Title: Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off
Author: Darci Hannah
Series: The Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries #2
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Pages: 304
Book Source: Netgalley
“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.” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is another great cozy in the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries by Darci Hannah! As I mentioned for book one, Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop, what makes this series so good is the detailed descriptions of the lighthouse, town, and food and the well developed characters who quickly become like friends.
The location is in Michigan with a haunted lighthouse on the shores that now houses a bakery with renovated living quarters, which would be a dream house for me. 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 parents that really want your business to succeed, and you have a recipe for a fantastic cozy.
Not only does the reader get all that but adorable dogs, Welly, Brinkley, and Ireland, along with soooo many great food and baking scenes. With some cooking cozies the food seems to be an afterthought or a marketing ploy, but not in this series. The story is infused with the cooking and baking, and Hannah includes all the contestants special cookie recipes at the end. And there are even more at her website: https://www.darcihannah.com/
Besides having the resident lighthouse ghost, we get a bit more magical fantasy in book two with the new assistant baker. Hannah was able to combine this bit of fantasy so well into the story that it gives all the magical feels that a child has on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to visit.
I highly recommend the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries and can’t wait to see what Hannah comes up with in book three.
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