by Cynthia Chow & Sandra Murphy

This week we are reviewing 4 delicious food mysteries for your Easter feast–Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel by Jennifer J. Chow, A Smoking Bun: A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander, A Pie to Die For: A Lucky Pie Mystery by Gretchen Rue, and Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 4 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel by Jennifer J. Chow
Review by Cynthia Chow

Felicity Jin is both excited and a little nervous to have finally inherited her matrilineal gift of baking joy into the tasty treats that come out of her oven. The third-generation Chinese American runs their family’s Gold Bakery in Pixie, California along with her mother, who carefully bakes her own special pineapple buns and egg tarts. What is unexpected is when Felicity begins to write out fortunes for her cookies that begin to come true, especially when her benevolent predictions turn dark and one seems to foretell a man’s death. Known as the Fortune Cookie King, Charlie Gong’s death opens up a business opportunity for Felicity that unfortunately also gives her a motive for his murder. Detective Rylan Sun isn’t shy about her suspicion of Felicity, but Felicity is not about to let a chance to keep Gold Bakery prosperous. So that means that she will push herself to the limit to create hand-crafted, very tasty fortune cookies for Fresno’s Foo Fusion restaurant even though it could make her an enemy of Gong’s Smiley Fortune’s struggling business partners. When not writing up a suspect list that includes business owners and a woman poisoned by the Fortune Cookie King’s questionable treats, Felicity deals with the inability to control her gifts.

This first in a brand-new series by author Jennifer J. Chow is essentially two different mysteries and both are equally compelling. The first is the question of who is responsible for the murder of the Fortune Cookie King, while the second follows Felicity’s quest to explore her inherited gifts and how she can control them. Her very protective mother wants Felicity to keep her head down and not cause trouble, but her best friend Kevin and godmother Alma support her efforts to perfect her talents while solving a murder. Perhaps aiding her the most is an adorable white bunny who seems to embody the Moon rabbit legend honoring sacrifice, and the found rabbit she names Whiskers magically provides hints on the secrets of Felicity’s gifts.

The setting is unique as it takes place in Pixie, a mostly white small town near Fresno and its artist-filled Tower District. Readers will immediately feel drawn into Felicity’s insecurity about her talent and be rooting for her to become confident and in charge of her fate. This is an intriguing debut that blends a strong mystery with a touch of the paranormal, and it leaves readers wanting to see how Felicity and the rest of Pixie succeed in their community. As someone who is a third-generation Chinese American on one side and with generations of family from Fresno on the other, I found so much to relate to and adore about this series and it’s definitely going to be one of my favorites. This charming, very well-written novel will appeal to all readers though, as it quickly develops an array of entertaining and very engaging characters. Fortune cookies have never been depicted with so much nuance and love, with Felicity introducing specialty ube and pandan-flavored cookies along with her traditional quality treats. This is another outstanding read from an increasingly popular author.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Editor’s Note: Jennifer will be doing a book event in the Fresno, CA area along with Lorie Lewis Ham in June. More info to come!

A Smoking Bun: A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander
Review by Cynthia Chow

As Ashland, Oregon closes out the holidays and begins the new year, the tourist-attracting town celebrates with their annual Downhill Dummy competition. Contestants craft creatively dressed-up dummies and send them down ski jumps on decorated sleds, with the hurtling entries giving their creators bragging rights for the year. Torte Bakeshop owner Jules Capshaw Montague is herself eagerly anticipating a visit by the family of her husband’s son, who are traveling all the way from their home in Spain. Jules adores young Ramiro, and she finds the entire Torres family to be equally charming and supportive of his bond with Jules and his birth father. While taking Ramiro and his Torres relatives on a midnight snowshoe trip up Mount Ashland, they encounter a reckless ski guide who endangers the women he’s hosting. Jules’s own guide Hero and her bakeshop friend Shawn each have angry confrontations with the arrogant Fitz Baskin, so when he is killed during a dummy ski jump suspicion falls on them as likely culprits. A witness’s accusation against Shawn forces Jules’s police detective stepfather to take the young man in, which sets the bakeshop staff off on an investigation to clear him and hopefully find the true culprit.

Food is the language of love for Jules and her husband Carlos, which is why she retreats into the kitchen as she contemplates the many suspects who battled with the aggressive ski guide. She and Carlos first met and fell in love while cooking on a cruise ship, so of course she uses the preparation of food to calm her as she plans how they can solve a murder. Jules doesn’t trust the reasons why Fitz’s clients were on the mountain, and the trail of clues leads back to the mountain lodge’s owners and plans for a possible sale. Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival being on a holiday break means that its director Lance Rosseau has plenty of time to lend his dramatic assistance when not planning a one-man show, and Jules’s own bakeshop family are similarly ready to lend their coffee and flour-covered hands.

This is the 18th of the series, and this latest installment comfortably welcomes readers into the genial, Shakespearean-centric town. The focus on Shakespeare celebrations actually takes a sideline as it instead features its appeal as a skiing and snow sports destination site, welcoming in tourists with hot chocolate treats and exciting, if chilly, adventures. The introduction of the Torres family is a delight, and they are immediately embraced by Jules, her mother, and their entire Torte family.

Not only are there recipes included in the back of the book, but the elaborate descriptions of Jules and her team in the kitchen will be enough to have mouths watering. The relationships between the Ashland residents continue to develop and plotlines from the earliest books of the series still follow through, making the setting feel authentic and very much as if it were a real, evolving community. This entertaining cozy mystery will have readers wanting to huddle up near a warm fire with the snowy adventures that allow winter to be celebrated throughout the year.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

A Pie to Die For: A Lucky Pie Mystery by Gretchen Rue
Review by Cynthia Chow

When November descends on Northern Michigan’s Split Pine Island, the town shuts down as tourists flee until the next spring and locals brace themselves for the freezing winter and possible power outages. Lucky Pie Diner owner Este March is bracing for their busiest day as the tourist season closes while also awaiting the last day of produce supplies to be shipped to their isolated island. She has the unexpected surprise of a new delivery man who not only fails to bring the promised strawberries, what produce he does have he sells at nearly twice their previous costs. Este doesn’t have much of a choice if she wants to stay in business, especially since she and her maternal relatives are gifted with the ability to selectively add a magical element of luck into certain pies they bake for those they deem that need it.

Este wasn’t the only one to have been unhappy with Jeff Kelly’s business practices, but when he is found on his boat dead while clutching a Lucky Pie Diner invoice she becomes the primary suspect. It doesn’t help when the owner of a local hotel not only threatens to buy out some of her family property, his daughter – who charmingly used to call Este “Little Miss Grease Trap” all through high school – blatantly accuses Este of being a murderer. Sheriff Tom Cunningham, her best friend’s brother and someone who could definitely mean more to Este in the future, continues to prod her on the truth about her pies and her magical talents. Este loves her island town where the tradition is to elect a dog for a mayor and its 500 residents are always in each other’s business, so to keep the Lucky Pie Diner running and clear her reputation she will have to track down Jeff Kelly’s enemies and find herself a killer. If only the luck she bakes into the pies could work on herself!

This first in the series is definitely a mystery, but it is even more a literary novel devoted to the love of cooking and feeding others. While Este and her family have a legacy of baking lucky pies (although usually just one a day), there is very little actual depiction of how the magic plays out. And while it’s easy to see why the luck the consumers receive could be simply written off as coincidental, the deliciousness and care baked into each pie is undeniable. This novel rivals those of Diane Mott Davidson in overwhelming readers’ senses with the tantalizing details of every ingredient being lovingly incorporated into the pies and diner meals. I found myself re-reading passages of these scenes, reveling in the writing that is as detailed as a recipe but with the added ingredient of descriptions that awaken the imagination. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the woman who creates these pies, and Este quickly emerges as a very likable, fun, and engaging lead character. Foodies will adore this novel that of course includes recipes in the end, and mystery fans will fall in love with Split Pine Island and its engaging baking heroine.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Review by Sandra Murphy

Emily and Brent are due to be married within weeks. Her mother and father are in town for the occasion, the dress is chosen, and guests are invited. Before they can get to that, it’s time for the Arts Festival. Each day, groups of touring acts visit local businesses, perform, and move along to the next venue. Each evening, there’s a full performance and everyone votes for the best act. It’s a fun time except there’s a bagpiper who keeps showing up during performances to play a screeching tune to ruin the performing act. He also plays late at night. He is not popular.

When he’s found dead, people are sorry his death happened but not sorry that they won’t hear the bagpipes again. Emily is distressed to find the body and find a piece of a broken coffee cup with the Deputy Donut logo on it next to the body.

Although Brent is a police detective, people tend to talk to Emily and she’s able to gather information through their conversations. Each clue, rather than clearing up the murder, brings more confusion as Emily, her parents, another business owner, and a contestant are under suspicion. Will she be able to get the killer to say ‘I did’ before she has to say ‘I do’?

This is book eight in the popular series. Emily and her cat, the Deputy at Deputy Donut, are a hard working pair. The side characters of Tom, her former father-in-law, his wife, Cindy, and the employees add to the small-town atmosphere. Emily doesn’t take risks but sometimes finds herself on the receiving end of one.

Be warned, have donuts and a good rich coffee close at hand when you settle down to read this book. Emily dishes both at the shop and will have you drooling with her descriptions of the daily flavors. Store bought or homemade, either will work. To help you along, recipes for double fudge donuts and the frosting they use, and for lemon curd long johns are included at the back of the book.

You can click here to purchase this book.

To enter to win a copy of all 4 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Easter feast” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 30, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.