A review by jbrooxd
Murder Most Sweet: A Bookish Baker Mystery by Laura Jensen Walker
5.0
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
5 stars = Excellent!
The voice for this novel is what first grabbed my attention. It had a different vibe to it than other cozy series, and I was sold. Teddie is a fun and engaging protagonist - a cozy writer, a baker, a daughter, a friend, a cancer survivor who chose mastectomy without reconstruction. The cancer pieces - and Teddie's attitude about her journey - were another part of what captivated me here. It felt fresh and different, but not just for the sake of being different. There's an authenticity to it that I adored.
There's a great ensemble in the book of Teddie's friends and family that I loved. Then the book was set in a fictional Wisconsin town in the area where I grew up. And there was KRINGLE (and not that Hallmark movie garbage - the real stuff)! Add to that a terrific mystery with lots of suspects and fantastic pacing that gave Teddie time to dig into them with some significant time. And a believable reason for her sleuthing. This book was the whole package for me. I would read this again, and have book 2 on my radar already. (The author is launching another series at the start of 2021, too. And I KNOW I have read some of her Christian novels from 10-15 years ago before.) Cozy fans should NOT miss this one! (CW: references to the Harry Potter series and its author which may be a trigger for some readers.)
5 stars = Excellent!
The voice for this novel is what first grabbed my attention. It had a different vibe to it than other cozy series, and I was sold. Teddie is a fun and engaging protagonist - a cozy writer, a baker, a daughter, a friend, a cancer survivor who chose mastectomy without reconstruction. The cancer pieces - and Teddie's attitude about her journey - were another part of what captivated me here. It felt fresh and different, but not just for the sake of being different. There's an authenticity to it that I adored.
There's a great ensemble in the book of Teddie's friends and family that I loved. Then the book was set in a fictional Wisconsin town in the area where I grew up. And there was KRINGLE (and not that Hallmark movie garbage - the real stuff)! Add to that a terrific mystery with lots of suspects and fantastic pacing that gave Teddie time to dig into them with some significant time. And a believable reason for her sleuthing. This book was the whole package for me. I would read this again, and have book 2 on my radar already. (The author is launching another series at the start of 2021, too. And I KNOW I have read some of her Christian novels from 10-15 years ago before.) Cozy fans should NOT miss this one! (CW: references to the Harry Potter series and its author which may be a trigger for some readers.)