Annie Murray's festive plans at the Secret Bookcase are thrown into disarray when a celebrity baker drops dead during a gingerbread-baking competition...
As whispers of foul play swirl like snowflakes, Annie soon finds herself tangled in a web of secrets, small-town rivalry, and long-buried mysteries.
With pub-owner and new love Liam by her side and the help of her loyal bookstore colleagues, Annie sets out to solve Redwood Grove’s latest murder mystery. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers that the baking community isn’t as sweet as it seems…
Can Annie unwrap the truth before the killer strikes again? Or will this be one Christmas she won't live to remember?
Ellie Alexander is one of my auto-read/buys, but I have not read the previous 3 books in this series.
For this mystery, you can read this as a standalone. However, when Annie speaks of her friend Scarlet as well as her relationship with Liam, things begin to get a little muddy. Not much as the author is very good about giving enough information, but I believe a reader who begins at the beginning wouldn’t have any confusion.
One reason why I hadn’t started this series was that I had heard the mysteries are wrapped up quickly, with no actual chase. Normally I do not like the amateur to put themselves in harm’s way, but I also want to see the journey. In this case, the parts about Scarlet seemed to be the journey, whereas Lily’s murder felt like snapshots. One minute she’s there, and the next Annie is finding her deceased. I would have liked more. More about Lily and Becca, more about celebrity baking, and the fact that recipes are not protected.
Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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