Middle age was never so much fun – if you don’t count the murders.
When her husband of thirty years runs off with a college student named Cherri, Jane Delight returns to Pennsylvania to work in her Amish sister’s cupcake store. Having lost everything in the divorce, Jane now finds herself sharing an apartment with two feisty octogenarians and their quirky cat. Mr. Crumbles.But there is no time … Crumbles.
But there is no time to despair. A man is murdered in the cupcake store, and now Jane is the prime suspect. Enter brooding detective Damon McCloud, a Scot with a tragic past and a desire for justice.
Can Jane solve the murder, wrangle her new roommates, and stop herself from falling for the detective?
Or will she never get her new life on track?
The first cozy mystery book in this delightful USA Today Bestselling series..
more
Everyone has to have a Matilda and Eleanor in their corner
But then again I don’t think Jane would have gotten into quite so much trouble without them! But then life would be boring without a few giggles and ‘what are you doing’ moments!
I loved Mr Crumbles – and only he could aid these ladies in their sleuthing (after all he’s is the keeper of the keys!)
I really enjoyed this book. It was a real, proper old fashioned, Miss Marple has one too many sherrys but she’s determined to figure out the killer, type of Sunday afternoon tv show. I enjoyed the fact that it had wholesome values and the way that Ruth Hartzler explained the Amish ways and beliefs with care and consideration.
I had a lovely afternoon reading this book and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I received a copy and this is my honest review
TRUE CONFECTIONS by Ruth Hartzler is the first book in An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery series. It’s the story of Jane Delight as she turns 50 and her life starts to gets interesting.
The story opens with Jane being taken to a French restaurant for what she thought was a celebration for her 50th birthday. She soon finds out it’s so her husband can give her the news that he’s divorcing her for a much younger woman who just happens to be pregnant with his child.
Devastated, Jane finds out she has no home and no money (due to the prenuptials) as well as no skills for a job since she hasn’t worked outside the home in like 30 years.
Jane left the Amish at the age of 16. However, her identical twin sister, Rebecca remained. She is the owner of the cupcake store in town with a rental apartment above it. Jane moves into the already rented apartment with the blessing on her soon to be roommates, Eleanor and Matilda Birtwistle – who are off on an adventure, and starts working in her sister’s shop helping with the baking and at the counter. Soon after the elderly sisters return, with Mr. Crumbles, their new quirky cat in tow,
Rebecca and her husband, Ephraim, are one of two shop owners that have been badgered to sell their establishment by Colin Graves who needed them both to have all the land for his development. On a visit to their store with another offer, Colin drops dead after eating one of the sample cupcakes.
Through the investigation of Detectives Damon McCloud and Carter Stirling, Jane becomes their number one suspect. Now it’s up to the sleuthing Britwistle sisters and Jane and her twin sister to prove them wrong.
Ruth Hartzler did a wonderful job of keeping this cozy interesting and fun. She keeps you turning the page to find out what happens next to see how Jane gets out of this predicament while having you smile at the antics of Eleanor, Matilda and Mr. Crumbles – who definitely fits right in with his new owners. Loved the way she worked in the references to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries. I’m excited to try the Amish recipes included in the back of the book.
I would recommend TRUE CONFECTIONS to anyone that loves a clean cozy read that has you trying to figure out the clues before the reveal while making you laugh and scratch your head a few times along the way.
Jane is forced to live with her twin sister Rebecca, who is Amish after her husband dumps her after 30 years of marriage and on her 50th birthday! She is now living above Rebecca’s bakery and helping out in the bakery. One day a man Colin Graves comes in the bakery and has been trying to get Rebecca to sell her bakery to him. He threatens her in a ‘non-threatening way’, but the message is there. As he eats a few samples of cupcakes, he falls down, grabs his chest, and says his heart. They take him out in an ambulance, but he dies. Now the police think Rebecca killed him! Also that same day, Eleanor and Matilda, Jane’s room-mates come home from a long vacation. They decide they need to investigate this murder…like Agatha Christie. Can they prove that Rebecca didn’t kill Colin Graves? Will Jane and Detective McCloud start a romance? What are the herbs that Matilda and Eleanor growing in their greenhouse? You will need to read the book to find the answers. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
I had never read this author before and she had been recommended to me by another author (one of my favorites). I took a leap of faith (no pun intended), and read this book without knowing anything at all in advance except that it was a cozy mystery. I was a little skeptical due to the “Amish Mystery” however, I was not at all disappointed. Quirky characters find themselves in an unfortunate situation as a would-be extortionist ends up dropping dead in the shop. This likable cast along with a cat give you some laugh out loud moments as they work (aka snoop around) to clear the name of the wrongly accused. Of course, you find those that you love to hate, after all, no story would be complete without it. Since none of my reviews contain spoilers, know that you will really enjoy this read, which is the first in a series, and although there is a HEA the ending leaves room for continuing storylines and character relationships in future episodes. I totally recommend this enjoyable read.
“True Confections” earns 5/5 Curious Cupcakes…Clever and Entertaining!
When your husband tells you, on your fiftieth birthday, he’s divorcing you, marrying his soon-to-deliver twenty-something girlfriend, and leaving you without the house or spousal support, what do you do? Jane Delight heads off to live among the Amish she left years ago, work for her twin sister Rebecca in a cupcake shop, and live in the the apartment upstairs. There is a tiny hitch. She’ll have roommates…two British octogenarians Eleanor and Matilda. However, Rebecca is being pressured to sell her property to Colin Greaves, a developer who will stop at nothing to acquire the property. Popping in to add more incentives to his offer, issuing veiled threats, and refusing to leave, he makes a demonstrative statement by grabbing one of the little sample cupcakes. Then gasping and collapsing…dead!
Ruth Hartzler is a new-to-me author who did very well with the traditional cozy mystery formula I enjoy. Well-written with a steady pace, she started with a likable character in whom readers can invest their time, gave them a personal challenge to send them home to family, added other characters with a couple quirky ones, threw in a conflict, a murder, and personal interest in finding justice. All very engaging leading to satisfying ending punctuated by karma. Using a first-person narrative of Jane’s perspective, I enjoyed her inner thoughts, take on living Amish, and her transformation from victim to victor. I greatly enjoyed this engaging mystery, and special treats included… easy-to-follow Amish recipes for Shoo-Fly Pie (wet bottom) Melassich Rivwelkuche and Chocolate Whoopie Pies.
I am so pleased to have gotten to read this wonderfully written cozy mystery! Loved the entertaining characters and their interactions between them. I was pleasantly surprised to not guess the killer until the end of this funny yet page-turning story! I can hardly wait to read the next book in this series!
An unlikely group of ladies decided to take on an investigation into a murder. The ladies used their varied knowledge and Amish culture to solve the case. This book pulled me in from the very beginning and made it difficult to put it down. The story kep me guessing until the very end. It is not necessary for the reader to know about the Amish culture, but having some background knowledge makes the story more enjoyable.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
True Confection by Ruth Hartzler is the first book I have read by this author and won’t be the last. I absolutely loved this book! The characters were very well developed, they had humor, intelligence and were very likeable. This was a fun, quick and clean read. If you like Miss Marple from Agatha Christie or if you enjoyed “Murder She Wrote” you will love this book. It was also very interesting to learn about the Amish and the traditional recipes that are included sound so good. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
A good start to a new series. When I first started the book, I was upset by the callous way that Jane’s husband dumped her for a younger woman and left her with nothing. But as the story progressed it became clear that Jane was much better off without him. Still hope that a future book will have the new young wife take him to the cleaners and leave him with nothing though. Loved the rest of the characters in Jane’s new life, they are quirky and a lot of fun. This is definitely a good story and I hope more books will follow.
If you like Murder She Wrote, Miss Marple, etc. you will love the style in which Ruth writes. Her characters are believable, sometimes humorous, and more importantly intelligent. It is very interesting to read about the Amish community and their customs. It was such an enjoyable read!!!!!
A 50th Birthday dinner with her husband at a
fancy restaurant turns out to be a horrible time
for Jane Delight. He wants a divorce plus he is
giving Jane nothing as he has a pregnant
mistress.
With no where to go and no means of support,
Jane moves into an apartment above her Amish
twin sister’s cupcake shop. Jane had left her
Amish heritage behind many years ago. Jane
will be rooming with two elderly sisters who are
traveling when she moves into the apartment.
The sisters arrive the same day as a persistent
man who wants to buy the shop eats a cupcake
then falls over eventually ending up dead.
The sisters bring Mr Crumbles, a stray cat with
them. As Jane and the sisters get involved trying
to identify the killer, Mr Crumbles will play a
critical role.
Colorful, quirky, well fleshed out characters that
are involved in an adventurous plotted story.
The description of the Amish ways and phrases
mix with Englisher lifestyles make the reader a
part of the story.
A very entertaining read!!
Amish Recipes included.
I volunteered to read True Confections. Thanks to
the author for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
A Kindle Unlimited Read.
In True Confections I got a great cover cat who is an integral part of the story, Jane who is 50 and not Amish, her twin sister, the cupcake shop owner, 2 bickering, Agatha Christie obsessed sisters in their 80s who live above the shop and a delightful mystery. What else could I ask for? I spent a most pleasant time with this entertaining cast of characters as they “help” the police solve a murder. If you are looking for a fun mystery, try this one.
Jane is out celebrating her fiftieth birthday with her husband. During dinner at the restaurant he coldly announces that he has a mistress who is expecting his baby and wants a divorce. Six months later Jane is left with nothing and returns to the Amish community where she grew up. She moves into an apartment above the cupcake shop her Amish twin sister owns. An aggressive developer wants to purchase the building, but Jane’s sister refuses. When the developer collapses and dies, Jane becomes the main suspect.
This is the first book I have read by this author and won’t be the last. A well written fast read.
I enjoyed this refreshingly different mystery. The characters were different from the norm. I enjoyed the touch of romance in the background along with the quirky cat. The ending was quite a surprise as well.
True Confections is Book 1 in the New Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery Series.
The book opens with Jane Delight (LOVE THAT NAME) and her husband go out for her 50th birthday to a fancy restaurant, which is very uncharacteristic of him. That could be because he is dumping her for his mistress who is pregnant with their baby. Not only that, but she is getting nothing in the divorce because as much as he would like to help her out, she signed a prenup and they need the money for the baby. Oh and they need the house to so get going! I laughed so much at the opening paragraph because this is so relateable and obviously her husband did this in public so she wouldn’t freak out.
Flash forward six months and Jane has settled into an apartment over her sister’s cupcake store. Luckily Jane has a twin sister who takes her in. Only thing is her sister is Amish and Jane has lost that community a long time ago.
I absolutely loved this book! The characters were likeable and fun. The story was well developed and I loved reading about the Amish community. This is a sweet clean mystery which will leave you guessing who done it.
BONUS! There are two Amish Recipes which I am totally trying. Shoo-fly Pie sounds yummy!
This was my first time reading this author , but it won’t be the last. I am looking forward to Book 2 Previous Confections: An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery.
Great treat to read one of Ruth’s stories. And the cat is cute too. I read it quickly and the story stuck with me for days. I haven’t read all this author’s work but I like what I have! Recommend!
cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, amish, women-sleuths, fun
Jane’s present and future are much more interesting than her past! She has returned to the Amish community to share the apartment above her twin sister’s cupcake shop with two amazing senior citizens who are dedicated amateur sleuths. Great fun!
I enjoyed this delightful murder mystery book. Not that I think of murder as delightful, but in the way new to me author Ruth Hartzler told the story. I loved the lead character Jane Delight, although the circumstances that bought her to her twins sister’s cupcake shop weren’t of a delightful nature. The two elderly sisters, Eleanor and Matilda, both in their eighties kept things going along at a lively pace as they used their sleuthing skills to gather much needed clues to lead them to the real murderer. All the characters played their roles rather well but cute cat Mr Crumbles really licked the frosting off the cupcake, when it came time to stop the real murderer in their tracks before they could kill again.
This book is waiting to be read by all readers of Cozy mystery. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I wasn’t able to guess whodunit. Oh I thought I knew but I was wrong. That, my fellow sleuths , is what makes a murder mystery really good!!!
I downloaded a Kindle ebook copy of True Confections from Amazon. A favorable review was not requested. All of my opinions expressed here in this review are my own .
Jane Delight spent her 50th birthday being told by husband Ted Delight that she is being replaced by a much younger version and now she has nothing (except that she never really did with Ted anyway.)
Jane’s sister offers her an apartment above her Amish Cupcake Shop and Jane will help Rebecca with her baking and customers. She only has to meet her two very, very interesting roommates, Matilda and Eleanor.
All is well until a very pushy man who wants to buy out Rebecca’s shop drops over dead…in the shop. Well, here comes the suspect list (Jane) and an investigation including roommates and a cat plus a rather handsome Scottish detective. I really enjoyed this cozy. There are some tidbits about Amish living and ways, humor in the form of Matilda, Eleanor, Mr. Crumbles, a detective trying to understand Amish ways, and others. It’s a nice break from serious even with murder involved, and with an unpredictable ending with some danger and fun thrown in.
Ruth Hartzler is not a new author to me but The Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery series is new to me. Wow! What a good book! I loved the characters we met in this book. They are well developed and some have their quirky ways (think rollers always in her hair)! I loved the plot and the possibilities of who did it. I adored Mr. Crumbles! Wonderful story! I am sure I will be reading the next book in this series!