Title: Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop
Author: Darci Hannah
Series: A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery #1
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Pages: 280
Book Source: Netgalley
“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’d 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 Jeffrey Plank and his girlfriend Mia Long 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 …” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
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I am so excited to share the first book in A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series with you! It truly was a pleasure reading Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah.
I rarely laugh at cozy mysteries and when people say in their reviews that they couldn’t stop laughing, I wonder if I really am that jaded from reading so many thrillers and horror books. While I wasn’t LOLing at Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop, I was amused by some of the dialogue and scenes, which for me is basically rolling on the floor with laughter.
Then having the location be in Michigan with a possibly haunted lighthouse on the shores that now houses a bakery with renovated living quarters, which would be a dream living spot for me, is a great choice. Add in a BFF who is an influencer for clothes and skin care, who also has a British accent and is super feisty with a heart of gold, a hunky next door neighbor that loves animals, a young cop that is very easy on the eyes, and a town of caring folks that really want your business to succeed, and you have a recipe for a great cozy.
Oh, and speaking of cooking cozies, this one is spot on. The food descriptions are delectable and the recipes at the end all sound soooo good. I may not make the donuts, because I’m lazy like that, but the omelet and cookies are ones that I really would like to make.
Then there’s the animals in the cozy! For most of the book it’s the big, loving Wellington, aka Welly, for short. Who is loyal and loves food, including fresh lake fish. Towards the end we also get to meet two little dogs, Brinkley and Ireland, who are adorbs. And the way Brinkley and Ireland come to be in the story is touching, and they along with two other people will add even more fun and depth to future books.
And…. And! I recently put this in a review that I was hoping a cozy mystery would have the killer be this type of person, but I figured it wouldn’t be done. Well, Darci Hannah, you did it, and now you have a fangirl for life.
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