Fudge and Jury

Author: Ellie Alexander

Series: A Bakeshop Mystery #5

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: January 3, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A fun cozy mystery almost as sweet as the treats in the story.

Ashland, Oregon is known for its Shakespeare and Chocolate Festival. Torte is a local family bakery hoping to make a name for itself at the festival.  Jules and her team have been cooking up specials and are ready to show their best.  The festival promises to be a sweet event and everything is looking to be perfect, until a murder happens in front of the Torte booth.  Evan Rowe, of Confections Couture, is one of the top names in the chocolate world.  He is at the festival and is quick to let others know if they are not good enough they will be gone.  It is easy to see how he has many enemies and that list is sure to be examined when he turns up dead after sampling cake from Jules and the Torte booth.  Jules is on a mission to not only clear her name and that of her bakeries, but to also find out who among them is a murderer.

Fudge and Jury is the fifth book in the Bakeshop mysteries. I didn’t realize that when I started, so I haven’t read any others in the series.  Even so, that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this one.  This was an extremely fun and entertaining read.  The characters were witty and engaging, the mystery was realistic and not over the top. There was a unique method to the murder that made it more enjoyable than if it was just a normal shooting, stabbing or one of the commonly used methods.  Jules and Lance should have had more scenes in my opinion.  When they were together, there was something about their interaction that kept the pages turning faster than when most of the other characters were together.  There were a few points that were left unanswered, maybe they will be answered in the final book of the series, but I do wish there had been a little closure on those points.  That has to be one of my only critical points.  This is the kind of read that I think of sitting by the fire at a bed and breakfast or at the beach somewhere.  Just a fun enjoyable read that is clean and able to put a smile on your face throughout.  I recommend this to mystery lovers and chocolate lovers alike.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.