Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780312541071
Minotaur Books
304 Pages
Various Prices; $7.99 Amazon
April 26, 2011
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Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart admits her sweet treats don't exactly qualify as health food. But does she really deserve to be labeled a "killer" by local radio jockey Lester Moorefield? The annoying host is urging citizens to boycott Suzanne's "deadly dough" factory -- until he's found dead himself, stuffed with one of Suzanne's éclairs...
Everyone in April Springs knows about the feud between Lester and Suzanne, which makes her the number-one suspect. She tries to use the donut defense -- donuts don't kill people, people kill people -- but that cream-filled éclair at the scene of the crime has the whole town filled with suspicion. If Suzanne can't figure out who killed the radio star, she'll soon be filling a prison cell instead of a pastry...
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Suzanne Hart owns Donut Hearts in small town April Springs, North Carolina. She's not getting rich, but she's managing to make a decent living doing what she loves. While listening to the radio one night while she's in bed, she hears radio jockey Lester Moorefield -- a thorn in her side -- tell everyone to stay away from her business because she's feeding everyone poison with her donuts. Angry, she dresses and goes to the station to confront him. They have words, and Suzanne leaves, determined to make him regret targeting her.
Later on the next morning, police chief Martin comes to the shop and asks her to come with him to the radio station, where he tells her that Lester is dead, and one of her éclairs was found stuffed in his mouth. While he doesn't believe she committed the murder, he wants to know where she was at the time of the murder, and then if she knows anything. Of course she doesn't, but when her business starts to suffer because of Lester's final broadcast, Suzanne can't just sit back and wait for the police.
With the help of her friends Grace and George, she's determined to investigate. But then her boyfriend, state investigator Jake Bishop, is assigned to the case, and there's an accident that puts her in the forefront of knowing it shouldn't have happened, and Suzanne is bound and determined to get the murderer...that is, if the murderer doesn't get her first...
This is the fourth book in the series, and I must say that it's been improving along the way. I do like Suzanne as a person; she doesn't rush headlong into accusing everyone she meets of murder; she asks questions and then eliminates that suspect, which is much nicer and more believable.
She loves her donut shop and the people around her, and it's apparent that they love her, too. I do like the fact that she has a mother who's not hounding her about grandkids and is a good part of Suzanne's life. I'm beginning to enjoy Dorothy's presence in these books; and I do like the fact that Suzanne's relationship with Jake is beginning to take shape and grow.
As far as the murder goes, it was done very nicely, with just enough suspects who may or may not have had solid alibis, and sifting through them with Suzanne was tons of fun. While the murderer wasn't totally unexpected, my dislike of another character really wanted that person to be guilty. Oh, well. In the end, it came together seamlessly, and I spent a good evening with Suzanne and her friends, and look forward to seeing them again in the next book. Recommended.
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