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 … 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?
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It’s autumn, which means that tourist season is winding down in Ashland, Oregon. Fortunately, The Pastry Channel has come to town to film the newest season of Take the Cake. They’ve asked Jules Capshaw to use Torte’s kitchen as a location some of the contestants use to prepare their pastries. Then they ask Jules to be a last-minute contestant. She’s thrilled until she finds Chef Marco, one of the other contestants, dead before the first day of filming. Since she is part of the show, she can’t help but learn things about her fellow contestants. Can she figure out which one is a killer?
It’s been too long since I read the first book in the series, but I was quickly back in Jules’s world with this fun second in the series. The pacing was a bit off at times, but overall there is an enjoyable mystery with plenty of secrets for Jules to uncover. The suspects are good and do their part to keep us guessing. Jules has some personal stuff she is trying to work through, and I enjoyed seeing the growth in her here. This book really made me want to visit Ashland at some point in the future. We get seven recipes at the end for a wide variety of things. It’s easy to see why this series is so popular. I need to pick up the next soon.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Can Jules Capshaw Take the Cake? The Pastry Channel’s show has come to Ashland, Oregon and she is representing the family’s bakeshop, Torte, as a contestant against four other pastry chefs. Her family sure could use the $25000 prize to continue their improvements to their business.
Jules has baked a Bavarian Chocolate Cake for the day’s challenge but when she arrives on the set she finds one of the competing chefs dead. The powers that be commit to continuing the show as soon as the police release the set, but Jules wants to know – Who killed the chef? Are the rest of the chefs in danger? and most importantly – Is one of the chefs the killer? She starts doing a little snooping on her own to find answers before another chef gets frosted.
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Ms. Alexander’s characters are so likable. Jules, her mom, their employees, Thomas, the Professor, and more all make me wish I could visit Torte and meet them all. All are genuine and believable. They are joined this time by a group of pastry chefs that are diverse in their specialties along with the small crew from The Pastry Channel who each have something to prove. All these new visitors are viable suspects and seem to have secrets. I liked that some of the chefs ended using Torte’s kitchen to create their show entries. It allowed both Jules and us readers to get to know them better. It also made clear how patient Jules and mom, Helen could be with strangers in their kitchen. They also handled a little strife between two employees with time and patience.
Readers are treated to a little romance too, as relationships evolve through normal everyday life. Jules is still trying to sort things through will Carlos as the clock ticks down on their break.
I love watching shows like Take the Cake so I was thrilled with this theme. The author created a marvelous whodunit around that theme giving Jules plenty of opportunity to sift through the clues and follow them as need be. Several twists spin to keep everyone guessing. With Helen and Jules’ tight connection to the chief of police, aka, The Professor and Detective-In-Training, Thomas, they keep them informed in everything they find and don’t hesitate to call for help when needed. I like that.
I can’t forget to mention the food. Most of the luscious pastries and desserts. I say most because there are a couple that clearly were not baked by the chef that presented them. Daily life at the bakeshop also adds more delightful treats and morning breakfast ideas. The schedule and the workings of the shop are also interesting. The realistic fact it is a hard business on a tight budget is also appreciated and grounds the whole series in reality.
Awesome characters, a fantastic setting, and a wonderful mystery all make A Batter of Life and Death a delectable cozy mystery and A Perfect Escape. The sample taste of On Thin Icing included at the end of the story has whet my appetite to read more of this series soon.
I like Ellie Alexander’s style of writing… it’s entertaining and fun.. quick read.. and I purchased other books in the same series… she’s really good
See review on Amazon
A binge-worthy series in which every books feels like a visit with old friends!
Once again, Ellie Alexander did a fantastic job writing this novel. What I love most about her books so far is that she paints a picture for you so well that you feel like you know the characters first hand. I could see myself sipping on a cup of joe in Torte by a window and eating a delicious pastry having conversation with the locals. I just love this little world in Ashland, Oregon and want to visit ASAP.
Further review can be found on my blog: https://simplynicolemarie.home.blog/2019/04/11/a-batter-of-life-and-death-by-ellie-alexander/