Author: Darci Hannah
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496731722
Kensington Publishing
352 Pages
$7.49; $6.99 Amazon
February 23, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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's spent many childhood summers near this beach community and converting the old run-down lighthouse into a bakery café 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-fiancé Jeffery 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...
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Lindsey Bakewell, fresh off of a breakup with her cheating ex-fiancé Jeffery, impulsively buys an old lighthouse and its attached carriage house in the place where she used to spend her summers with her beloved grandparents. She's an ex-investment banker, and begins renovating the place to open a bakeshop, which has always been her dream.
With new employees in place, and a temporary barista in the form of her hunky neighbor Rory Campbell, everything seems to be going smoothly -- until a bus load of people arrive, including her ex and his girlfriend Mia, who begins causing trouble by grabbing food and drink from paying customers, and throwing donuts against the display cases. Shortly after Rory unceremoniously escorts Mia outside, she collapses on the ground, and it's soon discovered that she was poisoned.
Now, with the bakeshop temporarily closed, Lindsey and her best friend Kennedy, an top-rated influencer, are tasked with finding out who poisoned the woman. Then when another tragedy occurs, the investigation ramps up, but not without the help of Rory, her dog Wellington, and maybe even a little ghostly influence in the form of Captain Willy, who haunts the lighthouse...
This is the first book in a new series, and I have to say that I am sorry that I waited so long to read it. I absolutely love the fact that while Lindsey runs from New York after a breakup, she isn't broke and moving back in with her parents. In fact, this new protagonist is quite wealthy and can stand on her own two feet. I also loved the fact that when she learned something, she turned it right over to the police, instead of keeping the information to herself. A clue that she was indeed an intelligent woman instead of someone who needed to 'prove herself just as good as the police.'
I did like the characters in the book quite a bit. Lindsey, of course, has proven herself to be smart, capable, and willing to take risks, while also turning information over to the authorities. Kennedy is a complete hoot, and I would love to see her in later books. Rory is the hero-anti-hero, who doesn't flaunt his past and just wants to live his life; while the others in the town are all worth getting to know. I love that there's no 'evil nemesis,' and that the police chief doesn't hate her.
These make for quite an interesting book, one I just couldn't put down once I started reading. The plot was done very well, and the writing is extremely good. There are no stereotypes in the mix, and the descriptions of everything surrounding Lindsey make it so nice that I would like to vacation in this little place (but not live there as I really don't care for snow!).
I love to cook and bake, so I don't even mind the descriptions of food or the recipes. Although I do realize not everyone enjoys this, it is a culinary mystery, so they are to be expected. And the recipes in the back sound completely yummy.
When Lindsey starts investigating, she can't pin down who would set out to sabotage her -- after Jeffery declares he didn't kill anyone -- and wonders if she, herself were the real target or if it were someone else. When she starts digging, she also begins to become interested in her resident ghost's past and his untimely demise, and wonders what happened to him, and why. But what she discovers is that there are more secrets in this town than she could ever imagine, and finding them out could get her killed...
When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is both sad and unexpected, which is the way it should be in a mystery. The pieces fit together nicely in the puzzle, and there is a very good climax scene that I didn't see coming at all, and made everything before it worthwhile. This is a very good start to a new series and I will read the next. Highly recommended.
More on Darci Hannah's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/
No comments:
Post a Comment