Title:	A Smoking Bun
	Author:	Ellie Alexander
	Published:	February 20, 2024, St. Martins Paperbacks
	No. of Pages:	320
	Cover Price:	$9.99 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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The 18th installment of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mysteries, A Smoking Bun, finds Juliet Capshaw entertaining Ramiro’s family from Spain. Jules has made reservations for a snowshoe excursion on the mountain ski resort, called Mount A by those living in Ashland, Oregon, and while there they meet Fitz Baskin, a very unlikeable and devious tour guide who puts two guests in danger and ends up having to be rescued. He ends up being murdered the next day during the beloved annual Downhill Dummy race. Jules is not only the owner of Torte, a popular bakery, but is an amateur sleuth and gets herself involved in the investigation.

Jules, the protagonist is very likeable, and the supporting characters are likewise. Alexander does an excellent job of developing these characters and they have evolved through the previous installments. Alexander also has a talent for storytelling and the stories flow, building suspense as they go and always ending with a surprise at the dénouement. This one is no exception, and Jules and other characters end up in danger from time to time while readers are on the edge.

The one drawback to this series is that the novels feature mouthwatering food, but no recipes. Most of us who read culinary mysteries want to duplicate the dishes and especially the baked goods (like the chai cookies and curry buns) at home.

All told, fans of culinary mysteries and those loving to read about food will want to read this latest installment as well as the previous novels.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.