Halloween is coming and in Ashford, Oregon, that means all out festivities where almost the entire town shows up in costumed splendor for the parade. However finding a body in front of Torte, the family bakeshop casts a pall over everyone's enjoyment. Reading another bake shop mystery is as full of delights as the bakeshop itself. Full of beloved and engaging characters who create the amazing treats sold there, the stories are always reliably constructed mysteries. Always a treat.

Fun cozy mystery. Loved the characters and story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I love the huge party atmosphere that Ashland has towards Halloween and it’s treated as a holiday that children and adults can enjoy together. There are lots of yummy treats and while it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I really love the descriptive baking that takes place in these books. Being an avid home baker myself, I’m always looking out for tips to pick up and you can tell Ellie Alexander knows her way around a kitchen as all the food scenes are described in loving detail.

The murder is pretty interesting as there is a mini-mystery beforehand with a mysterious note in an antique Mahjong set. Halloween, with its spooky vibes and costumes, seems like the perfect time to commit a murder and Jules, with a major assist from Lance, has her work cut out for her in solving this one.

The mystery of the Mahjong note and the murder are very evenly paced, and there’s lots of baking and personal development intertwined in the story. One thing I love about this series is that we get to check in with all the characters, even if it’s just a little tidbit, and they all seem to be moving forward with their lives, either professionally or personally, or both.

One feeling that I got from this story though is that there may be big changes in. the horizon. Whether it’s Jules and Carlos possibly becoming new parents, or Torte team members taking off on their own adventures, or whatever it is that Lance is doing sneaking around with Richard Lord, I feel that “something” is in the air. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long for a new book to find out the future of our beloved Ashland residents.

*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley

The 17th mouth-watering mystery in the Bakeshop mystery series, once again, does not disappoint. This fun series set in small town Ashland, Oregon, has a Halloween theme when, during Halloween festivities, Torte bakeshop owner, Juliet Capshaw, discovers a dead dragon in front of her shop.

This time, besides Halloween, the town's Shakespeare theater and its members, including its canine cast members, play a role in the mystery.

Terrific plot, as always, and delightful characters make this a superb mystery for cozy fans. Highly recommended!!

This was another fun, delicious sounding entry in the Bakeshop Mystery series. Halloween in Ashland sounds so fun! The Torte group has planned delicious treats, and an extravagant costume parade is heading right down main street. But when a party-goer is killed, of course Jules is in the middle of the investigation.

To me, the star of this book was the food - how I wish I could try it all! I also liked seeing more of Jule's mom and her friends. The mystery was ok, but was certainly not the center of the story.

Halloween cozies are my absolute favorite and Ashland sounds like a fabulous place to be on Halloween. Even though this series has been going for a while and this is book #17, my interest has not diminished and I look forward to each new book. The characters are awesome and descriptions of Ashland make you want to be there. When I close my eyes, I feel like I can see every detail inside Torte and even smell the delicious treats. and coffee. I must admit this particular plot was not my favorite. The over the top dog owners and groomers became a little irritating for me. And I love dogs! Everything else was spot on though. Keep them coming!

Dollycas's Thoughts

Halloween is a big deal in Ashland, Oregon. It starts with the annual parade followed by a huge street party. The team at Torte has been busy filling trick-or-Torte bags with mummy munch and Halloween-themed sugar cookies.

It also marks the end of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's season and the actors, human and canine, will be involved in all the Halloween festivities. This year's grand marshall just happens to be a royal pup named King George. Jules is so excited to share all the events with her husband Carlos and his son Ramiro.

There is quite a crowd of people but when Jules and Carlos arrive back at Torte. Then they notice a person in a dragon costume down on the ground in front of the shop. Jules quickly sees that the person is dead. She is quite upset because just a few days ago one of her mother's friends found a note warning about a dead dragon in an antique Mahjong set. Is it a connection to the murder or just a coincidence? Jules is determined to find out.

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I love the characters in this series! Jules and Carlos's relationship is strong.  I am happy that Ramiro has been added to the mix and his presence continues to grow in each new story. He is a good kid and parenting him is pretty easy. Thanks to Jules's mother, a true gem, all the employees at Torte are as close as family. They work so well together and come up with so many delicious things to serve from special coffee drinks to soups and sandwiches and every fantastic baked sweets you can imagine. The Sunday suppers they host are so creative. All of Ms. Alexander's characters are well-developed and genuine and fresh even after 17 books.

Several new characters are introduced. Actors and staff associated with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was crazy to see what two women would go through to have their dogs get the leading role in a play. We also meet a group of ladies that love to play Mahjong and Camille the new owner of the hospice shop where a unique antique Mahjong set was found. All the new characters were interesting. I must say I now want to learn how to learn to play Mahjong.

The mystery was very well-written. There are several suspects along with several twists and turns. I was keeping notes to keep everyone straight. I did pare my list down to two rather quickly. As usual, Lance was excited to investigate but I did enjoy the way Jules and Carlos talked through the clues and motives. A bit of confusion sets up a standoff and a very gripping reveal.

Catch Me If You Candy is a fun Halloween-themed cozy mystery with some of my favorite fictional characters.  Each visit to Ashland and Torte is always a good time, I just wish each book came with free samples because I am always left craving all the delectable treats described within the pages.

I am already looking forward to my next trip, A Smoking Bun is set to be released on February 20, 2024.

It's Halloween in Ashland, Oregon, and they go all out - there's a huge parade that most of the town participates in and there is tons of candy and treats all around the square. After finishing handing out treats at her restaurant, Torte, Jules walks out front to find a dragon slumped over in front of the bakeshop. Her and her husband, Carlos, attempt CPR, but this dragon has been slain. Turns out it was dog trainer Anton, who has been working at the theater preparing the dog lead, King George, for his acting debut. If you think actors can be unstable, wait until you meet the dog moms!

This totally put me in the mood for Halloween - as if I haven't already been in the mood for a month. But I felt like it was missing something at the end. Perhaps it was just me, but I was waiting for a little more. Overall it was a fun read.

Princess Fuzzypants here: There are some series that draw you into the lives of the characters as much as the mysteries that form the heart of each book. This is one of them. I have enjoyed Jules as she travelled through a return to her hometown to her friendships, marriage and development of her family’s business. Happily married with her stepson spending the year with her and her husband from Spain, relationships form the nucleus of stories.

Jules is thrust into the world of doggie celebrity when the dog trainer who cast the pooch of one of her mother’s best friends into a play at the local theatre is stabbed in front of Torte. The understudy is not happy and will do anything to make sure her pooch is the star. But does that go so far as murder. She is cut-throat but that would be ridiculous. Or would it? The reader never knows until the end and when it is revealed there is a lot more at stake than just an appearance on stage. In a well constructed mystery that keeps you guessing, the characters interact and rely on one another to solve the murder and make sure justice is done.

Five purrs and two paws up.

In book Number Seventeen of Ellie Alexander's Torte Bakeshop cozy mystery series, we see our intrepid sleuth and baker, Jules, discovering a dead body outside her shop in the midst of a costumed Halloween parade. With her mother's friend a suspect, and another involved via a mysterious note, Jules (and her BFF, theater director Lance) can't help but stick their noses in the investigation. But the more they learn, the more questions they seem to have.

It's challenging to keep a series running so long and still manage to keep things fresh but in a way that feels true to the characters and the world. I was pleased to see this novel capitalizing on the spooky season and holiday, rather than yet another new business endeavor. I love a good themed read, be Christmas, Halloween, Hannukah, or anything else! This mystery was a bit outlandish for my tastes, with much of it centered on the world of canine acting, and I didn't quite follow the ending (i.e., solution to the mystery) to be honest. It was fun to read but hard to truly love when I'm still scratching my head at the result.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for my eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 7/10

Time for another great visit with Jules and our friendly neighborhood characters. Holidays are sure to mean the bakery is busy and the town is gearing up for their Halloween event! But you couldn't have a cozy mystery without a mystery, this time the murder of a man that seemed to have no enemies. Ellie Alexander has built a cast of characters and their community so well that each new book is indeed a family visit. Settle in for a good gossip.

One thing that i find inviting and engaging in cozy/traditional mysteries is that they open a world up. In this case, readers enter the life of a baker/protagonist in this latest bakeshop mystery. Old and new readers will enjoy this one. It may help a bit to have read others in the series but I don’t think that is essential.

This is a(nother) fall season/Halloween story, this time set in Ashland, Oregon, a place that is rightfully renowned for its Shakespeare festival. All look forward to the costumes and a big celebration with a pug in an important role.

What is the significance of a dragon? How does mahjong play into the events? Who is the murder victim and why? Will Jules and her crew sort things out? (yes, but the fun is in watching them do it.)

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for this book with its punny title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 22 August 2023

Another story where I jumped in in the middle of a series, but that wasn't really a problem with this book. That said, this felt really overpopulated with unnecessary characters, and some of the situations just didn't ring true. I find it hard to believe that the owner of the bakery was always out and about running errands rather than at her cafe/bakery. I get that she trusts her employees, but she seems to have very little interest in her business that she supposedly loves. I also found the random repetitive descriptions of putting ingredients together to be oddly shoved in and not contributing anything to the scenes. If this was meant to be a recipe sharing type of book I'd get it, but these didn't seem to have any purpose. The story was fun, but not hugely engaging for me.

My thanks to St. Martin's, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Catch Me If You Candy by Ellie Alexander takes us back to Oregon and to the Torte bakery, and Jules, Carlos, and the whole gang, including Lance. It is Halloween and it is a holiday the community and its visitors embrace. There is a parade, which is actually more of a street fair than parade, with amazing costumes, each person trying to outdo the others. Jules and Carlos were peanut butter and jelly. Theirs was low key compared to most. They were having a wonderful time until they returned to the bakery and found a man slumped outside the front door. After calling the police and medics, it was discovered he was dead. It was Anton, the dog trainer that worked with Lance’s theatre and he had been stabbed, countless times.

This is a character driven series, heavy with cooking, but instead of recipes, the writer describes each step and the ingredients as Jules bakes. It is a great way to handle it, and so informative. Of course, her stepfather, The Professor and chief detective, was on the case almost immediately but there were lots of twists and turns in this one. Too many possible suspects; too many people with their own agendas, not all related to murder. Jules and Lance didn’t solve it until it was nearly too late. People got hurt, Anton died, and all for money. Very sad, but typical. The use of dogs and, especially, dog owners, was very entertaining. It was an interesting mystery and it was good to revisit all my friends at Torte and associates.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Catch Me If You Candy by St. Martins Press through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #EllieAlexander #CatchMeIfYouCandy

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday! I start to prepare around the beginning of sept, so the fact that this story is taking place during Halloween season made me want to read it so bad, and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint! Jules owens a bake shop named "Torte" witch just happeneds to be the exact spot a murder takes place! Jules decides to take it upon herself to open an investigation into the suspicious murder. This whole story takes place in picturesque Ashland , Oregon . I Google it.... its a real place!! One that I am SERIOUSLY considering moving to one day 💚

Another great addition to the series! I love visiting Ashland, Oregon with Jules and the rest of the Torte gang. It's Halloween and Jules and Carlos find a costumed dragon near Torte. Is this a one off murder or is it something deeper involving a Mahjong set that Helen bought. One of these days I'll figure it out before it's revealed in the story. I keep trying and just can't figure it out before Jules figures it out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery so much. It’s got mouth watering food descriptions, and recipes at the end. The town of Ashland, OR sounds delightful, Ellie Alexander is a one woman tourist board.

It’s almost Halloween, and Jules and her staff are baking up a storm at her bakery, Torte. One of her mom’s best friends has a dog who just landed a part in an upcoming production at The Oregon Shakespeare festival, but there’s another dog owner who’s very angry that her dog wasn’t cast.
Then on Halloween, Jules and her husband find a body outside of Torte. Jules being who she is, gets involved in solving the murder.

This is an outstanding cozy mystery that I recommend, 4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I hadn’t read in this series for a really long time, but it didn’t take me long to catch back up. The author has a really nice way of catching readers up without spoiling anything (like the whodunit) from past books. This was an extra cool time of year to be in Ashland for all the Halloween festivities, but it wasn’t cool for the poor guy who got killed. Of course, Lance was all for sleuthing again with his buddy Jules, so she went along with it since she’s curious like that anyway.

I hadn’t guessed whodunit until the clues started pointing that way, and the showdown was safely conducted with Jules and Carlos in their car and the police taking charge. There was a little side mystery I don’t think we’ll get an answer for until next book concerning Lance who Jules had spotted a few times visiting Richard Lord’s hotel. Then Lance was talking in almost riddles toward the end but left Jules hanging. Ok Lance, you need to tell her what you were about to tell her by the time the next book’s out, lol. This series makes me think it’d be fun to visit Ashland pretty much any time of the year!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin’s Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Catch Me If You Candy is book #17 in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

I can’t believe this is book 17. I always enjoy visiting Jules, Carlos, and their family and friends. The relationships are my favorite part of the book. I’d love to visit Torte and try some of their creations. Mahjong, dogs, a murder make for an enjoyable mystery!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The series is not into book 17 and it hasn’t lost its touch! The setting is just magical, the food makes me drool while reading, the characters are all great, and the mysteries never fail. This one continues to be zippy, throwing in plenty of possible suspects and then some last minute zig zags to make you question yourself before you learn the truth.