Murder is the guiltiest pleasure at a Down East Maine bakeshop in this cozy mystery series debut by the author of the Home Repair is Homicide novels. Life gets a little sweeter in the island fishing village of Eastport, Maine, when Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie open a chocolate-themed bakeshop, the Chocolate Moose. They expect to make plenty of dough this Fourth of July … Fourth of July weekend, and having family home for the holiday only sweetens the deal for Jake—until an early-season hurricane sours her plans. But an empty bakeshop and a ruined reunion are a piece of cake compare to murder . . .
When health inspector Matt Muldoon is found dead in the kitchen of The Chocolate Moose, Ellie is suspected of indulging in revenge. She made no secret of her distaste for Matt, who had been raining on their parade with bogus health code violations. Now, with no alibi for the night of the murder, she’s in a sticky situation—and it’s up to Jake to catch the real killer and keep Ellie living in the land of the free.
Includes an irresistible recipe!
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“Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake” earns 4/5 Cheesecake Chaos…Clever!
Completely taken with the delicious book cover, I was eager to read “Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake” by Susan Graves, the first in her new A Death by Chocolate series. I am a newbie to her work, but who would pass up murder, mayhem, and a Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake recipe? However, although it is presented as a “first in a new series,” it is really a reimagining of her sixteen-book Home Repair is Homicide series published 1997-2013. Graves keeps the setting of a quaint, island fishing village in Maine, but she has Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her BFF Ellie White starting up a new business venture. Originally owning a home repair business, they now are opening up The Chocolate Moose, a waterfront chocolate-themed bake shop. For fans of the original series, this change of venue will be refreshing, but I felt somewhat at a disadvantage with references to other events, investigations, and characters that seem already well established. However, I am a true ‘coziholic’ and was not going to give up before I gave it my full attention.
Susan Graves treated me to an entertaining mystery, but not without some missteps. She reintroduces Jacobia Tiptree, known to friends and family as Jake, and Emily White who are busy, busy running their bake shop and prepping for a few local summer events. However, the dead body face down in a pot of chocolate may put a damper on their success, put their business in jeopardy, and possibly land one, or both, in jail. First, some incongruences caused me pause. I know small towns can offer a more secure feeling that big urban cities, but when Jake is called really early in a.m. from a nosy neighbor that the backdoor of the bake shop was left open, it seemed Ill-advised to tell her to close it and she’ll check it when she comes to work later. Then arriving at the shop she discovers unfamiliar scratches on the door frame, a possible blown fuse, and trips over something—none of which caused he pause. And when Ellie finally arrives, she’s more concerned about the wasted chocolate than the dead body, and the victim, a very obnoxious shop patron, isn’t immediately recognized? All of this in the first couple chapters made me worry that the mystery would have holes, and the two characters might not display reasonable reactions to the dilemma. But, it did improve with a clever mystery, good characters, and a satisfying ending. She relied a bit more on the narrative with descriptions of the chocolatey treats, environment, and people, but she did include entertaining dialogue to provide insights into personalities and emotions. Along with the murder investigation several home life and personal dramas are explored adding a nice intertwining subplots.
Don’t misunderstand any of my critique as it is my honest view. I enjoyed the book, and now that I feel I’m up to speed, I look forward to book two, “Goodbye Cruller World.”
In this first book of the series we are re-introduced to characters from a previous series that the author has written. I liked the change because I got to visit with old friends but life has changed up a bit for them which brought a freshness to everything. Jake has finally finished with all the renovations on her home and is looking for something new to sink her teeth into. Enter her best friend Ellie, together they decided to open up The Chocolate Moose, a bake shop filled with lots of chocolate treats. When Jake finds a local dead in the shop, his head in their chocolate melting pot, she’s not sure who it is or how they got there. When she finds out that it is a local who has been giving them nothing but trouble, especially Ellie, she knows that it’s time to figure out just what happened and why. Along the way the ladies have to deal with baking dozens of cheesecakes, being almost ran over by another boat, and an oncoming storm. With all that is going on will they be able to keep Ellie out of jail and the bake shop open? Will all the cheesecakes get done in time for the auction? Follow along and see. This was truly a wonderful read, I loved seeing the move these characters made and look forward to what happens with them next.
Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves is the first book in A Death by Chocolate Mystery series. Though these characters were featured in a previous series, Jacobia (Jake) and Ellie own The Chocolate Moose in Eastport, Maine. They are in a bake-off contest and get to work early to begin—but find a dead man in their chocolate! The mystery that follows is zany, twisted, and fast paced,I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book.
Totally stupid
It just wasn’t my kind of story. There were parts I liked (some characters, the setting and the action) and I read it till the end where I thought it got better but it was a struggle. I am going to read the other books in the series and see if I like them better.
I loved this book and look forward to reading others in this series
Loved the book. Super easy read and had a couple of twists
Easy fun reading now is what I need
love all Sarah Graves books
Love this series!
Exhausting repetition. Unrealistic timeline. Home repair series preferable.
Nice easy to read story but the premise is a bit silly. Being from Maine I visited Eastport often and enjoyed the attention to detail regarding the town. Made it fun to read.
I admit, the title attracted me to buy this book! I am a sucker for cheesecake. I was delighted to find that the story was revealed as two women attempted to prepare 24 then 36 chocolate cheery cheesecakes for a charity. The story actually began when they went into their shop to begin the process and found a dead man. The inspections related to that murder prohibited them from using their commercial ovens and required them to prepare two at a time in a home kitchen causing them to work night and day to try to finish the order. The suspense involved with solving the murder was equaled by the suspense regarding would they finish in time. The characters are well defined, unique, and memorable. The whole setup of a small town having a 4th of July celebration with an auction of cheesecakes is so well described that the reader is actually a bit carried away. Thiis is a book to read just for the fun of it. It is easy to read and to enjoy. I recommend it. PLUS there is the recipe for Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake that is fabulous. Yes, I tried it.
I loved being reacquainted with Jacobia and her family and friends. I mostly enjoyed being back in Eastport since I am a Maine woman, and Eastport holds a special place in my heart. The chocolate addition was a big change, and I am certain that Sarah Graves knew that it would be a financial strain to run such a business in any Maine town and therefore a new struggle for Jacobia and a Ellie.
Soon, it will be another small town with too many murders and a police chief who doesn’t want help from women who are obviously capable. At least it is not set in an imaginary coastal town! Nevertheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately downloaded the next in the series!
Light reading. Fun to read
Recently went to Maine and loved every minute. Didn’t find the Chocolate Moose but sure recognized the Maine-Ly wonderful characters
Well written and fun! I will definitely be reading the other book in this series.
Entertaining, light reading. Same cast of characters from her other mystery series.
A bakery called the Chocolate Mousse, a remote island fishing village off the coast of Maine, a storm brewing, and a murder. These things have the potential to captivate me, but not in this case. The story just did not hold my attention.
A story that is funny, romantic and unpredictable. Lots of twists and turns throughout. A fast easy read.
I’ve read this author for years and she continues to deliver a great mystery.