A Tale of Two Cookies - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book on my TBR pile. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but sadly, got behind. A Tale of Two Cookies by Eve Calder is the third book in the Cookie House Mystery series.

Blurb:

Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts—especially her cookies—life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.

But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.

As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.

2019 - A Look Back

I'm excited to enter 2020 as I reminisce about the year 2019. I enjoyed welcoming new authors to the blog and renewing acquaintances with others. I discovered many new series and continued savoring many others. While the number of books I loved is too daunting to list...and I cannot commit to naming my top ten as there are too many variables to consider, I thought I'd at least make note of some favorites.

I was delighted to start several new series in 2019. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry, A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman,  Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard, And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder, The House on Hallowed Ground by Nancy Cole Silverman, and Death by Committee by Alexis Morgan were real standouts!

I also really enjoyed Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young, Steeped in Murder by Kirsten Weiss, Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson, Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert, Murder's No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher, and Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton.

Of course I couldn't wait for new books in series I already loved and was thrilled to read 3 books in Carolyn Haines' Pluto's Snitch Mystery series. I had only recently discovered this fantastic Gothic paranormal mystery series and caught up. The most recent book is A Visitation of Angels, which was the only one actually published in 2019. I was also excited to read the second Rose Gallagher Mystery by Erin Lindsey, A Golden Grave, another historical mystery with a paranormal bent. Speaking of historical mysteries, The Pearl Dagger by L.A Chandlar, Deadly Deception by Kate Parker, and both of Peg Cochran's follow ups in her Murder, She Reported series, Murder, She Uncovered and Murder, She Encountered were top notch.

Gigi Pandian's latest Jaya Jones mystery, The Glass Thief, made me giddy at the ending and Vivien Chien gave two new Noodle Shop mysteries leaving me constantly craving Chinese food. Two Barnabas Tew novels had me laughing at the bumbling Victorian detectives as they dealt with Mayan and Hindu gods. Sarah Fox gave another standout with her fifth Pancake House Mystery, Crepe Expectations and Lena Gregory's fourth Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Spirited Away, had me on the edge of my seat.

I look forward to jumping into the new releases of 2020 as well as books I may have missed!

And Then There Were Crumbs - A Review

Review

AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS by Eve Calder

The First Cookie House Mystery

Kate McGuire lost her job, her apartment, and her fiance all in one day. Leaving Manhattan behind the pastry chef has arrived in Coral Cay, Florida to start fresh. It seemed like a good idea, but with her car on its last legs, money running out, and no job in sight Kate's getting desperate. So desperate that she agrees to take a job manning the counter of a bakery that doesn't sell sweets-and she's not allowed to bake, merely man the front counter, at less than minimum wage. But when a greedy developer winds up dead and her new boss is accused of the murder Kate knows the gruff old man can't be guilty. Joined by a new group of friends Kate is determined to prove his innocence while keeping The Cookie House running and ready for his return.

The Cookie House Mystery series is off to a great start with AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS. A likeable protagonist, an adorable dog, and a welcoming florist team up to save a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. I love how the whole town gets behind Kate and do whatever they can to help Sam. Everyone wanted to kill the victim, everyone agrees the world, and Coral Cay in particular, is probably better off without him, and everyone agrees that Sam wouldn't do it, especially not in the manner it was done.

Oliver is an absolute charmer while Maxi is a terrific side kick/mother figure/friend. She's resilient and funny with a heart as big as Cuba! Although autumn in the mid-east is my perfect habitat, I wouldn't mind spending time on this Florida island, even in summer...as long as I could have a hunk of sourdough and a specially divined cookie from Kate.

Endearing characters, a close knit community, and an intricate mystery make AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS a delectable start to a new series.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder. This book is the first in the Cookie House Mystery series and was released last month.

Kate McGuire lost her job, her apartment, and her fiance all in one day. Leaving Manhattan behind the pastry chef has arrived in Coral Cay, Florida to start fresh. It seemed like a good idea, but with her car on its last legs, money running out, and no job in sight Kate's getting desperate. So desperate that she agrees to take a job manning the counter of a bakery that doesn't sell sweets-and she's not allowed to bake, merely man the front counter, at less than minimum wage. But when a greedy developer winds up dead and her new boss is accused of the murder Kate knows the gruff old man can't be guilty. Joined by a new group of friends Kate is determined to prove his innocence while keeping The Cookie House running and ready for his return.