Book 119, 2023

[chez_jae]

Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice by Addison Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Once again, I began reading something late one night and finished it the next day. This time it was Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice by Addison Moore. It's the 3rd in her "Murder in the Mix" series of cozy mysteries, featuring baker Lottie Lemon.

Lottie is busy running her new bakery, enjoying her new relationship with Detective Noah Fox, and gearing up for the Thanksgiving rush. She doesn't need to see another ghost, which for her is always a bad omen. This time she's seeing a ghost who looks all too much like her friend, Everett Baxter. Terrified that Everett may be in danger, Lottie tries to keep an eye on him as best she can. While attending an awards ceremony that Lottie catered, one of the attendees drops dead from poison. Suspicion initially falls on Lottie, but she and her bakery are quickly exonerated. Afterward, Everett becomes the primary suspect. Lottie knows he didn't kill Collette, and she sets out to prove it, much to Noah's chagrin.

Laugh out loud funny! Lottie gets into the most absurd situations (a fetish club and nude aquarobics, just to name a couple) making it difficult to set this aside. I needed to see what mischief she would get into next! There were plenty of suspects in this one, as Collette had few friends but plenty of enemies. The plot skewed heavily to the investigation side, although we did see Lottie at work in the bakery and relaxing with Noah.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Pancake Lemon, I am going to gift you a middle name, so I can scold you properly."
♦ "It's like Halloween jumps straight to Christmas--and, oh yeah, let's eat a turkey in November to strategize our Black Friday plans."
♦ Noah has the body of a football player, and he's chosen to cover it with the suit of a well-dressed mobster. Just having him in the bakery has caused every ovary in the vicinity to pop.
♦ A good baker understands that the sharpest weapon in her arsenal is a cookie.
♦ "I'm pretty sure this is what PE in hell looks like."
♦ She gives her graying curls a quick scratch--the ones on her head. Sadly, this type of occasion does call for clarification.
♦ "Here she comes. What should I say?" // "Ask if she's the killer, and if she says no, we can leave."

Hilarious hijinks! Five stars!