chez_jae | Entries tagged with series: beacon bakeshop

Murder at the Blarney Bash (Beacon Bakeshop, #5)

Murder at the Blarney Bash by Darci Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Last night I completed the book Murder at the Blarney Bash by Darci Hannah. This is the fifth in the “Beacon Bakeshop” cozy mystery series. The main character is baker Lindsey Bakewell.

As St Patrick’s Day approaches, Lindsey is busy creating an amazing array of themed goodies for her business, the Beacon Bakeshop. She’s also making items for the grand opening of a new, Irish-themed shop in town, owned by her boyfriend’s uncle, Finnigan O’Connor. Finn and his daughter, Colleen, have recently moved to Beacon Harbor from Ireland. Lindsey and many of the locals are bemused by Finn’s tall tales, but when he claims to have tracked a leprechaun and found his pot of gold, things take a turn for the bizarre. Lindsey herself swears she saw a leprechaun in town, and an employee at the Village Hall claims it was a leprechaun that attacked one of her co-workers. When the leprechaun himself is found murdered, Finn becomes a prime suspect. Not helping matters is the fact that he refuses to reveal where he found the gold, nor where he’s stashed it for safekeeping. Soon Lindsey and Rory are on the case, trying to create a timeline of the leprechaun’s movements, not only to discover who he was and what he was doing in town, but also to prove that Finnigan didn’t kill him.

This was very appropriate for the season, what with leprechauns and pots of gold, etc. The plot moved quickly and held my attention. In fact, I even dreamed about this book one night as I sought to make sense of it in my sleep. LOL! Characterizations were superb, and the baked goodies were making me drool. Nothing much made sense until the end, but it all came together neatly.

Favorite lines:
♦ Blood and glitter were definitely not a good mix. It was highly disturbing and looked utterly surreal.
♦ From now on Betty’s green Jell-O salad ought to be an Irish tradition.
♦ “The last one took him for all he was worth, the hoor.”
♦ “In the immortal words of Mr T, I pity the fool.”
♦ “They say that extreme wealth warps one’s sense of reality, but how warped do you have to be to go around clubbing the fairy folk?”
♦ “My night has been a bloody hellscape of leprechaun-driven lunacy!”

Alas, we also had the ‘didn’t realize I was holding my breath’ line: I exhaled, not realizing I’d been holding my breath.

Compelling and enchanting—five stars!

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "To Be Alone" ~ Hozier

Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant (Beacon Bakeshop, #4)

Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I stayed up a little bit late last night to finish reading Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah. This is the 4th in her "Beacon Bakeshop" mystery series, featuring the owner/operator of the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey Bakewell.

The town of Beacon Harbor is getting ready for Halloween, and this year one of the events is the Pumpkin Pageant--a parade/costume contest for people and their pets. Since Lindsey's mother, former supermodel Ellie Montgomery, is hosting the Pumpkin Pageant, Lindsey and her cohorts dress up as pirates. She even puts a pirate hat on Wellington, her Newfoundland. In addition to participating in the pageant, Lindsey is busy at her bakeshop, creating sweet, seasonal treats for her customers. She's kept her decor more Autumn-themed than Halloween-themed which has prompted some of the local teens to prank her by hanging various ghoulish characters in the oak tree outside the lighthouse. As if she wasn't busy enough, Lindsey's BFF, social influencer Kennedy, has arranged for a live-streamed ghost hunt at the lighthouse on Halloween night. It all ends in disaster when Kennedy and the crew of Ghost Guys get spooked and run outside, only for Kennedy to run into a body hanging in Lindsey's oak tree--an actual, dead body. Lindsey is horrified, making her determined to find out who murdered the victim and why the body was left almost literally on her doorstep. With the help of her friends, Lindsey closes in on a killer, but the killer is closing in on her, too.

This was fast-paced, gripping, and creepy. And delicious. Hah! Seriously, who wouldn't want to try some of those baked goods? Lindsey has a knack of getting people to talk to her, while customers tend to impart tidbits of gossip and information. Characters were three dimensional, and I enjoy reconnecting with familiar ones as well as with their pets. The mystery/main plot was interwoven with plenty of humor and romance, as well as a touch of angst.

Favorite lines:
♦ I loved fall. I truly did.
♦ "What's not to love about a couple of guys with a lot of ghost tech poking through an old, spooky building in the dead of night?"
♦ "Is it just me, or are you having a bad Harry Potter flashback as well?"
♦ She stomped a fluffy bunny slipper to make her point. The trouble was, it was a fluffy bunny slipper.
♦ "People have been primping up poodles since the invention of poodles."
♦ "I survived Stink Pickle Creek and the Grim Reaper."
♦ She reminded me of a middle-aged superhero preparing to face an insurmountable task, like trying to figure out what baked good to order today."

Entertaining and perfect for the season. Five stars.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Blackhawks at Jets

Murder at the Blueberry Festival (Beacon Bakeshop, #3)

Murder at the Blueberry Festival by Darci Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished Murder at the Blueberry Festival on Wednesday night. It's the third part of Darci Hannah's "Beacon Bakeshop" cozy mystery series. The main character is Lindsey Bakewell.

The town of Beacon Harbor is gearing up for its annual Blueberry Festival. Lindsey is busy baking blueberry everything: pies, muffins, buckle, etc. She has agreed to host the blueberry pie eating contest and supply the pies, while her boyfriend, Rory, will be in charge of the 5K run. Even Lindsey's mother, former model Ellie Montague Bakewell, is hosting a fashion show that Lindsey's BFF, Kennedy, is involved in. Things are going well until the pranks begin. It starts out with a local realtor getting pranked, but the shenanigans escalate to the point that some of the activities are ruined. As everyone scrambles to figure out who's behind the chicanery, Lindsey and Rory find a dead man in a boat, dressed in full Viking regalia. Lindsey is convinced the pranks and the murder are related, but not everyone agrees. It will be up to Lindsey and Rory to determine who had a motive to kill old Lars and ruin the festival.

I did enjoy this book, but I soured on the pranks. The first one was harmless fun, but subsequent pranks ruined a lot of hard work by a lot of people. It was no longer funny at that point, in my opinion. Plot progression was smooth, and the characters were three-dimensional. I appreciated that Lindsey was occupied with other things than simply investigating, and some of the food being prepared had me drooling. LOL!

Favorite lines:
♦ There is something charming and nostalgic about a small-town parade.
♦ "First rule of chicanery, never confess to the deed."
♦ "What exactly is a glory hole?" *titters inappropriately*

Solid four stars

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: "Familiar Taste of Poison" ~ Haelstorm

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (Beacon Bakeshop, #2)

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the wee hours of Christmas morning, I finished reading Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah. This is the second in her "Beacon Bakeshop" cozy mystery series, starring Lindsey Bakewell.

Lindsey is baking up a storm in a frantic effort to get ready for the holidays. She has several employees, but she desperately needs an assistant baker. When Carol Nichols shows up, looking like the incarnation of Mrs Santa Claus, Lindsey hires her on the spot. With the able help of Mrs Nichols, Lindsey is making headway, until fellow shop owner Felicity Stewart arranges for a Christmas cookie bake-off in Beacon Harbor. Now Lindsey has to come up with a signature cookie to represent her bake shop, and several other shop owners in town ask her to bake their own signature cookies. Lindsey is back to being overwhelmed, but she's not about to turn away business. When her parents and BFF arrive in town, they pitch in to help. Not every arrival is a good one, however. Chevy Chambers, the big shot food critic, has been tabbed to judge the bake-off, and he quickly sows seeds of discord all over town. It's no surprise when he's found, bludgeoned to death under the mistletoe. The question isn't who had motive to kill him, but rather, who didn't.

This was a delightful story. I love the characters, including the various pets, and all the baked goods sounded divine. The plot moved along at a steady, sensible pace, and it wasn't entirely consumed with Lindsey's amateur investigation. There were eye-popping twists and several red herrings to keep things interesting.

Favorite lines:
♦ It was eight thirty p.m., the bedtime hour of the elderly and bakers.
♦ Sergeant Murdock, realizing that she was in the middle of a lady-squabble and not a Christmastime shenanigan, looked troubled.
♦ "The guy has some nerve getting killed under my mistletoe."
♦ I suddenly lost my appetite for cookie bake-off justice.
♦ Aside from nearly being clubbed on the head by a rolling pin, my evening was going rather well.

Fun, festive, and perfect for the season. Five stars.

Current Mood: good
Current Music: "What Child Is This?" ~ Celtic Woman

Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop (Beacon Bakeshop, #1)

Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Before lunch today, I finished reading Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah. It's the first in the author's "Beacon Bakeshop" mystery series. Main character is Lindsey Bakewell.

After catching her fiance cheating on her, NY financier Lindsey turns her back on her career in the big city to pursue her dream of owning a bakery. She purchases a dilapidated lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, ME and renovates it into a bakery and her new home. Lindsey is excited for her upcoming opening day, and even more pleased when her BFF Kennedy comes to town. Kennedy, a successful social media influencer, has already done a media blitz for Lindsey's shop. Not everyone is happy, however. The local preservation society crashes Lindsey's opening, causing a scene. The situation goes from bad to worse when her ex-fiance and his new tart show up as well and begin trashing the place. When Mia chokes on a donut and dies and it's later learned she was poisoned, Lindsey becomes the prime suspect in the eyes of the local police. Not willing to sit back, Lindsey begins her own investigation, along with Kennedy's help. It's up to Lindsey to prove her innocence and save her dream before it becomes a nightmare.

This was a lovely story, despite it following the cookie-cutter plot of far too many cozy mystery "first in series". Characters were fully realized, even the obnoxious Jeffery. The plot was fast paced and made sense. Lindsey didn't spend the entirety of the book investigating. She socialized with friends, cooked and baked, and went on a date or two. I enjoyed her dog, a big ol' Newfoundland, and the setting was marvelous.

What I didn't like ( Spoilers )

Favorite lines:
♦ This was the village idiot. He had to be. There was no other explanation for it.
♦ "Town downer and proverbial turd in the punch bowl."

Very good read, four stars.

( Trope Test )

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: Live Coverage: Tracking Lee