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kimdavishb's review
5.0
SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS, the first book in the brand new Deputy Donut Mystery series by Ginger Bolton is a great addition to the culinary cozy world! There’s a certain satisfaction from starting a brand new series: new characters to become friends with, new locations to become acquainted with, and new foods to be introduced to. Ms. Bolton has created a very likeable and sympathetic protagonist in Emily Westhill. She is caring, ready to help out those in need, but is also quite plucky. A young widow, she works alongside and co-owns the Deputy Donut shop with her father-in-law. I love their easy, loving relationship with each other despite their grief over their tragic loss. The donut shop is adorable and the perfect place for the town’s police force to hang out, including Emily’s best friend, Officer Misty. It’s also the perfect meeting spot for the Knitpickers, a group of elderly knitting women. When one of the ladies in the group, Georgia, doesn’t show up, it doesn’t take long for Emily to get involved and assist the group in finding out what happened to their friend.
The mystery of the murder of kindly Georgia, who operated a doll hospital, is quite worrisome to the town, especially after another elderly woman in the Knitpicker group is attacked. The author provides a creative plot that ties in a cold-case murder involving Georgia’s son and the death of Emily’s husband. While getting involved means dredging up painful memories for Emily, she is determined to help solve the case and bring closure… not only for herself but for her elderly friends. There are plenty of viable suspects and the author provides an exciting, suspenseful finale where Emily shows her resourcefulness in bringing the murderer to justice.
There are plenty of mentions of mouth-watering donuts and fritters in the story. It was almost enough to make me head down to a local donut shop and stock up. Fortunately Ms. Bolton includes several yummy recipes at the back of the book, which I can't wait to try!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The mystery of the murder of kindly Georgia, who operated a doll hospital, is quite worrisome to the town, especially after another elderly woman in the Knitpicker group is attacked. The author provides a creative plot that ties in a cold-case murder involving Georgia’s son and the death of Emily’s husband. While getting involved means dredging up painful memories for Emily, she is determined to help solve the case and bring closure… not only for herself but for her elderly friends. There are plenty of viable suspects and the author provides an exciting, suspenseful finale where Emily shows her resourcefulness in bringing the murderer to justice.
There are plenty of mentions of mouth-watering donuts and fritters in the story. It was almost enough to make me head down to a local donut shop and stock up. Fortunately Ms. Bolton includes several yummy recipes at the back of the book, which I can't wait to try!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
ewil6681's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katreader's review
4.0
SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS by Ginger Bolton
The First Deputy Donut Mystery
Everyone in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin loves Emily Westhill's donuts so after leaving her job as a police dispatcher she, along with her father-in-law, the former Chief of Police, opens Deputy Donuts, a donut and coffee shop. Concerned when a regular customer fails to appear, Emily joins her friends to check in on her. They find the elderly patron home, murdered. Who could have killed her? Did it have something to do with the death of her son five years earlier? And what about her old friend who just returned to town. She certainly has secrets. Emily must look to the past or else lose her own future!
Ginger Bolton has an ingenious idea for the setting of this new series. It is set in a donut shop, and not just any donut shop, but one owned by the former Chief of Police and a former police dispatcher, who also happens to be the widow of a police detective. What a way to gain police presence and loosen lips!
Multiple threads run through this first Deputy Donut Mystery, including a prior murder, old relationships, new friendships, and more, but they are skillfully woven to a satisfying conclusion.
I like the camaraderie of the characters. As a former police officer, I understand the ties that bind all manner of first responders, of which there are many in this book. The author understands and capitalizes on this.
With plenty of humor, an intelligent protagonist, a cute cat, and plenty of donuts, SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS is an engaging start to a new series.
The First Deputy Donut Mystery
Everyone in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin loves Emily Westhill's donuts so after leaving her job as a police dispatcher she, along with her father-in-law, the former Chief of Police, opens Deputy Donuts, a donut and coffee shop. Concerned when a regular customer fails to appear, Emily joins her friends to check in on her. They find the elderly patron home, murdered. Who could have killed her? Did it have something to do with the death of her son five years earlier? And what about her old friend who just returned to town. She certainly has secrets. Emily must look to the past or else lose her own future!
Ginger Bolton has an ingenious idea for the setting of this new series. It is set in a donut shop, and not just any donut shop, but one owned by the former Chief of Police and a former police dispatcher, who also happens to be the widow of a police detective. What a way to gain police presence and loosen lips!
Multiple threads run through this first Deputy Donut Mystery, including a prior murder, old relationships, new friendships, and more, but they are skillfully woven to a satisfying conclusion.
I like the camaraderie of the characters. As a former police officer, I understand the ties that bind all manner of first responders, of which there are many in this book. The author understands and capitalizes on this.
With plenty of humor, an intelligent protagonist, a cute cat, and plenty of donuts, SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS is an engaging start to a new series.
desro23's review
4.0
Super cute. Love that I ACTUALLY had no idea of who was the murderer until the main character, Emily, figured it out. Also love that she’s a cat lady, like me, and the little mini conversations she has with Deputy.
Brent is my favorite character. You can tell he cares a lot about Emily.
Brent is my favorite character. You can tell he cares a lot about Emily.
hugbandit7's review
3.0
Who doesn't love a good donut?! Well maybe someone with a gluten intolerance, but that aside many of us have a fond memory or two of having a warm donut with friends or family. Well, that is what Emily has created with her Father-in-Law - a donut shop that everyone loves to frequent. And yes it is true, the police in this town do love their donuts.
The mystery of who killed Georgia is quite involved and goes back many years. The clues that eventually lead us to the killer are not easy to decipher and lead the reader down various paths until the truth is revealed. I do think that Emily was too focused on a few potential suspects and may have put herself in harm's way unnecessarily. But then this would not be a cozy mystery if the protagonist did not pull crazy stunts.
To round out the story there is a potential budding romance between Emily and Brent. Brent was her deceased husband's partner on the police force and I think it took a lot for Brent to seem Emily in a potential romantic light. They definitely have some chemistry, so it will be interesting to see how that progresses.
We give this 3 paws. It is a great start to a new series, characters need a little more development but that will come with more books. I read the sneak peek for book two and it intrigues me already!
The mystery of who killed Georgia is quite involved and goes back many years. The clues that eventually lead us to the killer are not easy to decipher and lead the reader down various paths until the truth is revealed. I do think that Emily was too focused on a few potential suspects and may have put herself in harm's way unnecessarily. But then this would not be a cozy mystery if the protagonist did not pull crazy stunts.
To round out the story there is a potential budding romance between Emily and Brent. Brent was her deceased husband's partner on the police force and I think it took a lot for Brent to seem Emily in a potential romantic light. They definitely have some chemistry, so it will be interesting to see how that progresses.
We give this 3 paws. It is a great start to a new series, characters need a little more development but that will come with more books. I read the sneak peek for book two and it intrigues me already!
bethanyread's review
4.0
I liked the book. Light mystery. Main character is a very young widow still living in the town she grew up in so she knows everyone. Nice story line, nice characters.
favouritepages's review
4.0
I really enjoyed Survival of the Fritters. Our main character and amateur sleuther gets drawn into the mystery surrounding the murder of her friend and a regular customer in her store when she doesn't show up for her daily morning knitting circle. Our MC, Emily, and the knitting group go to her house to check on her and find her dead. Emily is determined to help find the killer to clear her neighbor’s nephew of suspicion.
This had all the great cozy mystery elements. Including a cat called Deputy! Our main character and amateur sleuther was still getting over the loss of her husband in the line of duty. She has to team up with his best friend and former partner to try and solve this crime. But, in her terrible grief, she had pushed him away, so she feels quite awkward. I love seeing her start to open up and rekindle their friendship throughout this story.
The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing to the very end. I definitely recommend for cozy mystery lovers.
This had all the great cozy mystery elements. Including a cat called Deputy! Our main character and amateur sleuther was still getting over the loss of her husband in the line of duty. She has to team up with his best friend and former partner to try and solve this crime. But, in her terrible grief, she had pushed him away, so she feels quite awkward. I love seeing her start to open up and rekindle their friendship throughout this story.
The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing to the very end. I definitely recommend for cozy mystery lovers.
stefanie726's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn’t sure about this book at first, the writing seemed a little odd but I did start to really get into the mystery and ended up enjoying it. I thought it took a little long to get to the conclusion but overall I liked this first book in a new to me series and look forward to reading the next!
peggyemi's review
3.0
Ginger Bolton is a new to me author and this is the first book in her new Deputy Donut Mystery. I found this to be a fun, easy read with a steady pace that had me turning pages. Emily Westhill is a sympathetic, likable main characters. She is a widow still trying to find her footing after the death of her police officer husband a few years earlier. She comes across, at least to me, as caring and genuine. There is an interesting cast of secondary characters that round out the story nicely. This is a first book in a new series, so I am looking forward to seeing the characters develop and grow more.
I thought the mystery was well done. There are clues, twists and turns sprinkled throughout the story and done well enough to throw the reader off the trail of the real killer. There is also the hint of a potential future romance down the road for Emily if she is willing to take the chance.
This book is scheduled for release on January 30th. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
I thought the mystery was well done. There are clues, twists and turns sprinkled throughout the story and done well enough to throw the reader off the trail of the real killer. There is also the hint of a potential future romance down the road for Emily if she is willing to take the chance.
This book is scheduled for release on January 30th. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.