★ MULTIPLE KINDLE ALL STAR AUTHOR! ★Delightful new cozy mystery series!Confection is Good for the Soul is Book 3 in the Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery seriesWhen her sweet Amish sister is accused of murder, it’s the start of another thrilling mystery for Jane Delight! Judy Jenkins, part-time cupcake book author and full-time bully, is dead—and Jane’s sister, Rebecca, is the main suspect. Jane is … Rebecca, is the main suspect. Jane is eager to clear Rebecca’s name, but with brooding Detective Damon McCloud warning her to stay away from the suspects, she’s in for the adventure of a lifetime.
Can Jane, Mr. Crumbles the cat, and the feisty octogenarians, Matilda and Eleanor, save the day?
Or is this mystery going to end in heart-bake?
BONUS: 2 Amish Recipes Included! in this delightful cat cozy mystery!
This is a NEW cozy mystery series!
Book 1: True Confections
Book 2: Previous Confections
Book 3: Confection is Good for the Soul
Book 4: Speak with Confection (Coming soon!)
Book 5: An Instant Confection (Coming soon!)
And more to follow!
All books by Ruth Hartzler are clean and wholesome, and have happy, feel-good endings!
If you enjoy cat cozy mysteries, you will love this book!more
In Confection is Good for the Soul you can reunite with this delightful cast of recurring characters. (But this works well as a stand alone book also.) This series is amazing. There is always a puzzling murder, tons of suspects, many motives and lots of plot twists. I usually do not guess the murderer. There is also a slight hint romance between Jane and Detective Damon McCloud. Don’t miss this entertaining mystery.
cozy-mystery, Amish, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor
We’re back in Amish country with Jane Delight (who left years ago and is recently divorced), her twin sister Rebecca (who is married and adherent), and Jane’s roommates Eleanor and Matilda plus their very interesting cat. A rather nasty author comes to town to plug her new cookbook and make trouble for Rebecca. So when the harpy is found murdered, Rebecca is one of the suspects. The mystery itself is well done, but it’s all the fun that kept my attention from beginning to end! No spoilers, just expect to laugh yourself silly!
CONFECTION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL by Ruth Hartzler is the third book in the An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery series. It’s the story of Jane Delight and her two sleuthing partners, the Birtwistle sisters, trying to prove Rebecca Yoder’s innocence in a recent murder. Since Rebecca is Jane’s identical twin sister, it makes it especially important for them to solve this murder – and fast.
Judy Jenkins, first time cookbook author, has repeatedly harassed Rebecca claiming she stole her idea of turning Amish cakes into cupcakes – especially the Amish Sour Cream Cupcake – even if she’s been making them for years. When they find out she plans to disclose some harmful, and undoubtedly untrue, information on Rebecca’s cupcake store at her book launch, Jane, Matilda, and Eleanor decide to go in disguise to hear what it is and see if they can squash that rumor in the bud.
Imagine the surprise and horror when Judy is found dead in the large cupcake – the one she was to have jump out of at the launch! The suspect list is long including Judy’s manager – Karen Francis, Judy’s IT guy – Brian Birch, and fellow cookbook author – Selena Starr, and seemingly at the top of the list – Rebecca Yoder. They all had axe to grind with Judy, but were they worth killing her over? Definitely not Rebecca who is Amish!
Detectives Damon McCloud and Carter Stirling are on the case. Damon’s interest lean a bit more to the personal side with his worry for Jane’s safety, which makes Jane blush and her heart to pumping. As good as the detectives are, they just might need a tad of help from three women with questions to ask and people to check out.
Between the murder and working the investigation, Jane gets a call from her lawyer who informs her that the previous lawyer advice she got about coming out of her divorce with nothing wasn’t on the up and up. Seems she may get enough to start out again on solid footing including a new home and maybe a horse or two. Jane’s not one to count her chickens before they hatch though.
Is the small out of the way post office where all the poisonous packages were mail part of the puzzle? Was it a crime of passion, greed or revenge? Can the girls come up with the answers to their questions before the police do? And will ever be more than pleasantries between Jane and Damon?
Ruth Hartzler did a wonderful job of adding another great addition to this series when she wrote CONFECTION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL. Although the third book in this series, this book can definitely be read as a standalone, but believe me you won’t want to miss the antics, laughs, getting to know Mr. Crumbles, and the puzzle solving from the first two books in the series. There is the thin line through the whole series about the Amish, through one twin sister who is still Amish and one that left the Amish at the age of 16, where you learn some of the words or phrases, some of their values or ways they live, and reasoning behind some of their actions. The cozy mystery part has you loving the main characters pulling for them to solve the case, questioning everyone else while trying to solve the crime only to be carried down so many tracts that you miss the main one until the great reveal which is just the way it should be.
Definitely recommend CONFECTION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL as well as the whole An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery Series!
Another winner by Ruth Hartzler! Mr. Crumbles, the cat once again steals the show. A wonderfully well done Amish book. Very funny!
Excellent cozy murder mystery filled with quirky characters and great detective work. This is the third edition of the the well crafted “Amish Cupcake Mystery series“. The characters are chalked fulled of mystery and personality that quickly engage you in the story. The storyline flows smoothly and quickly. The narrative provides a glimpse into the Amish lifestyle and the heroine’s thoughts, emotions, reasoning and actions. The mystery was interesting with multiple suspects, lots of relevant clues, surprises and suspense. I enjoyed how the lives of characters progress and develop throughout the series. The dialogue is witty and compelling and the character interaction humorous, romantic and explorative. If you like cozy mysteries with a furry character you will enjoy this series.
Rebecca Yoder, Amish Cupcake Shop owner is being bullied and harassed by Judy Jenkins. Judy claims Rebecca stole her recipe for spiced sour cream cupcakes, when the real truth is that Rebecca has made her recipe of this cupcake for years and its her top seller. Judy threatens Rebecca that if she doesn’t immediately stop making and selling her spiced sour cream cupcakes she will bring bad publicity about her shop to all the people she knows.
Judy Jenkins has recently written a cupcake recipe book and its a number one seller. She plans a party celebration on the day her book is released. But she never gets to attend her own party because she is found dead before she can make her grand entrance . Rebecca becomes a suspect even though she’s not at the party.
The Birtwistle sisters and Jane Delight get busy using their sleuthing skills to find the real killer . Turns out that Judy Jenkins wasn’t well thought of by those who worked for her or knew her well. There’s no shortage of suspects so it’s up to Jane, Eleanor and Matilda to find the real killer. Readers are kept guessing until near to the book’s ending when Mr Crumbles the cat once again wraps things up and brings the real killer to justice.
I’ve read three books into this series so far and I only grow to love these characters more with each book I read. I love the humor that’s blended into the mystery and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. The Birtwistle sisters are a mystery themselves and this keeps me eager to read Book four to find out who these elderly gals really are. Of course the star of the book is really Mr Crumbles the cat. He’s always in the center of everything .
Readers of Cozy Mysteries and fans of Ruth Hartzler will enjoy this book. You don’t have to read these books in order but they are so good I recommend that you start at book one.
I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. A review wasn’t requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Jane witnesses a bullying of her sister, Rebecca, by Judy Jenkins. Judy claims that Rebecca stole her cupcake idea. Then Judy is found dead at her book launch and Rebecca is a suspect. Apparently, it’s all about timing.
Detective Damon McCloud is worried about Jane’s investigation. We find out more about Matilda and Eleanor. Mr. Crumbles learns to walk on a leash with hilarious results due to a previous experience (if you read book two, you’ll know, if you didn’t, you really should and I recommend it.) Damon is not happy about a new guy in town. You’ll find out more about poisons in reading this series than you ever expected, but it’s the roommates and Mr. Crumbles that help make this series fun crazy. Enjoy!
Rebecca has been accused of stealing an original recipe by a cookbook author. Except the Amish Spice cupcake is one that Rebecca has been selling in her shop for years.
Since she threatened Rebecca to stop selling the cupcake or she would “reveal” something about Rebecca at her book launch, Jane and her roommates go under cover. But the only thing unveiled at the cookbook launch is a dead body. Of the author!
And Jane is once again the reluctant associate of Matilda & Eleanor Investigations!
What ensues is another frenzied round of visits, questions, and yummy Amish food being shared. I love these characters and the way they always seem able to embroil Jane in their cloak and dagger shenanigans!
Hartzler has once again penned a humorous adventure, complete with disguises and stake outs. A great addition to this series, I’m am looking forward to reading the next entry! I happily recommend this series!
[Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. I was not required to write a review. This is my honest review, the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. ]
Judy Jenkins author accuses Rebecca cupcake baker of stealing Judy’s recipe for sour cream cupcakes. Rebecca has been baking these for years. Rebecca being Amish seems never to be too perturbed; however, Jane is worried and when Judy is found dead, she knows Rebecca is the prime suspect. Jane and her 2 cohorts set off the find the murderer.
This is another enjoyable mystery from Ruth Hartzler. I can’t wait for the next.
This is another five-star book by this author. I’ve read books in two different series she’s written and I’m not sure which series I love more. This series follows Jane, a recently-divorced fiftyish woman, who lives with two octogenarian roommates and their cat. When people are murdered in the small town where they live, they get into trouble with the local and handsome detective by investigating them. I have grown to love these characters and look forward to their next adventure.
Confection is Good for the Soul is the third book in the An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery by Ruth Hartzler. This is a very quick and delightful read. It can be read as a standalone but I suggest you read the first two to get some background. I have read the first two and this one doesn’t disappoint. I love meeting up with all the characters and the shenanigans again. There are plenty of twists and turns and suspects to keep you guessing. You may not want to bring this book to work to read because you will definitely be laughing out loud. This is a fun series and I can’t wait to see what Ruth has in store for us next. I can’t wait for the next book.