When murder interrupts a Maine island wedding, two local confectioners go sifting through suspects in this mystery by the author of Dead Cat Bounce. With their waterfront bakeshop, The Chocolate Moose, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie offer sweets to the salty locals of Eastport, Maine. Now they’ve been asked to bake a wedding whoopie pie for Eastport’s favorite lovebirds, … favorite lovebirds, Sharon Sweetwater and Andy Devine. The custom-ordered confection is about to reel in some much-needed dough for Jake and Ellie. But the celebratory air, and sweet smell of success, are ruined by foul murder.
When Sharon’s bitter ex-boyfriend Toby is poisoned with an arsenic-laced milkshake, Andy is arrested and the wedding is cancelled, whoopie pie and all. Then Sharon makes a shocking confession—one that sounds like a fishy attempt to get Andy off the hook. Now both the bride and groom are behind bars. And with the fate of The Chocolate Moose at stake, it’s up to Jake and Ellie to clear their names and make sure justice is served.
Includes an irresistible recipe!
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Perfect cozy setting, with a seaside bakery in small-town Maine. Love the friendship between Jake and Ellie, and the secondary characters are a hoot. A fun read!
Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake may be the second book in Death by Chocolate Mystery series, but I discovered it is a continuation of A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery series. It can, though, be read as a standalone. The characters are established. There is Jake’s large family, Ellie’s family and the offbeat residents of Eastport. I did find it hard to keep track of Jake’s extended family who all seem to live with her. Jake’s father, Jake (I am not kidding) is feeling spry after his recent health scare and ready to zip about town upsetting his wife and daughter. He really stands out with his various antics and rebellious spirit. Jakes loves her family and cares about her friends. I like the setting of Eastport, Maine and the description of the Jake’s large home. It sounds like a charming small town with quaint shops that rely on tourists. The winter months are tough times for the citizens of this small town as Jake and Ellie have learned. The wedding of Sharon and Andy will keep the doors of The Chocolate Moose open until the tourist trade picks up (I am not sure why they do not advertise or sell products online). When the happy couple find themselves in the slammer, Jake one again dons her sleuthing cap to save their chocolate bake shop. Jake has no qualms about putting herself in harms way. The murder of Toby Moran has a couple of suspects, pointed clues and a red herring. I did not feel it was right for Jake to tamper with evidence (even in fiction) no matter her justification. Unfortunately, I solved the whodunit very early in the book (the author served up the solution on a silver platter). I appreciated that the mystery had a solid wrap up with facts from the police. I could have done without the repetition of case details. When one person learns a key detail or clue, they share it with Jake or Jake share it with a family member (and so on). This happens frequently throughout the book and not just with the mystery. I liked the descriptions of the items served up at The Chocolate Moose and the little chocolate moose sprinkles are a cute touch to their milkshakes. There is plenty of baking and eating taking place in Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake. I am giving Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake 3 out of 5 stars. I thought the pace was too slow and I did not enjoy the endless dialogue. Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake is for those readers who enjoy light, humorous cozy mysteries.
In this second book of the series the ladies are having a hard time, things aren’t going well and it looks like they are going to have to close up their business. They have a wedding that may take them out of the red and put them in the black but only for a short time. When a local is murdered and it looks like one of their famous milkshakes with poison is the culprit things go from bad to worse. The groom has become the main suspect and it looks like the wedding they need might not happen. Jake and Ellie start looking into the death of the victim but soon learn that he had way more enemies than friends. With so much on the line they aren’t willing to give up on the search for a murderer though. Follow along as they get themselves into one bad situation after another in the search for a killer. Will they have to close up shop in the end or will they pull out a miracle?
I really enjoyed this second book in the Death By Chocolate Series by Sarah Graves. Even though I did not read the first book, I had no trouble getting right into the story and getting to know the characters. The owners of the Chocolate Moose sweet shop, Jake (Jacobia) and Ellie are involved in figuring out a murder in their tiny island town in Maine. One of their signature milkshake cups was found at a murder scene, and they are determined to get to the bottom of this. I found the story of their shop very realistic, how they are a young business and struggling to make ends meet. They are depending on the income of a special Whoopie Pie shaped wedding cake to get them over the hump until tourist season, but the groom is the number one suspect! Because Jake and Ellie have a vested interest, and sales of their famous milkshakes have declined, they are on the case. There were parts of the story that made me laugh out loud, and I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.
A good cozy mystery is just fun, and a great way to unwind. Sarah graves is a great author and brings us a great mystery with no gore. I love a recurring character like this one– feels like a n old friend.
wonderful series!
I liked her Home repair series better but will try another title in this series because I like her sense of humor and the “voice” she gives to Jacobia.
Fun continuation in the series.
As good as Sarah Graves always is.
I have read many of the Eastport since the first one years ago. This one is full of wonderful characters especially her houseful of family. it is longer and more complicated and to me less believable than the early ones. Still very enjoyable.
Good mystery in neat locale..however. This book could have been so much better with judicious editing. Too many repetitive red hair, hippy dad and money issues. We got it all too many times. Chief Arnold tossing a cup into the trash and barely seconds later drinking his ginger ale from said disposed cup. Oh..and the big red truck has a big engine…we got that as well. That carping aside the basic story is pretty well told. I do plan to read on…the author has good writing instincts. It was a fun read!
Start with her first book and read them all!
Milkshakes served in a moose cup with chocolate sprinkles in the shape of antlers have become the most popular item at the Chocolate Mousse. But Chocolate Mousse is still in financial trouble and may have to close. Now there’s been a murder and evidence of milkshake remnants found on the victim. What starts out on the small island off the coast of Maine where the protagonist restored a drafty old money pit of a house becomes entangled in murder and motive. I’ve now read books one and two and the series. Both had potential but neither were remarkable.
Love Sarah Graves’ series
A fun read with lots of twists and turns. Jake and Ellie are about to lose their shop. They are counting on making the wedding cake for a local couple to save the shop. When the bride to be’s ex is found murdered, her fiance becomes the prime suspect. Jake and Ellie investigate in hopes of saving their business. I like the characters in this series and enjoy all the little twists.
“Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake” earns 4/5 Chocolatey Conundrums…Clever!
Marriage, Milkshakes, and Murder! Well, the marriage may be on hold when the bride and groom are both suspects, and the poisoned-milkshake murder weapon may put Jake and Elle’s bakery The Chocolate Moose out of business…so Jake and Elle again bake up ways to ask questions, seek evidence, and find a killer! For the second book in Sarah Graves’s Death by Chocolate series she uses the traditional cozy formula, but her writing style, clever mystery, developing characters, and an “I didn’t see that coming” ending kept me turning the pages. Women scorned? She uses the “I” perspective to share Jake’s inner thoughts, vivid descriptions, and engaging character banter, but it’s the various possibilities along with a couple of dead ends that kept my inner Sherlock guessing. And my favorite words! Not, “It’s murder!” My favorite words are “Recipes Included!” Readers are treated to an easy-to-follow recipe for Ginger Chocolate Biscotti.
Side note: Jake and Elle are originally from Sarah Graves’s Home Repair is Homicide, and if this series is any indication of it being another entertaining read, I’m putting those sixteen books on my TBR list.
I missed the first/previous book in this series so this is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Graves. I could follow the plot well enough anyway. I’d thought this book would be right up my alley but it actually turned out to be something of a slow burn for me. It seemed to be quite narration-heavy and evidence mostly was happened upon rather than being sought out or investigated and certain plot points were brought up/talked about ad nauseum, making it repetitive. All the characters (but especially the mains, Jake and Ellie) had this habit of explaining what they’d just said and I found that to be quite irritating. But the book picked up about halfway through in the humor department and I found myself laughing more and that made the minor irritations more tolerable. Another thing that struck me as odd was the use of off-colour language in the book. It was not gratuitous but it was there and I found it very out of place for the cozy genre. If I ever came across the opportunity to read another book in this series, or by this author, I would do so but I probably wouldn’t especially seek one out.
Chocolate and love, what could be better? This summer, Eastport’s favorite lovebirds, kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater and Coast Guard Captain Andy Devine, are getting married. The gala reception is sure to be the fête of the season, especially with a wedding-cake-sized whoopie pie courtesy of The Chocolate Moose. For Jake and Ellie, the custom-ordered confection will finally reel in some much-needed profits. But the celebratory air, and the sweet smell of success are ruined by foul murder.
When Sharon’s bitter ex-boyfriend Toby is poisoned with an arsenic-laced milkshake, Andy is jailed as the prime suspect, and the wedding is canceled, whoopie pie and all. Then Sharon makes a shocking confession—one that sounds like a fishy attempt to get Andy off the hook. Now both the bride and groom are behind bars. And with the fate of The Chocolate Moose at stake, it’s up to Jake and Ellie to catch a poisonous predator before someone else sips their last dessert.
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Series: Death by Chocolate Mystery – Book 2
Author: Sarah Graves
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary
Publisher: Kensington Books
Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake by Sarah Graves is a gratifying and enjoyable read. The latest addition to the Death by Chocolate Mystery series published by Kensington Books will take the reader on a roller coaster ride. The seaside town of Eastport, Maine, where life is a challenge but filled with smiles will leave readers wanting to visit.
I caution readers that are new to this series and this author; the new book is not big on giving background on the characters so it may be confusing at first. Upon first reading this book, not having read the first in this series, I couldn’t tell if Jake was a man or a woman. By chapter three all becomes clear.
Jake is a charming, caring, compassionate, and logical character who wants her family and friends to be happy. She is always trying to make certain they have everything they need, and the idea of giving up on any one of them never enters her mind. So, when her and Ellie’s shop is in danger of closing, she will try just about anything to keep it going. Keeping Ellie happy and in Eastport even though she knows their chances aren’t good is her main goal.
Other characters in this series are interesting and likable. Each brings something different to the story and allows the plot to move along smoothly. Readers will enjoy getting to know Jake’s family and friends and will want them to continue into the next book in the series.
The murder itself is classic but adding in the milkshake twist makes it intriguing. The victim wasn’t a popular person, and many will say he had it coming. But Jake must save the day once again. Not just to save her friend but to save their business. This provides great motivation for her to solve the murder and makes for some dangerous situations.
The writing is good and easy to follow while the plot has several twists and turns that keep the story fresh. The ending of the book may come as a surprise to some readers. The killer isn’t who or what you would imagine. Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake makes you long for good food, and wonderful friends. I highly recommend this book to cozy lovers of all kinds.
I had missed the last few books Graves had written and was surprised when I started Death by CMM that it wasn’t really a new series but a continuation of her Jacobia Tiptree series. I found it interesting that she didn’t come up with a new setting and characters, but instead decided her character’s focus would no longer be on home improvement, but running a sweet shop. The progression seemed realistic for the setting/characters.
I found the story a little slow and less interesting than I remembered her previous books, though I did think how the shop was used in the mystery was a nice touch. Perhaps it was the overall darkness to the story that just pulled me down. Graves’ series has always been very open to the pitfalls of life on the coast, economically, environmentally, etc. But, it seemed to make this book a bit more depressing to me.
I was nice to get back in touch with the characters and see what progression has been made in the last several books (not that much really, I was quickly up to speed). Reading DCMM though did not make me long to get caught up with the books I’d missed for excited to read the next in the series.
I got my copy from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.