Murder At The Campfire Cookout

 A Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries Book 7

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:     9781496747426

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

June 30, 2026

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When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone -- but a killer doesn't.

Converting the old Beacon Point lighthouse into a bakery is as adventurous as Lindsey cares to get.  Her mother, Ellie, a former 80s fashion model, likes her creature comforts even more -- until she sees a business opportunity for her Beacon Harbor fashion boutique when she's invited by the Mitten Kittens Glamping Club on a woodsy getaway.

Far from roughing it, the ladies will be warm and cozy in chic vintage campers.  Ellie insists Lindsey come along to win the campfire cookout contest.  Campfire cooking has come a long way from bacon and beans.  Soon Lindsey is making pizza, berry cobbler and gooey Carmelita camping bars.

But the festive spirit is soon dampened when a body is found in Ellie's Camper.  It seems like an accidental death until everyone's tires are slashed and it's clear the glampsite has become a crime scene.  With no cell service to call for help, it's up to Lindsey to smoke out the killer around the campfire...

Because no one is out of the woods yet.

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Lindsey Bakewell, owner of the lighthouse bakery in Michigan, is convinced by her mother Ellie to go on a glamping trip, along with her friends Kennedy and Colleen.  Getting back to nature isn't in her nature even though they'll be in 'glampers' which are converted campers that have all the comforts of home.  Her mother has even entered her in a cookout contest -- which she doesn't know how to do, so i and given lessons by her boyfriend Rory, a true outdoorsman.

The first night starts off fine, with Lindsey thinking she might have a chance at winning.  But when one of the campers uses Ellie's bathroom, she never returns.  Ellie and her friend Betty find the woman in front of the stove, dead.  It turns out she was going to use the stove and cheat, but was electrocuted instead.

Then another camper offers to take the body into town to the coroner, since there is no cell service in the UP where they are.  But she doesn't return.  And when Lindsey, Kennedy, and Colleen head out to town to find help, they find another tragedy.  It's not long before the women realize that they are truly stranded...and someone is after Lindsey's mother.  

All their tires are slashed, and another accident occurs.  Determined at all costs to keep her mother safe, the three young women are on a quest to find help and save the group, but will they be able to find help before someone else is injured, or worse, killed?...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have enjoyed them all.  I love the characters, and I love watching them as they find clues and solve murders.  This has been one of my favorite series by far, and I enjoy reading it.  The author has done a wonderful job of characterization and description of not only the area where they reside, but food!

There are plenty of pitfalls this time around, as Lindsey is not in her element in the woods.  She's not comfortable, and if you think that's a problem, it's even more so for Kennedy, who is a city girl through-and-through.  Alas, those two and Irish Colleen, are soon wishing they'd stayed home.  But if they did, they never would have discovered the plot against Ellie.

Who is sabotaging everything around them, causing accidents to campers?  Who is after Ellie and why?  When they get closer to the truth, it just becomes stranger and stranger, and eventually they find out that none of would have even been on their radar.

I have to say that one of the best episodes was toward the end of the book (do not peek!) when the three find themselves in strange territory with unexpected results.  Then again, it would even be unexpected for me, and I lived in the Upper Peninsula for a time (too cold in the winter!).

All in all, this is an interesting tale in the series, and I enjoyed it very much, immersing myself in the book that was unputdownable for me.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Campfire-Cookout-Bakeshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FV59763T/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8492293861

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 6)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book; (Audiobook Available) 

ISBN #:    9781496747402

Kensington Cozies

306 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

November 26, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lindsey's patrons have a new outdoor patio where they can eat their treats in the glorious summer weather.  But even more exciting is that the Beacon Bakeshop is going to host British celebrity chef Vivi Lemonberry -- and what could be a more appropriate event than a tea party?

What Lindsey didn't realize is that Vivi is here to put some distance between herself and her recent professional and personal scandals.  Despite assurances that Vivi is as sweet as a chocolate-dipped strawberry, Lindsey is cooling rapidly toward the culinary icon...especially after she banishes Lindsey's beloved dog, Wellington, from the bakeshop and then flirts outrageously with Lindsey's boyfriend.

She's not the only one feeling hostile, though.  While Vivi's in the middle of making a tart in front of the cameras, a woman runs up and slaps her.  Soon, Vivi's nowhere to be found, and folks are speculating on whether she's run off with her secret lover or just laying low due to embarrassment.  That is, until Lindsey finds a body bobbing near the surface of Lake Michigan.  It's a our ending for the diva, but Lindsey is determined to squeeze the truth out of every clue until she finds the killer...

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Lindsey Bakewell owns the Beacon Bakeshop, a bakery inside a delightful lighthouse that sits on the edge of Lake Michigan.  She's excited because a British celebrity baker, Vivi Lemonberry, is coming to her shop to bake Vivi's famous Bakewell Tart as part of a promo for her new cookbook.  She's had her share of scandals, but is now ready to start anew with a new attitude as well...but it doesn't last long.  Lindsey soon finds out that Vivi is a diva of the first water and expects Lindsey to change everything to her own specifications.  This includes banning Welly, Lindsey's beloved Newfoundland, from his home until she leaves. 

On top of this, Rory, Lindsey's love, also moves out because Lindsey's best friend, Kennedy's family, is coming to stay at the lighthouse -- her grandmother, mother, and sister Pippa.  This is almost as complicated as it gets, until while filming, a woman comes up and slaps Vivi, sending her off in hysterics, not to return.

Now everyone wants to know where Vivi is, and when -- or if -- the show will continue.  Unfortunately, while learning to scuba dive with Rory, Lindsey is thrown into a terror by finding a body just below the surface of the water.  Now there's a search for a killer, and even the police are so stumped that Sergeant Murdock has asked for Lindsey's help.  What else could go wrong?...

This is the sixth book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also loved them all.  This one has just as much appeal as all the others.  While the search is on for a killer, it's obvious that the murderer has intended to frame someone else, and that doesn't sit well with Lindsey or her friends.  Unfortunately, Kennedy's sister "wants in on the action", which doesn't sit well with Kennedy, but what can she do?

Once they start investigating, they discover that everyone has secrets.  But which ones led to the murder?  And with so many people with motives, how to sift through the suspects to find out who had the nerve -- and anger -- to kill in such a fashion?

The book is filled with enough intrigue, secrets, and lies to keep anyone interested, but there are not so many people that you can't keep the suspects straight.  I pretty much had most of it figured out before Lindsey did; but in the end even I was surprised by the whole truth.

At the last, we are given a wonderful ending that leaves us wanting to read the next book in the series right now.  I am not-so-patiently waiting for that!  There are also some yummy recipes in the back on the book that I can't wait to try.  Highly recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Lemonberry-Beacon-Bakeshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CWLHGYCZ/

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6796009966

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Blarney Bash (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496741745

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

January 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lindsey is baking up a storm -- shamrock sugar cookies, Guiness chocolate cupcakes, Irish soda bread -- for the well-timed grand opening of the Irish import gift shop, the Blarney Stone, owned by her boyfriend's uncle, Finnigan O'Connor, recently relocated from the Emerald Isle.

But it's Uncle Finn himself who seems full of blarney when he gleefully reveals a pot of real gold he claims he stole from an actual leprechaun.  And Finn's fortune takes a turn for the worse when he's arrested for the bludgeoning of a small unidentified man dressed as a leprechaun -- the murder weapon alleged to be his now-missing shillelagh/

Eccentric Uncle Finn may enjoy believing he's outwitted a leprechaun, but he would never be so deluded as to clobber one with his walking stick.  Now Lindsey will need more than the luck of the Irish to seize a golden opportunity to catch the real killer...

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Lindsey Bakewell owns the Beacon Bakeshop, an old lighthouse that she's converted into her home.  She's getting ready for St. Patrick's Day and the opening of the Blarney Stone, an Irish gift shop/pub that belongs to her boyfriend Rory's uncle Finn and his daughter Colleen.  But one morning what she thinks is a leprechaun (I know; so does Lindsey!) runs into her car and then disappears.  She also hears of a sighting of the same person from her dog groomer.  And when a woman asks for her help, it turns out that she thinks a leprechaun might have attacked her boss, Fred Landry. 

But leprechauns aren't real -- are they?  Finn believes in them, Colleen doesn't.  But when there are other sightings, Lindsey is determined to find out.  Especially when there's a murder connected to the little man.  Yet something is definitely afoot, and when Finn makes a startling discovery, everyone who knows him thinks he might be in danger.  Now Lindsey, Rory, -- and the recently returned Kennedy -- are once again looking for a murderer...

I have read all the books in this series, and I have loved them all.  The descriptions of the area are very good, and the characters are believable.  In fact, I'd like to know them, especially Finn.  He definitely seems an Irish rogue!  Also, since Kennedy is back, she's brought some drama with her, which isn't surprising at all.  She is who she is, and no one is going to change that!  It makes for an interesting story line that is easy to follow.  Are leprechauns real or are they fictional?  Ah, there is a question for everyone, isn't it?

But now Finn is suspected of murder, and with St. Pats in full swing, the town is full of people who could have done the deed.  The question is, how do Lindsey and Rory find the culprit?  Especially when they're looking for someone who may have killed a leprechaun -- or someone dressed as one.  It's a right pickle they're in, and the killer might not be finished yet.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this tale, nor can I tell you any more about the book.  To do so would be giving too much away.  But it's filled with whimsey and intrigue, secrets and even more.  It's definitely worth the price of reading, and I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Blarney-Bash-small-town-bakery-caf%C3%A9-ebook/dp/B0C3WXQNNN/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5947198048

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Blueberry Festival (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496731746

Kensington Publishing

352 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

July 26, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a career on Wall Street, Lindsey is making a different kind of dough in a pretty lakeside village, and the upcoming blueberry festival -- including the pie-eating contest her bakery is hosting -- is the highlight of the summer.  But soon Beacon Harbor runs into a patch of trouble.

A local real estate agent gets pranked.  A parade float gets pelted with water balloons.  It's all laughed off until the stunts start escalating -- and looking more like sabotage.  Asthe event turns into a debacle complete with rampaging goats, Lindsey's sweetheart, a former SEAL, starts investigating.  But the juicy mystery takes a bitter turn when a man -- dressed up as a Viking -- is found dead in a boat, and it's no longer mischief but murder...

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Lindsey Bakewell left a high-stress job on Wall Street to move to Michigan and buy a lighthouse, which she proceeded to turn into a bakery.  The town loves her cooking, and her shop is a success.  She also has a boyfriend in Rory Campbell, an ex-Navy SEAL who is still trying to figure out what he wants to do after leaving the service.  Then there's Wellington, her Newfoundland dog who thinks he's small, and her best friend Kennedy, a media sensation, who's sticking around because she's fallen for one of the cops there.

Everyone in town is getting ready for the Blueberry Festival when Lindsey receives a visit from Betty Van Hoosen, the town's top realtor.  She's upset because she was awakened by car horns and finding 50 realty signs all over her lawn.  Thinking it was just a prank, everyone tells her to laugh it off.  But when the 5K run is also pranked, they start to wonder who's doing this.  Then every event is pranked in one way or another, and soon Lindsey is worried that her blueberry pie-eating contest is going to be sabotaged, too. 

But she has something in store -- the sound of a goat bleating, and the discovery of a dead man in a boat.  Now it looks like murder, and Lindsey and Rory, along with the local police, are out to find a killer...

This is the third book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also enjoyed them all, with each one being better than the first.  Ms. Hannah has created characters that come to life on the page, and with each book we learn a little more about them, and this book is no different.

With the festival taking center stage, everyone is on edge wondering if they're going to be next, but then a local is murdered, and the focus takes a different turn.  It's entertaining watching them try to pick up clues and find out who is responsible; and of course, Kennedy, with a personality all her own, is on board to find clues.  She also does something quite funny that doesn't please Lindsey too much, but still, it's something I find humorous and would never have thought of myself in her situation.  Kudos to Kennedy.

Without giving too much away (I have said very little above that wasn't already in the blurb) I have to say that once the mystery gets going, it's definitely worth the time to read.  There are a lot of questions, and several people that pop up as suspects.  Each one had a motive, and none had a true alibi.

But when the ending comes and the killer is revealed, I found it rather sad; but murder is what it is, and you can't mask it.  There is also a hint of what is going to be in the next book, and I am grateful for that, hoping that we don't have to wait too long to read it.  Highly recommended.

There are also several yummy recipes with blueberries that are at the end of the book, if you want to make them.  I know I'm going to!

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Blueberry-Festival-Bakeshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09KP36B4V/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4765601170

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496731739

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

October 5, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever -- winning the town-wide cookie bake-off.  Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread.  Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition...

Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake-off, and she's not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone's stocking to do it.  Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead -- and covered in crumbs from Lindsey's signature cookie!

Solving a murder was never on Lindsey's wish list.  But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she'll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

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Lindsey Bakewell is finally making money at her bakeshop, and the demands for her tasty goods are growing, especially during the holidays.  When her friends Betty and Felicity show up in her shop, they aren't there for the goodies this time.  Felicity has convinced the town council to have a Christmas cookie bake-off, with a celebrity chef from Chicago to judge the goods.  She's sure she's going to win because of her connection and the fact that she owns the town's year-round Christmas store, but unfortunately, she's up against both Lindsey and the chef from a hotel in town.

Finding out she has stiff competition, Felicity is not happy.  She's blatantly flirting with the judge, who tried doing that with Lindsey also but was rebuffed.  Her actions are noted by the other bakers, and not in a good way.  When Felicity sees the chef flirting with another contestant, she goes ballistic -- but when he doesn't show up for the second half of the competition and is found dead by Lindsey and her boyfriend Rory.  Now, along with Rory and her best friend Kennedy (and a little unexpected help from a few others), Lindsey is once again on the trail of a killer who might be cooking up another murder...

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I loved it just as much as the first.  Lindsey is nearly frantic with all the Christmas cookie orders she's taking, especially since she hasn't found an assistant baker to help her, until an older woman shows up and is just what she needs.  With perfect help in the bakery, she finally has a little free time -- at least until she's off looking for a killer.

I am glad to see that Kennedy is back, as well as Lindsey's parents James and Ellie, (and, of course, their dogs, the models), as these characters bring a liveliness to the series and make it even more worthwhile reading.  Lindsey is smart and business-savvy, and she's just beginning a relationship with her neighbor Rory, which, due to the holidays, is causing a bit of humorous frustration to them (at least for me).  They just can't catch a break.  Kennedy, however, has a secret of her own, and she's enjoying all of it, while the parents are both terrific people and I would love to spend time with them.  Lindsey's lucky in her life, even with her ghostly Captain Willy around, who seems to be guarding her in his own way.  I also enjoy looking forward to 'seeing' more of him in future books.

But the murder has the town on edge with everyone wondering who the killer is and a few of them are speculating that it might even be Felicity, fueled by jealousy.  But did she kill the chef?  And if she didn't, then who is to blame?  The suspects begin to mount, and it brings even more questions as to the reasons why.  When Lindsey and her friends start digging deeper, they find something they weren't expecting, and it leads to a rather interesting climax that has everyone surprised.

When the murderer is revealed it is rather sad, as most of the time it is; but who can say what is in the mind of a killer.  Or what makes them do what they do.  It all came together, wrapped in a nice package that completed the story satisfactorily.

And, of course, it's Christmas.  Where would Christmas be without a little magic?  I saw hints of it at the beginning of the book, and I knew why, although it certainly would take Lindsey a lot longer.  After all, sprinkling holiday cheer is all what Christmas is about.  Joy, family, and friends.  Spreading happiness and love.  And let's not forget that Christmas magic...

I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Christmas-Bake-Off-Bakeshop-Mystery/dp/1496731735/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4285133177

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/