A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander

You may recall, not too long ago, I told you about a great new series: Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander.... well the second part, A Batter of Life and Death, was just released today and it is just as fabulous as the first!!

From the back of the book: 

Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the coffee is hot, the muffins are fresh, and the cakes are definitely to die for...

It's autumn in Ashland, Oregon-'tis the season for a spiced hot apple cider with a serving (or two) of Torte's famous peach cobbler. It's also the perfect time for Jules Capshaw to promote her family's beloved bake shop by competing in The Pastry Channel's reality show, Take the Cake. The prize is $25,000. But as Jules quickly learns, some people would kill for that kind of dough. Literally.

Then, just as Jules dusts off her Bavarian Chocolate Cake recipe and cinches up her apron, the corpse of a fellow contestant is discovered-death by buttercream. What began as a fun, tasteful televised adventure has morphed into something of a true-crime detective show for Jules and everybody else on set. Who could have killed Chef Marco, and why? Can Jules sift out the killer before someone else gets burned?

My thoughts:

I may have mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Shakespeare so the setting, of course, appeals greatly to me, as do the occasional quotes and references. Being a second part, this still read with all of the excitement of the first part and it really stands alone - but you will still want to read the first one because it is that much fun. 

I really do love Juliet and her mom, the professor and Thomas. Okay, I guess they all have grown on me! When you have characters that are as well written as these, it makes the mystery more fun and the tension more effective because you really care about what happens. As with the last one, this was paced perfectly and had me turning pages all night long. The conclusion was satisfying even though I didn't figure it out as quickly as I should have... I was enjoying the story so much it kind of sneaked up on me. 

Also, make sure you check the back of the book! There are a lot of really awesome recipes there. I mean really awesome. Plus, there is a teaser for the next part. 

You can keep up with this series on the website or on Facebook so you never miss a tasty release. 


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.