by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Larch Haven, Vermont is made for winter. It’s like an Italian city was transplanted into frigid temperatures. There are frozen canals to skate your way around town, the restaurant is called The Gondolier, the chocolate shop features chocolate gondolas filled with truffles. When Christmas is just around the corner, trees and windows are twinkling with lights, and a baking competition is underway. It seems everything is perfect.

Her friend Dizzy convinces Becca Ransom, a budding chocolatier, that a chocolatier in a baking competition is perfectly normal. The big finale is a showpiece using several techniques so she can have cake scenery and chocolate details. The prize is a write-up in Bake It Right magazine. One of the contestants, Amber, is positive she will win. She’ll make sure of it.

At least until one of the other contestants, Irma, is found dead. She wasn’t well-liked, not liked at all really, by the other contestants or anyone who knew her. Irma liked to hoard secrets about people. It didn’t matter if the secret was big or small, true or misconstrued, Irma kept them all.

When the murder weapon is found to be Becca’s chocolate chipper, she’s determined to prove her innocence. Despite dating one of the detectives, Becca feels she must be involved. In the meantime, the competition goes on. Was Irma murdered over the competition, the secrets, or her general unpleasant self?

This is book two in the series. Six Sweets Under was the first but they can be read out of order. There are a number of characters to remember—Becca’s friends, other contestants, employees of the chocolate shop, her family, boyfriend, the cats…and plenty of motives to be found with an equally long list of suspects.

Recipes included are for candy cane truffles and almond creams. Just reading the ingredients will leave you drooling.

To enter to win a copy of Baking Spirits Bright, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “bright” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 4, 2023. U.S. and Canadian 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.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here.

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.