A Crime of Passion Fruit

Author: Ellie Alexander

Series: A Bakeshop Mystery #6

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: June 27, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A delectable treat that readers are sure to fall in love with before the end of the first chapter.

In the middle of a major remodel and expansion at Torte, Jules Capshaw is trying not to get caught up in the madness and stress. When her estranged husband contacts her begging for her to come to the cruise ship he works on and take over as a temporary pastry chef, she wonders if it could be just the distraction she needs.  She is hesitant to be back in her old life and routine with Carlos but finds it hard to resist the trip.  Before she can settle into the ship, she finds a dead body onboard and the trip takes a sour turn.  Jules is knee deep in the investigation with a killer on the loose and a mystery to be solved.

I stumbled upon the Bakeshop Mysteries earlier this year and must say I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy them. This is the type of book you can sit by the fire or curl up on the beach to read and just get lost in the story.  It is the epitome of a cozy mystery. A Crime of Passion Fruit is another great addition to the series.  I loved taking the main characters, Jules, her mom, and the professor to a new setting on board the cruise ship and solving the new mystery.  The description of the cruise ship and how working in the kitchen and feeding such a large number of people on a daily basis was done so well I felt I was there, and I have never been on a cruise.  At first I was thinking the mystery was going to be hard to follow, being out of their normal setting and so many new characters, but everything fell into place in just the right way and at just the right time.  Ellie Alexander has figured out the perfect recipe for a great fun read that is hard to put down and even harder to forget.  I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good fun mystery that will keep them thinking and even give them a laugh or two at just the right time.

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