Ellie Alexander is such a solid choice when it comes to cozy mysteries! I have really enjoyed many of her cozy mystery books and while they are not historical cozies, I love all the food and charm of Ashland Oregon in the Bakeshop Mysteries! Not to mention I know Ashland well and I love how Alexander brings the town to life! That is one of the reasons I always come back to her books…..she writes with such authenticity of the region and being an Oregonian myself, I love seeing our state highlighted to such perfection!
The Bakeshop Mysteries has been a series that I have jumped around in over the years. I mean at this point there are 18 books and I started in about book 8 and since then continue to jump around as my schedule allows. The books overall are great and while I am sure I am not getting the full experience by jumping around (I mean come on we are on 18 books there has to be nuances that I am missing!) but I always manage to feel orientated within the book and not completely lost.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, no doubt Ellie Alexander is on your radar! If for no other reason than the charming book titles, cute covers and amazing food descriptions! Come for the food and stay for the mystery is kind of what I think of when I think of Ellie Alexander!
Summary
Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!
The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.
The annual competition is a favorite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.
Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow? (summary from Goodreads)
Review
While I always manage to right myself within the story and characters thanks to Alexander’s writing ability, in this one I had to think back to when the last time I read one of her books in this series was! I eventually did go back to look and sure enough it was like book 12 that I read last! I was like wait some stuff has clearly happened since I read one of these books! While I didn’t feel completely lost, I did notice some things had changed since I visited this town and these characters! But for the most part I didn’t think that this really impacted the overall enjoyment of the book, just that I noticed that some characters were new and some larger plot points had changed. If anything I made me want to go back and pick up the other books in the series and catch up with old friends as it were!
As usual I found an enjoyable cast of characters, great food descriptions, and a charming town and a mystery that kept my guessing most of the book! I mean what more could I ask for really? Something that was not necessarily fluffy but not as intense as a full on thriller was exactly what I needed right now! I loved all the secrets that came to light from the murder mystery and I found the whole book overall very enjoyable. The mystery kept my engaged and reading until the end, and Jules is such a likable main character that readers will not find it hard to connect with her and solve crimes with her! Returning to this world is like coming home, I mean I live in Oregon and can attest to the charm of Ashland but even if I didn’t live here I would feel the cozy, home-i-ness feel of Ashland on every page! The town is so well represented and charming!
One thing I did wish this book had was the recipe for the chai cookies! They could so good and I love anything with chai in it! This book gave me a serious sweet tooth! I found myself craving cookies and all other kinds of delicious sweets while I was reading! Alas I only had Oreo cookies to tide me over! Overall this is an outstanding series and a well known one within the cozy mystery world! It has great characters, a charming town, and all the good eats one could ask for! I do want to read the series from beginning to end as I think I would understand the character back stories better but I still think new fans of this series will be able to jump in an become familiar with the charming town of Ashland and a standout sleuth in Jules!
Book Info and Rating
Format 336 pages, ebook
Published February 20, 2024 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN 9781250854438 (ISBN10: 1250854431)
Free review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: cozy mystery
The Lit Bitch 