Monday, September 16, 2019

Book Review: Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton

It is a truth universally acknowledged—cops and donuts go together. Exhibit A: Deputy Donut Café, owned and operated by detective's widow Emily Westhill and her father-in-law, the retired police chief of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Named after Emily's adored and adorable tabby, the donut shop is a favorite among cops, firemen, and EMTs, as well as tourists and townspeople. So when Fallingbrook needs donuts for their Fourth of July picnic, Emily's shop gets deputized.
But a twisted killer has found another use for Emily's treats. At the picnic, a firecracker is hidden in a stack of raspberry-filled donuts and aimed at the unwitting queen of the festivities. When it explodes, she is killed. Having her jelly donuts involved puts Emily in a sticky situation, and when a shady shutterbug tries to frame her with incriminating photos, she finds herself in quite a jam. To preserve her freedom and her shop's reputation, Emily needs to solve this case—before the fuse-lighting felon goes off again … [summary via Amazon]

In the third book in the Deputy Donut Mysteries, it's the Fourth of July holiday and everyone is feeling the holiday spirit. Well almost everyone.... Before the parade the "Queen" of the festivities is very vocal about her distaste for everyone around her. However, was she mean enough to deserve to die? Emily must ask this question and more to uncover the mystery. Especially as it was her donuts that helps bring the deceased down.

I really enjoyed the previous books in the Deputy Donut Mysteries, and they've quickly shot up on my list of "must buy" books. Jealousy Filled Donuts is just as good, if not better, than the first two books. It's filled with a delicious mystery to solve, fantastic character development and mouth-watering descriptions of donuts. 

Ginger Bolton truly kept me on the edge of my seat with the mystery. There is so many characters at play... there is the creepy Landsdowne, who seems intent of framing Emily, the ex-boyfriend, Ian, or maybe it is Gabrielle, her bestie, who comes second in everything? I didn't manage to solve the mystery before Emily, and I was quickly turning pages faster and faster to try to uncover the killer, alongside her.

Of course anyone that knows me knows that I love the character development in cozy mysteries. It is what keeps me coming back for more. Emily is an interesting amateur sleuth. She's a widow, and her husband was a police officer. She runs her donut shop with her father-in-law. It has been interesting watching her, as she recovers from the loss of her husband. I like the way Ginger Bolton has kept her recovery at a realistic rate. She hasn't leapt into a romantic relationship, and I think this realism is what is making me enjoy this series so much. Well that and "Dep" her adorable cat!

Jealousy Filled Donuts is a 5 star (or should that be 5 donut!) read for me. I can't wait to visit with Emily and her friends again!

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