This cozy's an enjoyable read, and I like the cookie shop setting (ha--big surprise there). The death of an unlikeable character sets everything in motion, and the plot proceeds in a pretty logical manner. It just feels not quite suspenseful enough. Plus, the whole "Who does this handsome cop remind me of?" subplot alongside the "I wonder what ever happened to that cute boy I kissed a long, long time ago..." That alone loses a star for me :>(

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

Great start to series!
Mallory Monroe has made a career change and opened her dream designer cookie shop. While trying to get her business of the ground, a public argument with the town's most difficult citizen over the recipe rights for Mallory's bestselling cookie makes Mallory the prime suspect when she finds the "Queen Bea" dead.

Good mystery with enough twists to keep you guessing to the end. Characters were likeable and designer cookie theme makes me want to continue the series.

new-series, first-in-series, recipes, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, murder, small-business, small-town, bakery, baker, Connecticut, friendship, sisters, relatives, extortion,*****

Fine start to a new series. Mallory left her job in advertising to buy into the bakery her aunt used to run and loves it. The first nasty is finding her boyfriend in a liplock with another woman. Then the town diva accuses her of using a recipe that her aunt had stolen from her (as if!). Then she finds that woman's body and becomes a "person of interest". AND THEN...
Well, no spoilers here. Trust me, this is a fine read and a good set-up for a series of cozy mysteries.
I requested and received an EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I didn't connect with this book or the series. There was nothing special or noteworthy or memorable about the plot or characters. I was bored within 1 chapter. I couldn't connect with the main character.

How the murder crumbles is a story based in a small town in Connecticut. Mallory is the owner of a well loved cookie shop. But Mallory is not having the best of luck. She’s having issues with her employees in the kitchen and to make things worse she finds her boyfriend cheating on her. When things couldn’t get any worse she is accused of stealing a bloggers famous cookie recipe, and of course this leads to an argument in front of all of her cookie shop customers. When the body of said blogger is found dead, of course fingers point to Mallory after people had witnessed the heated argument between the two of them. Now Mallory has to play detective to try to clear her name of the murder.

I throughly enjoyed reading this novel, I always love reading a novel based in small towns as I also grew up in a small town so I feel I can relate to the characters. The author has done a good job with developing the characters personalities in this story. I felt I could really relate to the main character Mallory. The author hit the nail on the head with the elements needed in a small town mystery like this. There was suspense, humour and a bit of drama all wrapped up in one.

Although the story was a bit slow in some parts throughout the book. I liked how the author wrapped it all up the end. Definitely would recommend for readers who like the small town mystery reads.

I am a fan of new cozy mystery series. And to add into the mix an author I have never read before makes it even more exciting to read.
How the Murder Crumbles is the first book of the Cookie Shop Mystery series.
Mallory has decided to take over her aunt’s cookie shop after leaving her job at an ad agency. The cookie shop is unique in that she makes her arrangements using her cookies instead of flowers.
The story takes a turn when she is accused of stealing a cookie recipe by the town’s food blogger- Beatrice. When Beatrice turns up dead Mallory is suspect one!
Now Mallory must clear her name. The trail to finding the guilty person is one you have to read the book to follow. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Debra Sennefelder for the ARC of How the Murder Crumbles. This is my personal review.

Great start to a new cozy mystery series featuring Mallory Monroe, an advertising executive who decided to change careers and buy her aunt’s cookie shop after she was passed over for a promotion. She has two employees who are disasters in the kitchen and discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She is accused of stealing a recipe for Almond Meltaways by the town busybody/food blogger Beatrice Wright, who barges into Mallory’s shop and demands Mallory stop selling them. Mallory insists the recipe is from her aunt, then Beatrice accuses Mallory’s aunt of stealing the recipe from her. Beatrice is found dead a short time later and Mallory becomes a person of interest. Mallory’s business suffers and she needs to clear her name to save her business, so she starts looking for the killer. There is a great cast of characters, including a new love interest for Mallory that will be fun to follow in future books.

Thank you to Net Galley, author Debra Sennefelder and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.

“I’m happy to leave crime-solving to the fictional sleuths I spend my evenings with”, yet Mallory really isn’t. This cozy mystery had all the best pieces that a mystery needs: a victim, a determined sleuth, a cute detective, an adorable small town and a very fun cast of friends to help her along the way.

I throughly enjoyed spending time in Wingate, CT with Mallory. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end which is always the best. I enjoyed her easy friendship with Gill, and Aspen lending an unexpected humor to the book. Gil called her Elle Woods and to be honest I think it’s a great comparison to one of my favorite residents of Wingate. I look forward to more adventures and mysteries with Mallory and her friends.

I recommend this book to all cozy mystery lovers out there. It has a good story and amazing description of cookies (recipes included).

A delightfully yummy cozy debut with a protagonist, Mallory Monroe, who bakes and makes delicious cookie bouquet baskets for any occasion. She has an adorable sidekick cat named Agatha. When a disagreeable woman, Beatrice accuses Mallory’s deceased Aunt Glenna of copycatting her almond melt away cookie recipe and is murdered hours later, Mallory is the top suspect. Fortunately, Mallory’s right hand employee and good friend, Kip Winslow is the police chief’s son, and his sister, Lauren is a police officer and good friend, also. When hot Detective Will Hannigan steps into the crime scene, Mallory has her hands full of more than just cookies!

Author Debra Sennefelder pens a well-thought-out cozy mystery with plenty of yummy baked goods, humor, and a wily perpetrator who’ll stop at nothing to cover up their crimes. This story has a great cast of main characters who I enjoyed getting to know and appreciate how they supported Mallory until her name was cleared. The mystery keeps your attention on the pages as you sift through the suspects for motive, means, and opportunity. Every ingredient is deftly added in and explained by the final page. The author graciously includes delicious cookie recipes for reader’s enjoyment. I highly recommend this new cozy mystery.

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Land Books. All opinions are my own.

This tasty quick read is the first book in a new mystery series with a cozy, small-town feel.

Mallory’s a relatable MC - putting everything into her passion and dream - owning The Cookie Shop. After her breakup, she’s so determined to hang onto her bakery dream and not let anything take it away. I admired her determination to keep investigating despite continuous deadends and obstacles.

To keep things interesting, you also get drama with Mallory’s cousin. The setting is pure cozy mystery - a quaint small town with lots of quirky characters - perfect for exploring more in future books.

How the Murder Crumbles is the first in a, hopefully, long line of books about Mallory and The Cookie Shop. Mallory, previously an ad exec, changes careers and takes over her aunt’s cookie shop. Her 2 employees, Kip and Claudia, just can’t seem to get along but that isn’t the worst of her problems. After an argument with Queen Bea, the town troublemaker, over a recipe, Mallory finds herself on the suspect list. All this and she’s also caught her boyfriend cheating on her with Aspen. Mallory needs to clear her name to save her business so she starts looking for the killer.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read, the story was great and who would have expected the person who ended up being the murderer? I’m already looking forward to the next book.

This was my first read of a Debra Sennefelder book and will not be my last. I loved that recipes were given at the end.

I so enjoyed this story! The characters were believable, the story moved quickly, and the mystery itself played out perfectly! The best for me was the setting. The authors descriptions were spot on. I could see the cookie shop in my head immediately and imaged the smell of the delicious cookies that were mentioned. The main character Mallory wasn't one of these annoying characters that just gets everything right all the time, she was believable and loveable. I honestly can't wait to buy this one for some mystery loving friends of mine. I also can't wait for the next book in this Cookie Shop Mystery series!

Well, I sure didn't expect that ending! Great cozy mystery, though. I'll definitely be reading future stories from this author.

Sudden break up, worrying about her bakery, and now being a person of interest in a murder investigation make Mallory meddling in the case. And the murder try to threat her. Detective Hannigan warn her to not risk her life. Crums after crumbs leads Mallory to final answer. Love story between Mallory and Will was so sweet, i greatful there are recipes at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#HowtheMurderCrumbles #DebraSennefelder #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley #ARC

What an incredible read! I really enjoyed this one. It kept me interested all the way through. This reminded me of the Murder She Baked Series (which is an absolute favourite). The suspense and a hint of romance kept me wanting more. I do hope this becomes a series of books. I definitely want to read more.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

An exciting, humorous and entertaining new cozy mystery series. Malloy and their cookie shop are a delightful pairing. Mallory is a charming character and the cookie shop setting makes me want cookies while I read.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC* This book was so cute and wholesome! Cookies are my favorite thing in the world and having a cozy mystery set around a cookie shop is everything I’ve ever wanted. I adored Mallory as a main character and the plot twist actually got me at the end! I loved the side characters and the dynamics between the whole cast. I can’t wait to get the rest of the series.

What a good cozy mystery! It had personable characters and was enthralling. I was hooked right away on the story. Mallory Munroe, cookie shop owner, becomes an amateur sleuth after she discovers the body of a woman who had accused her earlier of stealing her cookie recipe. Mallory had exchanged harsh words with the woman, making her someone of interest to the police. Mallory investigates and becomes a target for the real killer. This story had suspense as well as a hint of romance. I highly recommend it to other cozy mystery readers. I received can ARC of this book from Net Galley, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

This was new to me author and I really enjoyed this book. This is not my first cozy I have read written with a cookie store as the main characters place of business but this was a fresh take on this theme that I appreciated.

Mallory is strong independent woman who was done wrong by her boyfriend right as she is starting her new cookie shop business. She has a mix of good friends and not so good ‘friends’ who help her get over Gil’s betrayal.

Mallory has an heated argument with the town gossip over one of her Aunt’s recipes. Mallory feels bad about this and decides to go to Beatrice’s house to settle things regarding this recipe. Once she gets there she stumbles upon Beatrice’s dead body and becomes a suspect in the investigation.

The detective is a cute guy that Mallory is attracted to but afraid to consider due to her just getting out of a relationship with her ex.

The third thing Mallory has to deal with is her cousin trying to sell the building her business is in literally out from under her.

So lots of problems snd mysteries for Mallory to figure out in a short amount of time.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.

This is an honest review of ARC I received from NetGalley.

How the Murder Crumbles is a charming new cozy and I am so excited to see where the series takes us! The author is new to me but I know I'll be keeping up with all her new releases because this one was a true winner!