FUDGE & JURY

Book 5 in the Bookshop Mysteries

by Ellie Alexander

Welcome to Torte—a friendly, small-town family bakery where the pastries are delicious…and, now, suspicious.

It’s almost spring in Ashland, Oregon, and the town is preparing for the Shakespeare and the annual Chocolate Festival. Business is cookin’ at Torte, and the store is expanding as Jules’ team whips up crèpes filled with mascarpone cheese and dark chocolate. Torte stands a chance of being this year’s confectionery belle of the ball! Life couldn’t be sweeter—unless murder taints the batter.

Evan Rowe, of Confections Couture, makes a chocolate fountain that would put Willy Wonka to shame, and his truffles are to die for—literally? Yes, the world-renowned chocolatier has just turned up dead…right after sampling a slice of Jules’ decadent four-layer chocolate cake. Now all eyes are on Jules as she tries to find the mysterious ingredient in her own recipe. Can she sift out the truth before another contestant bites the buttercream?

MY REVIEW

Author Ellie Alexander is guilty! Guilty of the crime of writing a brilliant mystery full of sweet chocolaty delights, and bittersweet murder!

Don’t ever say the cover of a book can’t lead you to a wonderful read. When I saw the cover of book one in the Bakeshop Mysteries, MEET YOUR BAKER, in the bookstore, I just had to read the back of it. And of course reading the back of it led to me buying it. Since that first book, I have eaten up each title as fast as they can come out!

FUDGE & JURY (another great cover) finds Jules and the gang at Torte, the bakery, taking part in the annual Chocolate Festival. Let me tell you, the entire time I was reading this story, I wanted chocolate! I could smell the tasty, rich scent with every description. Just writing this review I can smell it in the air. (Dabbing a little drool from the corner of my mouth.)

I always love returning to Ashland, Oregon, and spending time with the cast of characters in this series. With each book I have watched them change and grow as author Alexander continues to give readers more glimpses into their lives. These characters are people I want to be friends with. Heck, I want Jules mother to adopt me! I don’t want to come across all the dead bodies, and danger that they do, but I’d be willing to risk it. J And it brings this review the latest murder in Ashland.

Ellie Alexander set this story up perfectly. She let readers get comfortable with everything and feel like part of the story before bringing in the murderous mayhem. My favorite books are the ones that let the story play out for a while, before the death scene/body discovery. I like reading about the characters, and their daily lives pre-murder, the victim included. The author’s timing was perfect.

As for the mystery of the murderer, Ms. Alexander kept me wide eyed and alert, and looking at every potential suspect convinced that they were the killer. I was even suspicious of a few non-suspects. FUDGE & JURY was an assortment of intrigue, action, and a chocolaty swirl of guessing, that kept me stumped right up until the shocking reveal.

Every time I finish a book in the Bakeshop mystery series, I am breathless, happy, and hungry! FUDGE & JURY left me feeling all that and more.

And of course, there are amazing recipes at the end of the book!

Pick up your copy of 

FUDGE & JURY

today!

And check out the rest of the Bakeshop Mysteries by 

Ellie Alexander!

BOOK ONE               BOOK TWO

BOOK THREE            BOOK FOUR

BOOK FIVE

BOOK SIX

Coming June 27!

Pre-order today!

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