Book Summary
Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah has Lindsey Bakewell getting a fresh start in Beacon Harbor,
Michigan. After catching her fiancé in a
compromising position in his office with his pastry chef, Lindsey decides it is
time to pursue her dream. She gives up
her job in finance and purchases a rundown lighthouse in Beacon Harbor where
she spent happy times as a child with her grandparents. Lindsey is going to open The Beacon Bakeshop
and Café in the lighthouse while living above with her Newfoundland,
Wellington. While most of the town is
happy to see the lighthouse getting a revival, Fiona Dickel is not. She threatens to ruin Lindsey’s Memorial Day
weekend grand opening. The bakery opens
to a crowd with Fiona and her group protesting outside. Unfortunately, Lindsey’s
ex-fiancé, Jeffery Plank and his girlfriend, Mia Long decide to crash the party
intent upon revenge. Mia begins tossing
pastries and Fiona’s group gets in on the action. Mia ends up collapsing and dies before
reaching the hospital. Someone poisoned
Mia and Lindsey is the police’s prime suspect.
Lindsey with help from her friends begins investigating so they can
prove her innocence.
My Thoughts
Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah is the debut of A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series. I thought this was a delightful story. It is well-written with developed characters. The author took the time to introduce us to
Lindsey Bakewell and her dog, Wellington.
After catching her fiancé with his pastry chef, Lindsey is given the
advice to follow her dream. Thankfully,
Lindsey invested well and has a solid portfolio. It allows her to purchase a rundown
lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan that she renovates into living quarters,
bakery, and café. Lindsey is smart,
loyal, independent, and has a good heart.
She is also an excellent baker. I
love Wellington. He is a large, fun,
friendly dog. We are introduced to the
charming town of Beacon Harbor and its friendly (most of them) residents. Unfortunately, Fiona Dickel is not happy with
Lindsey purchasing a historical landmark and improving its appearance. The mystery was entertaining. A bruhaha on opening day leads to the death
of Lindsey’s ex-fiancé’s lover. Lindsey
finds herself at the top of the suspect list and her bakery closed. She has no choice but to investigate. With help from her bestie, Kennedy Kapoor and
her new friends, Lindsey asks questions, does research, and looks for
clues. There are several good suspects
in this whodunit along with subtle clues (you have to pay close attention to
details to find some of them). I enjoyed
piecing together the clues and figuring out who is behind the poisoning. There is action that kept the book moving rapidly
forward toward the conclusion. The
conclusion was eventful and complete. There
is a hint of paranormal in the story. It
is said that the ghost of Captain Willy Riggs haunts the lighthouse. I enjoyed the ghost legends and how it was
incorporated into the story. Lindsey and
her neighbor, Rory Campbell hit it off from their first meeting. He asks her out to dinner right away. I did feel there was a wee bit too much
romance (for a cozy mystery) and that it was happening too fast (I prefer the
romance to play out slowly over the course of the series). Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop is a delightful
cozy mystery with delectable donuts, a wandering Wellington, an enticing
neighbor, a fashionista friend, a guileful ghost, and a busy baker.
Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop is available from Amazon*. The next A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery is Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off which publishes September 28. I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you for joining me today. I will be back tomorrow with The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. For now, I am off to do a little work outside. I hope that you have a cheerful day. Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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