Review of Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop

Murder At The Beacon Bakeshop

Beacon Bakeshop, Book 1

Darci Hannah

5 Stars

Synopsis:

In the first of a new series, after Lindsey Bakeswell catches her celebrity chef fiance sizzling in the arms of another woman, Lindsey leaves big city Wall Street for small town Beacon Harbor, Michigan to pursue her own passion as a pastry baker–and gets mixed up in someone’s sweet taste of revenge…

More interested in kneading dough than adding it up, Lindsey’s breakup inspired her to set up the shop she always wanted in a place that always made her happy. She’d spent many childhood summers near this beach community and converting the old run-down lighthouse into a bakery cafe and home offers a perfect fresh start for Lindsey and her devoted Newfoundland dog, Wellington.

But not everyone in town has a sweet tooth. The preservation society won’t have the lighthouse’s history sugar coated by lattes and cakes–and a protest group crashes Lindsey’s Memorial Day opening. Then her ex-fiance Jeffrey Plank and his girlfriend Mia Wong arrive to trash the place. In the ensuing chaos Mia chokes on a donut and dies.

An autopsy reveals cyanide in Mia’s bloodstream and Lindsey is the police’s prime suspect. To clear her name, she’s going to need to combine ingredients found in the town’s checkered past to uncover the identity of a desperate killer…  (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Lindsey is a smart hardworking woman who has left Wall Street behind and is going to make a go of her lighthouse bakery.  Her friend Kennedy is very willing to help her, since she is a social media influencer. Rory, a neighbor, is also willing to help. And Wellington, Lindsey’s dog, was quite cute.   When a dead body turns up, they not only have to make a go of the bakeshop, they have to find out who the murderer is before Lindsey gets charges with a murder she did not commit.  

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning.  There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sort through  with a few red herrings thrown in to complicate things.  I had no idea who the culprit was until it was revealed at the end.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I cannot wait to see what the next adventure is for Lindsey and her friends.  

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.