Baked Alaska

A Culinary Mystery #9

by Josi S. Kilpack

An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller’s latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughter’s upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman’s dead body is discovered during the first night at sea, Sadie’s apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets—and it would seem her son is keeping one from her.

Genres: Mystery, Lds Fiction, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Adult, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2013

About the author

I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child in 1998 and haven't stopped. My most recent books have been Historical Romance through the Proper Romance line with Shadow Mountain Publishing.

I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, and children.

Reviews

[Deborah Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the others, it is an easy read that engages you quickly. It didn't to be a mystery as much as an accounting of events.

[Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a review in exchange of an honest review for a tour.

Sadie Hoffmiller latest adventure takes place on an Alaskan Cruise. Sadie decides to take a relaxing trip and enjoy the luxury of the ship with her two grown children Shawn and Breanna as well as her boyfriend Pete. Before the ship even manages to leave the Port, it seems that her own son Shawn is carrying secrets when she spots him and another passenger woman in an awkward conversation and questions their tense relationship. So while Sadie snoops around to discover the identity of the woman and what she has to do with her son, the woman's body is found on deck with a bottle of possibly poisoned liquor.

This was a very interesting and different cozy mystery for me. I did in fact enjoy it. It had the comfort of a luxury cruise ship, lots of animated and interesting characters and although I have not read the other books, this can be read as a standalone no problem. It follows the main story line of Sadie as she tries to discover who was behind poisoning the mysterious woman her son's involved with. She also battles the fact that her son was keeping secrets from her, when Sadie herself is not a fan off. Aside from the main story line there is a bunch of little other stories of the ships characters that branch off in it's own way that make this as interesting as it is confusing. I have to admit, I had to back track a little to remember what went with what, but it was easy to keep track after a while.

Sadie was a bit nosy at times, but I have to hand it to her, she is one determined and gutsy character who really just wants to know what's going on with her son and how she could help him. Baked Alaska is also filled with yummy looking recipes that I am looking forward to trying. Interesting story line, a bit of an adventure, and of course a great mystery!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy to be a part of the blog tour for Baked Alaska by Josi Kilpack. I have really enjoyed this series and every book comes with a fun new setting and awesome recipes.

Sadie is honestly a busy body type that can't sit still. She likes to know everything. In the last few books she has calmed down a bit and I'm so glad. She is still Sadie but just not quite so overboard. She has been through a rough patch but she is rebounding and coming into a new and improved Sadie. At least I think so.

It's funny because I started reading this book right as I was working out details with my family for a cruise. We got it all booked as I am reading about a murder mystery on a cruise ship. Eek! Luckily I'm not going on an Alaskan cruise or there might have been one too many similarities!

I really related to Sadie's mother hen instincts with her son. It's a hard thing to let your kids grow up and trust them to make their own decisions. Especially decisions that don't involve you. Poor Sadie. Secrets are just no good. And Sean's secret is a doozy!

I was glad to see Pete in this book, stepping up and taking some control, helping. I've always loved Pete. He is steady and you can count on him. I'm so glad to see that to some degree, Sadie is giving up some of her crazy and trusting Pete's judgement. That trust is huge.

I don't think I've ever eaten Baked Alaska. It's such a shame because that cover looks really good and I'm thinking I've been deprived.

If you love a good, cozy murder mystery, you should really try Josi's Culinary mystery series. It's fun, easy reading. If you've already read most of this series and Baked Alaska is next, you know what you are in for. You won't be disappointed.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly spoof--no brainer for sure. Summer read.

[WTF Are You Reading? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josi Kilpack's "Baked Alaska" is a literal smorgasbord of interesting characters, winding plot lines, and delicious foodie goodness all rolled into one.
This book was my first experience with Sadie, Shawn, Breanna, and Pete but I was able to fall in love with all of them and found myself swept up in the story from the first page.
Sadie is a great mother to Shawn and Breanna, and I was very impressed with her level of involvement in their lives.
This mystery made great use of all of it's characters in a very new and interesting "all inclusive" way that adds to it's mystery element as well as it's emotional appeal.

This book is also written in a "story within a story" plot line format. By doing this the author is able to establish a central story line, while having other related subplots playing out in the background. This is very effective in this type of book because it allows the main story of Shawn, Breanna, Pete, Sadie, and the mystery women to play out; while other mysteries and happenings simmer in the background until there is a lull in the main story.
There is never a chance for boredom because of this style of writing and Josi does a wonderful job of keeping her story balanced and easy to follow.

Having come in on the tale end of this series, I must say that "Baked Alaska" is not a stand alone read. It becomes quite clear early on that there are things that those who have not read previous books are missing out on, as far as back story is concerned. This is most expressed in the character of Shawn.
So if it is at all possible start from as close to the beginning of this wonderful series as you can. - See more at: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/#stha...

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're considering taking a cruise, this probably isn't the book to read. Sadie Hoffmiller is looking forward to bringing her busy family together--her daughter who is making wedding plans, her son who is more busy than ever with school, and her boyfriend, who has just retired. Sadie believes it will be the perfect trip for everyone to spend time with each other.

But when her son, Shawn, is unusually late in joining them at the first meal, Sadie goes searching for him, and finds him in a heated discussion with a woman Sadie has never met. This begins a series of strange events that Sadie must unravel. One surprise leads to another until it becomes apparent that a couple of tragic events on the cruise are not so innocent.

Plenty of intrigue, many unexpected twists, and signature Sadie... all rolled into one with BAKED ALASKA. If you're not a fan yet, you will be after reading this book.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie is a character that you can't help but love. Her intentions are always great and she finds herself in the most precarious positions. She is smart and has a great sense of humor. She keeps going even when the road is rough.

In this book she is on an Alaskan Cruise with her boyfriend and her son and daughter. She wants her children to get to know Pete and connect with him because she is planning on getting married sometime in the future.

From day one, things go horribly awry and she finds her mother bear kicking in on several occasions. Her maternal instincts lead her to investigation to help out someone she loves.

This book is engaging and fun to read. Some of the recipes in the book look so yummy that I will be trying them out on my family.

This is a great cozy mystery and a fun series to read.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadie Hoffmiller is going on an Alaskan Cruise for a week with her two Grown Children Shawn and Breanna and her Boyfriend Pete. She is looking forward to her Children getting to know Pete better and to helping Breanna plan her upcoming Wedding. And except for the Mysterious Woman on board ship whom Shawn seems to know but refuses to talk about and Breanna's future Mother in law hijacking the Wedding plans plus the unexpected death of a fellow passenger Sadie's vacation would have been perfect. As it is Sadie will need to use all her investigative skille to navigate the deep waters of the mystery swirling around her family. Sadie must come to terms with the fact her Children are Grown and her life is changing and that the best laid plans can go awry especially when a secret gets thrown into the mix.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

October 2017-
This is one of my favorites in the series-I like it because it involved Sadie's kids & Pete + it's a unique story line. There are a couple times when I still wonder how on earth Sadie is okay with doing some of the things she does, but I loved seeing her relationship evolve with her son, Shawn. It had a really sweet ending.

February 2013-
Josi Kilpack has done it again. You would think that all these events that occur in Sadie's life wouldn't be natural, but Josi Kilpack has a way of making you believe that it just "happens" and it is normal. I have grown to love Sadie's character, even if she is a busybody, you can't help but cheer for her as she attempts to solve a mystery or crime. One of my favorite series. :)

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josi's latest release in the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mystery series, Baked Alaska, was another tasteful experience in sleuthing and culinary delight! I've read almost all of this series and I've been pleased with the level of Josi's writing--it just keeps getting better. Sadie is a well-loved character with plenty of genuine issues which add depth to her personality. After reading so many of her experiences, I feel like I know Sadie and can't wait to read her happy ending. I also love Josi's books because they are clean and well-rounded with a bit of humor, plenty of mystery, and nail-biting suspense.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Josi Kilpack. Not only does she weave a good mystery, she adds a bit of humanity to her books. This was the 9th book I have read and have really gotten to know Sadie and her family. She makes you anticipate but will surprise you at the end every time. Truly fun reads.

[Amanda Caswell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery part was ok, but I liked the side characters a whole lot better than I liked the whiny main character.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sticking with the series, but they're still 'just okay'

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are all about the same. I think the plot was a little tighter in this one than some of the others. It's a good vacation read when you don't want to think about anything too important.

[Amber Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadie was very annoying the first half of the book, I almost couldn't stand it. The mystery was fun to figure out though

[Johanna Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have read all of these books in order. I wanted something light for the summer. The recipes all sound so good. The murder mysteries are fun and imaginative with many twists.

But I would never, ever want to be Sadie's friend. And, yes, we are close to the same age so we could be contemporaries. However, she drives me crazy, even though she is good at being the mystery solver. Yes, she is caring and compassionate. She is funny and quirky. But, as others have said, she worries all the time about shallow things like her looks, recipes, etc. There seems to be no depth to her. She is the quintessential old lady, not good at technology, stuck in old fashioned ways, passing judgement on anyone and everyone's actions and values.

However, the aspect of her personality that really drives me crazy is her complete lack of personal integrity. She will make promises again and again to Pete, to law enforcement, to family about staying out of things. Then her mind goes through the rationalizations of why she shouldn't keep that promise. The loop plays over and over throughout every book.

It wasn't until this book that I could really see how selfish she is. In this book, everything she does is in the guise of being a mama bear who just can stop herself because she is trying to protect her kids. This includes breaking into a restaurant, copying high security papers on another's desk, and the list goes on. None of this is really to protect her children. These actions are to alleviate her own anxiety. Many times her actions make it worse for the people around her. In this book, there is a character that she emotionally wounds (again using the excuse of mama bear) and she wants to make it right, but not because she is worried about the other character's feelings; but because she doesn't like having people mad at her.

Really, it's Sadie's feelings that come first.

I do love Pete, who is almost too good to be true. And I can see that Sadie brings excitement into his life.

But here I am, knowing I will finish the series. I have enjoyed it. And how weird is it that the central character drives me completely crazy?

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Helynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie Hoffmiller really has her hands full this time around; and all she wanetd was a nice family cruise to Alaska with boyfriend Pete Cunninham, and her two adult children, Shawn and Breanna. But everyone is distraught. Breanna wants to plan her wedding, but her future mother-in-law in England is making all the decision and driving her crazy. Shawn’s birth mother, whom Sadie has never met, but whom Shawn has met earlier in secret, has shown up on the cruise and is making all of them extremely uncomfortable. And certain passengers on the ship are acting strangely, particularly in the ship’s casino. Soon there will be a heart attack that may have been caused by a sinister agenda, and when Sadie can’t help but meddle in the intrigue, her and Pete’s lives may hang in the balance. There is some tense drama here, especially when Sadie breaks in to another passenger’s stateroom and snoops around, and later when she and Pete face off with a homicidal couple in a game of blackjack. I felt bad for Sadie because in all of the intrigue going on, she missed most of the fun excursions including whale watching. But at least Breanna’s situation is nicely resolved. Recipes include Baked Alaska and a creamy salmon chowder.

[Lyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally skipped the last three books, and though I quickly realized I had gotten them out of order, I wasn't willing to wait for those three to arrive. That said, there were a few (extremely vague) references to some "trouble" in previous books that had some long lasting damage, but not much more than that was said. These books definitely stand alone. They build off of one another, but not a in way that ruins any of the previous stories if you find yourself out of order like I did.

I liked Sadie a little better in this book. But I love Pete, Shawn and Bre, so it was great to have them around. Sadie had to deal with some personal issues in this one and that's when I found her most human, most relatable. I liked the honesty. And her processing was helpful.

Some of her overreacting or lack of subtlety/tack drove me a little crazy, as usual, but her skills seem to have improved. The story was good - I didn't suspect a thing til the very end. And even now I'm only 90%. Eager to read the next one.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from the other Sadie Hoffmiller books, but I appreciated the difference. For one thing, we rarely get to deal with Sadie's family life in the middle of these mysteries. True, that's not the main point of these stories, but it's nice to know that Sadie is more than an amateur investigator who loves to bake. It's nice to get to know her family and her relationship with them. I especially loved this story dealt with her children's adoptions. That particular aspect of Sadie's life hasn't been tackled very much and I enjoyed that part of the story.

This also felt like a vacation from the frenetic pace of the series, which wasn't a bad thing. Pairing that with the cruise vacation theme, it felt right. Also, there wasn't just one set mystery for the story - felt like there were three different cases going on, so that made it fun.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waffled between 4 and 5 stars on this one. The beginning was lots of fun for me. I have been on an Alaskan cruise and the ports of call were the same as the one I was one, so it brought back a lot of really good memories. There were times when I got kind of annoyed with Sadie, which is why I went with the 4 stars instead of 5. I guess the big thing with amateur detectives (even ones with professional licenses) in stories is they always do things that would get them in trouble in real life. I have a very conservative personality, so the thought of being bold like that is really foreign to me. There were a couple of questions Kilpack left unanswered -- resolutions for some minor characters I would have liked. That said, I loved the ending. It was so sweet. Most of the books in the series have been lots of fun.

[Alicia Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment when Sadie is around!

This time she's on a cruise to Alaska with Pete, Bre, and Shawn. But it's not the relaxing cruise you would expect.. but then again... does Sadie ever get a relaxing vacation anymore?

Shawn is acting weird and distant and even angry, which is highly unlike him. Bre is secretive and then also stressed to the max while trying to plan her own wedding with her guy Liam.

A strange woman is on board that Sadie see's Shawn in a heated argument with, and later that same woman is found unconscious on a lounge chair.

There are so many questions and more issues arise during the cruise that throw the entire group through a loop and then more questions just keep popping up! Great story and don't worry, although we know more books are to come, almost all f the issues are resolved in this book!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become one of my favorites of this series. I have loved seeing Sadie's growth over the last 9 books, as well as Pete's. They have both changed and grown so much, and I love the growth in their relationship as well. Aside from Sadie, I believe Pete was my favorite character of this book. He was so tender and sweet towards Sadie throughout all of the ups and downs of this book. Also, I just really love Sadie. She is one of my favorite characters because Josi has created her to be "real." I love all of the random thoughts that enter her mind that are so off topic from what she is doing. Great book, and I did NOT see where this book would go as far as the mystery was concerned. Great read.

[Shae Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Josi's Culinary Mystery Series is wonderful! Baked Alaska shares some wonderful insights into the challenges of dating when you are older, maintaining relationships with your children as they get older, knowing when to let go an when to interfere, and basically all things that have to do with life as a single mother in a romantic relationship with older children. Throw in a little murder and intrigue and you have the makings of another fine book! However, one caveat - they are written to build on each other. If you don't read them in order you may feel a bit discombobulated trying to put some of the pieces together. This is #9. I have read some of the earlier ones, although not it order. I have some reading homework ahead of me...

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time Sadie is with her son and daughter on an Alaskan Cruise. Pete is also along. Shawn, her adopted son, discovers that his birth mother is on board as well and also a girl that his b/mom claims is his sister. Bmom is discovered near death after drinking a bottle of wine that was not hers. Sadie needs to prove that Shawn is not responsible while trying to deal with her daughter and her plans for her wedding. there is an unnecessary sub plot about a serial murder that basically fills in the required 363 pages. the main plot was one of the better plots in the series.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book a little before and a little after I took an Alaskan cruise, so it was extra fun for me. This one seemed a little lighter than some of her others, and I really enjoyed the family dynamics of having Sadie with Pete and her children, too. One of the plot points dealt with adopted children finding their birth mothers. This was especially interesting to me since I raised children who's birth mother died when they were young. I could relate to some of the insecurities Sadie felt as well as the desire her son to know his heritage.

[Samantha Zollinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5 Stars.

On this episode of what trouble can Sadie Hoffmiller get herself into…Sadie and her family are on vacation. An Alaskan Cruise. Suddenly a woman is found unconscious and Sadie finds herself unexpectedly connected to this woman. I have absolutely no desire to go on an Alaskan Cruise EVER, but Josi S. Kilpack makes the excursions sound fun and paints a beautiful picture of Alaska

[Naomi Noorda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that it was set on a cruise ship since I’m going on my first cruise in a few weeks with my husband.
Was honestly surprised that there was no connection between the poisoned wine and the injection, even though Ben was involved in both of them. Puzzling.
Really loved the commentary about what it’s like for adoptive and birth parents, and Sadie’s vulnerability in that realm.
Loved the wedding at the end. So happy for Bre and Liam and Sadie and Pete. Tender.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Sadie Hoffmiller. I like how the author describes Sadie’s feelings and motives and dilemmas and thought processes. I feel like I can really relate to her anxiety, and worries about her children, and her concerns about doing the right thing. I like the characters in these books, and I’m glad Pete finally proposed.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting series with several unique recipes thus the basis for this series. This takes place on a cruise ship in Alaska where mysterious things happen to several cruise goers. The main characters investigate those involved to get to the bottom of it while planning a wedding and getting her grown children and boyfriend to get to know each other.

[Mary Elizabeth Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to really enjoy the books in this series. The mystery is exciting, the family relationships are authentic and the adventure is entertaining. Until the last ten pages my rating was a solid four stars. But with an unexpected and sweet ending, I happily raised my rating to five stars. Another 'yummy' cover too. 9 books read, 3 left to read in this delightful series.💙💞