystery Series will definitely enjoy Donut Disturb, the 16th installment of the series. Juliet Capshaw is preparing for a huge picnic wedding in the park for her old friend Thomas who is a policeman and his fiancé, Kerry, who has become a new friend, and who is very reserved about her life before she came to work at the police department in Ashland, Oregon. The wedding is to be held near the bandshell in the park near Torte, Juliet’s family bakeshop. While Juliet and her team are setting up for the wedding, Juliet goes down in the basement of the bandshell to get an extra table and discovers the body of one of the ban members, who has been stabbed with the spike from his bass. Kerry’s estranged father, who has just been released from prison, shows up unexpectedly under the guise of wanting to give his daughter away, and since he was acquainted with Brett, the dead band member, is arrested for the murder. Juliet, who is an amateur sleuth and who has helped the police solve several murders in their small city, investigates, wanting to clear Kerry’s father and to find the true murderer.
These fun Bakeshop Mysteries are well-written, and Alexander knows how to thread a good plot with twists and turns. Juliet knows it is dangerous at times, but continues on, keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout. There is also some humor, and the relationships between Torte’s team members help the subplots along. Alexander does an excellent job developing her characters. Although most readers are familiar with Juliet, her husband, Carlos, the Professor (stepfather and detective), Juliet’s mother, and Lance, her best friend, Alexander helps them evolve as is expected with real people that we know.
Foodies love this series because there are so many scenarios involving the mouthwatering food that Juliet prepares; the downside is that no recipes are included. This is, however, an excellent series, and Donut Disturb is a fun, easy-to-read novel.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
A fun addition to the series. Kerry and Thomas's wedding has the whole town running around as well as the whole crew at Torte! Since the wedding is taking place in the Park it is hard for everyone not to be involved and things are on track until Kerry shows up to ask Jules for help, her Dad who was just released from prison has shown up in town for the wedding. Then things get really complicated when a member of the band providing entertainment for the reception is found dead, and her Dad arrested. While Thomas and Kerry are convinced to leave on their honeymoon, Kerry has Jules promise to help find out what really happened as she's convinced her Dad is not a killer. Lots of action in this one, but justice in the end.
Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The setting in a small town added to the story. There was a perfect amount of characters and mystery. This was my first book in the series but was able to catch up with ease. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.
Donut Disturb is the 15th book in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander in which the wedding of Thomas and Kerry is on everyone's mind. Jules who owns the family Bakeshop Torte, is caterting the May wedding at LIthia Park. Everything is going well until Jules find a dead body on the day of wedding and Kerry's estranged father shows up. Who killed the musician? Is the wedding a go? Is Kerry's father the killer?
Thank you NetGallery for allowing to read and review this book. I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read any others in the series, so this can be stand alone book since they give you background infomation about the wondeful characters.
Ashland, the town where this novel takes place, is a truly cozy town. The characters who populate this mystery and delightful (for the most part). The police chief is called The Professor even, how charming is that? I found the interpersonal relationships of the townspeople one of the strongest elements of the book. Although, I wasn't enjoying Carlos much, which is difficult since he is Juliet's husband. The mystery was solid with a few mis-directions. The killer reveal was exciting with good tension and a highlight of the book. The wrapup is typically just tying up loose story strands, but in this case it was touching and stood out. I am looking forward to starting at the beginning of the series.
Another great installment in the Bakeshop Mysteries. This time, murder happens right in the midst of a park wedding that Torte is catering. As usual, Jules is in the middle of the drama.
The mystery was good with a nice set of plausible suspects. But what really draws my attention in these books is:
1. The food! The descriptions are wonderful.
2. The events! Ditto with the descriptions, plus events are so creative.
3. I love the "found family" of workers at Torte and some members of the community. The way they join together is very enjoyable to read about.
I am enjoying this series even more as I've come to know the characters.
Disclosure: first time reading this series and yes it works as a stand alone
I like Juliet and her merry cast of characters. The mystery I felt could have been fleshed out some, but it did not take away from a nice read.
A wedding in the park turns out to be the perfect venue for murder in the park, and the perfect suspect is the bride's father. Juliet and her friends step in to discover the truth and the killer. With so many suspects, Juliet has her work cut out for her.
This book also has a delightful setting in Oregon and wonderful recipes. I like Juliet as a character, she is warm, caring, and a wonderful boss to her team.
I'm looking forward to reading more books and seeing how these characters further develop.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to review the book.
A tasty addition to a much loved series! Jules and company are at it again. A beautiful setting, intriguing mystery, and much loved characters make this a must read!
I loved this cozy mystery, it was entertaining and fun!! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!
Princess Fuzzypants here: I have enjoyed this series especially the story lines where Jules and her estranged husband rekindle their love and become partners in so many ways. Sue me. I guess I am a romantic at heart. And the romance between Thomas and Kerry has been very sweet too. So now that they are getting married and Jules is handling the catering, she wants everything to be just perfect. But the arrival of Kerry’s uninvited father whom she thought was still serving time in prison and the stress level goes into the stratosphere. It does not improve any when there is a murder and Kerry’s dad is considered a suspect.
Why did he just show up? Was there an ulterior motive and was that motive murder? Jules is determined to pull off the wedding in spite of the challenges and to figure out who did the dirty deed. As with all the stories in the series are, this is an enjoyable read with lots of scrumptious food. Do not open on an empty stomach. Four purrs and two paws up.
Love is in the air as Juliet, and her bakeshop, Torte, cater a picnic wedding for good friends Kerry and Thomas. When Kerry's ex-con dad shows up uninvited and Juliet finds a body, the nuptials seem jinxed. Fifteenth in this series and yet it is still fresh with likeable characters and an intriguing mystery. Start anywhere in the series and you won't be disappointed.
Donut Disturb was a light, fun mystery set in. a small town In Oregon where a bakery shop owner is asked to help solve a murder that happened on the morning of the wedding of two law enforcement officers.
At times, the juxtaposition of the details of making assorted delectable foods with searching for clues in a rather grisly murder seemed odd, But I knew going in that this novel was simply for distraction as a palate cleanser, so it was easy to set aside my occasional tendencies to roll my eyes and sigh and just continue on with the story. I liked the characters, and I enjoyed pitting my guesses about what happened against the author's rollout of what did actually happen. If you need that kind of change of pace, Donut Disturb will fit that slot perfectly.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for sharing this novel, published this past June, with me!
This is book 15 in the Bakeshop Mystery cozy series. The staff of of the bakeshop is busy preparing for the much anticipated wedding of Thomas and Kerry. They are holding it in the park where the entire town can participate. When a member of the band is killed, Kerry's father is the main suspect. As always the book presents a solid mystery with wonderful characters and just the right amount of clues. A great little town and there is always at least one Shakespeare quote to help you classic background without taxing your brain.
I have read this series from the beginning and this book didn't disappoint my many high hopes. It's finally time for Thomas and Kerry's wedding but there's also another killer on the loose. In the midst of the wedding preparations, the body is found and Kerry requests that Juliet help the professor solve the murder while they are on their honeymoon.
The mystery kept me guessing but I admit that I mostly read this one for the friends that I've made in Ashland. However, don't read this one late at night, I almost guarantee that you'll be looking for a evening snack when you read about the food.
I love the characters and so wish that I could visit Torte for some yummy pastries.
This book was very well written, and the characters were awesome. It wasn't really up my alley with all the recipes, but, the storyline was very good.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.
I really enjoyed this latest book in the Bakeshop Mystery series. The murder mystery part was well done – there were several suspects and lots of clues and surprising revelations sprinkled throughout the story. The mystery was also well paced enough that things never dragged, but it never felt rushed either. There was many other things happening throughout the book as well, so it wasn’t just focused on the murder alone, but the other storylines didn’t detract from the fact that a murder had taken place.
The story also felt much more organic in the sense that Jules had a very valid reason for getting involved in solving the murder. I think her involvement in this particular case has a lot more meaning and changes the dynamics of some of the relationships that have been established in the previous books, especially the friendship and trust between Jules and Kerry, which I appreciated.
One of my favourite things about a long-running cozy mystery series is being able to become familiar with the characters and the locations in the books -it can often feel like returning to catch up with old friends. It’s definitely a comfort read (if you ignore the murder, of course). But, the downside to long-running series is that it can become stale, or repetitive. This is definitely not the case with the Bakeshop Mystery series. I’ve been a fan since Book 1 and with Donut Disturb (Book 15 in the series), I’m still enjoying it as much as the first time I visited Ashland and the Torte team.
There are definitely lots of changes happening with the Torte family that Jules has built around her. Not just with her long-time friend Thomas getting married, but also with Jules’ own personal life, and in several of her close friends and family members. I think these changes were all welcome additions to the characters and have started moving them towards new directions. It feels realistic that not everyone will stay in the same place forever, but at the same time, I’m anxious about changes to the Torte team – it’s so hard to find the right balance in chemistry, even if it’s just fictional characters in a book. I’m optimistic though, and am looking forward to seeing what future books bring.
*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.