Lyndsay and her family are thrilled that the family Spice Isle Bakery is a food vendor at Brooklyn's
annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival. Unfortunately, a local reggae band's lead singer
Camille dies from an accidental fall. However, Lyndsay's cousin Manny who has been dating the
singer is convinced it was murder. Results from the medical examiner's report proves it was murder.
Lyndsay promises Manny thet she will investigate the people invovled with Camile and the band
to see who would have a reason to kill Camille.
Cozy filled with family, food, music and community connections.
#Coconut Drop Dead #NetGalley

Very sweet murder mystery. Sounds like an oxymoron but the “sweet” is because of the strong family ties of the main characters. Most of the story takes place in a wonderful bakery with descriptions of all the aromatic flavors that waft about the store. Loyal customers surround this family with their patronage and support. Oh, yes, the family helped solve a murder! Their third one in fact! Cozy mystery. Curl up with it with a cup of tea and a sweet confection and enjoy. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #CoconutDropDead, #St.Martin”sPress.

I LOVED this book. In my opinion, it was much better than Book 2 of this series. Opening to the first page and walking into Lyndsay's world felt like meeting up with an old friend. I missed these characters; it was so great to see them again.

Spice Isle Bakery is thriving, Lynds is finally willing to admit that the hot cop has a thing for her, and I really enjoyed the story. Matthews takes the reader on an adventure, full of twists and surprises, but with a very satisfying ending.

Lyndsay the carribean baker has a new murder to solve. Like always with the help of her family. Fun to read.

The Murray family is excited to be participating in the annual Caribbean American heritage festival this year. Spice Isle, bakery has been a success within the community, and now they have a chance to reach a wider audience. However, when a popular singer, home, Lindsay’s cousin was falling for, dies during the event, the family realizes it’s time for them to investigate another murder.

With the police two steps behind the family, the Murray family only wants justice for every promising musical talent that was cut short before her time. Can Lindsey and the police work together to solve this one? And can Bryce redeem himself and Lindsey’s eyes once and for all

I could almost here and feel the steel drum as I was reading this book. I love the adorable Murray Family and look forward to each visit to Spice Isle Bakery. This hard-working family always makes time to fight for Justice whenever it impacts someone in their family. With a strong, protagonist and mystery, you’ll be turning on the reggae and making yourself a cup of ginger tea as you snuggle in to read.

Lindsay owns the Spice Isle Bakery and with more than a little help from her investors, her family,it’s becoming successful. She is so excited that they have a spot at the Caribbean American Heritage Festival. The bakery has only been open for a few months, and this is an opportunity to get their products and name out to a huge number of potential customers. Everything is going well until Camille, the singer for DragonFlyZ who is performing at the festival, dies in what appears to be a tragic accident. Or was it murder……..
Lindsay has experience solving crimes. Especially since she cleared her own name and her mother's when they each were suspected of different murders. Who better to figure out whodunnit and why. Certainly not the police, even though sparks seem to be flying between Lindsay and Detective Bryce. That is if she can forgive him for thinking that she and her mother could’ve killed someone.
I won’t say more in case I fall into a mixing bowl of spoilers, but it’s a good, cozy mystery. The bakery food sounds yummy, and Lindsay and her family are an entertaining group of characters.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of COCONUT DROP DEAD (Book 3 of the Spice Isle Bakery mystery series) by Olivia Matthews in exchange for an honest review. Lyndsay Murray, co-owner of the Spice Isle Bakery, is excited about being able to participate as a vendor in this year’s Caribbean American Heritage Festival. When the lead singer of a popular reggae band dies at the festival, Lyndsay is relieved that, for a change, no one is accusing her family of being murderers. However, Lyndsay is still called to investigate on behalf of a family member. Lyndsay’s cousin Manny had been growing close to the singer and believes she died due to murder rather than accident. Since it looks like the police are not going to look into the matter, Lyndsay and her family decide to check things out.

I enjoyed the story. I had not read the first two books in the series, but I had no problem connecting with the characters or following the storyline. I recommend this book to fans of the series and to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring varied cultures, food, and music.

#CoconutDropDead #NetGalley

Thanks to St.. Martin's Press for the eARC.
I think that this is my favorite in this series. It was so good to be back with Lyndsay and her family in this bakery. I always enjoyed how tight knit this family was, and it was easy to slip back into this story with them. I think my favorite part of this book was seeing how much each character had grown. With the mystery, Lyndsay showed growth with her sleuthing, I liked how her family worked together for the best outcome for everyone. I don't read many cozy series, but I know I will always get a solid, well-plotted mystery with this one. I enjoyed every second and hope this isn't the last that I see of this family - if it is, the author ended on such a wonderful note.

bakery, food-truck, festivals, family-dynamics, family, family-business, cozy-mystery, Brooklyn, culinary, Caribbean-peoples, relationship-issues, relationships, unputdownable, murder-investigation, local-law-enforcement, friends, friendship, recipes, multigenerational, cultural-heritage, Grenadian, kickboxer, romance, verbal-humor*****

Did the fantastic singer of the band fall? Or was she pushed!?
The guys at Spice Isle Bakery are back with the Caribbean American Heritage Festival! And they wind up involved in another murder investigation (at least no one in the family is up for top suspect this time).
Great sleuthing by the whole extended family, real red herrings as well as Lyndsay's feelings about Homicide Detective Bryce made things a little murky when plot twists sneaked in. It was a joy to read about such a dear and loving family as they worked through problems together. Loved it!
Not an unbiased review because I love the series (and Brooklyn/Prospect Park area).
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a delight to revisit the Spice Island mysteries and see Lyndsay Murray and her family set out to solve another murder. As this is her third murder case, Lyndsay is becoming known as the Grenadian Nancy Drew but this time she is working along side Detective Bryce, her secret crush. Some twists and turns as it seems so many people have motives and opportunities when local musician Camille is found dead, having been pushed down the stairs at the Caribbean American Heritage Festival. This story will have you reading right along as discoveries are made. A delicious cozy mystery, how fun to get some recipes as well for some delectables served in their bakery. I can't wait for the next one in this series. Many thanks to #netgalley #coconutdropdead #oliviamatthews #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

The Caribbean American Festival is here. Lyndsay's bakery will be a vendor at the festival. The whole family is excited. The festival turned out awesome until there was an accident. The local reggae band's lead singer fell down the stairs. Manny thinks it was murder and requests Lyndsay's help to investigate. This book made me so hungry. I enjoyed this mystery and following the clues with the family. I really liked learning about the West Indies.

Excellent!! With each mystery, Ms Matthew's is sucking you in, creating page turning action, suspense and keeping you engaged to the end! Happy to see Lyndsay is coming into her own and developing a better relationship with Bryce.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review. Quite enjoying the journey!

This was a fun little mystery! My first book by this author so thank you for the chance to read and review!

First, we love a book that highlights diversity! I really enjoyed the main character and her Caribbean background. I feel like the book did a really good job of incorporating family values, food and culture from the West Indies that I truly appreciated. The mystery itself was also fun to read. I could tell from the progression of the story that there are other books before this one that covered other mysteries that I would definitely be interested in reading. The book was easy to follow and was honestly a pretty quick read! I do wish the plot twist/villain reveal was a bit bigger, but that’s just because I’m a sucker for a massive plot twist.

I loved the humor that book provided as well. Granny physically made me laugh because she sounded just like my grandmother when it came to simply speaking her mind. Her character was beyond relatable. I also enjoyed how close Lyndsey and her family were. They were supportive and always a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen.

Overall, it was a fun, cozy mystery that left me satisfied with the ending and wanting to find the nearest bakery for some Caribbean pastries.

Fun ethnic culinary cozy
Ms.Matthew's cozy is a fun read. It showcases food that most people would not be exposed to in small town USA and a tight knit community of people who have immigrated to Brooklyn, New York and formed a smaller version of their homeland, but not an exclusive one.
It has mystery, family and a developing romance. Lynds works with the police in the tight community to get the answers they may not have been able to get. Suspects and motives. Who-dun-it? I recommend for a fun read.
I requested and received a NetGalley arc gratis and offer mt opinion in the same.

"The case in Olivia Matthews's Coconut Drop Dead is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Brooklyn's annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival is finally here, and Spice Isle Bakery is thrilled to be one of the event's food vendors. After all, the Murrays have been attending the festival for years. Co-owner Lyndsay Murray hopes their West Indian pastries and finger foods draw people back to the bakery in Little Caribbean. She's looking forward to having fun, connecting with customers, and celebrating with her family.

The day's festivities are cut short when Camille, lead singer of an up-and-coming reggae band, dies. The police think it may be a tragic accident. But Lyndsay's cousin Manny was close to Camille, and he believes someone cut her life short. Now Manny needs Lyndsay's help to make sure a killer faces the music."

Anyone lucky enough to get giftcards for books for Christmas should definitely buy this and then spend the day reading it.

The guys at Spice Isle Bakery are back with the Caribbean American Heritage Festival! Everyone is excited to be joining the food vendors at the festival.

And things are about to get spicy! When one of the lead singers is found dead. Manny is positive it was murder so Lyndsay needs to find out who quickly!

Always a mouthwatering time at the Spice Isle Bakery. This is one really lovely and sweet cozy series!

Netgalley/ St. Martin’s Press December 26, 2023

Family. Family ties. Family and the bond of love. That's what keeps me coming back to this series. While the mysteries are intriguing and well written, Lyndsay/Lynds' bond with her extended family and friends, not to mention customers of their bakery, is what makes this series unique. Well, aside from the fact that I always feel like I need to call up some reggae when I read and bask in the virtual sunshine of the Caribbean. Other mysteries have close knit families but this one seems to operate as one, making decisions and acting only when the family as a whole agrees to act. On the surface that may sound great but, of course, it isn't always simple. In this case, when the woman Manny has been fallen for is killed, he's bound and determined to find not just answers but find them right now. Immediately. Lynds is caught up in his emotional determination, of course, and the investigation begins after a family meeting.

I won't detail the plot as the blurb handles that just fine, but will note that I found myself saddened at the death of DragonFlyZ's lead singer, Camille. I wanted to know who killed her. Even though we only interact with her briefly before she is murdered, she comes across as one of those special human beings we'd all like as a friend. The more we find out about her from Manny, her family, and band-mates, the more this feeling sinks in. I'll leave it to the readers to see if they agree. Lynds' family is tight knit and loving, fair yet cautious, if that makes sense. I love the bluntness of the grandmother which tones down what might be the too-sweet-for-words sense the family's togetherness might otherwise leave us feeling. Let's just say she suffers no fools. Dev has left his law practice to be a part of the family bakery and we learn a bit more about him this go-round, too, as we do Manny. As for Lyndsay, her almost-relationship with Detective Bryce Jackson seems to be simmering along nicely, at least based on the ending. I've lost count of how many times she's turned him down for a date. Come on, Lynds, he's a keeper! Grin.

Bottom line, while the focus is on finding out who killed Camille, the side-stories are satisfying and keep your interest. You'll even get to know some of the regulars at the bakery, even the cranky ones. Lynds may have earned the unwanted nickname of the Grenadian Nancy Drew but there's much, much more to her. She is learning to step out of her bubble, so to speak, this go-round, and learn to protect herself.... though it's nice to know Bryce probably isn't far away with his gun. Seriously, I don't know much about kick-boxing but it sounds like a great self-defense technique. True, Lynds is sometimes too blunt and manages to unsettle Camille's devastated family but, well, even families have their secrets. Band-mates aren't always lovey-dovey, either, and broken relationships have been known to turn violent, so there are several suspects. You'll enjoy watching Lyndsay sort it all out. Thanks #NetGalley and StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sCozies for letting me bask in a virtual Caribbean aura for a bit. Lyndsay and her family are a fun bunch to know and I look forward to my next visit.

Lyndsay Murray, who some people in her community call the Grenadian Nancy Drew, is looking forward to celebrating a neighborhood festival when a tragic accident occurs. It hits close to home and family so Lyndsey has no choice but to get to the bottom of it which frustrates one local police detective.

Once again author Olivia Matthews brings to life the West Indian community with her description of tastes, aromas, family and music and had me craving a pastry from the Spice Island Bakery.

Coconut Drop Dead is book 3 in the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries series but can stand alone.

I enjoyed Coconut Drop Dead. This cozy mystery kept me guessing as to who the killer was. I enjoyed the underlying possibilities of romance and loved the main characters. All the mentions of Caribbean food left me wishing for a bakery like Lyndsay's. Her family is delightful and Bryce sounds swoon worthy. If you enjoy tv shows like Death in Paradise, you'll want to read Olivia Matthews Spice Isle Bakery series.