A Smoking Bun

I read this as an Advance Reader Copy. Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher. This is my honest review.

This is the 18th book in the Bakeshop Mystery series and the first one that I have read. Now that being said, I really enjoyed it. It mentions a few things that happened in other books, but not so many that I couldn't follow what was going on and get invested in the characters.

It takes place in the beautiful mountains of Ashland, Oregan with a pastry chef named Jules. The Mount A ski resort near her home is popular with locals and tourists alike and when someone is murdered there, the whole town is in an uproar. Jules finds herself in the middle of the mystery and with the help of her friends and her stepfather who is the town's police chief, sets out to find the killer.

The mystery was interesting, the backdrop of the area was compelling and sounded beautiful. The characters were mostly likeable and I enjoyed the relationship between Jules and her husband and family. It also had some great cooking tips and wonderful descriptions of some mouth-watering food.

I can definitely see why the series is so popular and I look forward to reading more.