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Deputy Donut Mystery #1
Survival of the Fritters
Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.
If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .
Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .
If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .
Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .
296 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2018
258 people are currently reading
3473 people want to read
About the author
Ginger Bolton
15 books527 followersGinger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series--cops, crime, coffee, donuts and one curious cat. When Ginger isn't writing or reading, she's crocheting, knitting, walking her two rescue dogs and generally causing trouble.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 428 reviews
January 15, 2018
Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton is the first book in the new cozy Deputy Donut Mystery series. The main character Emily Westhill runs a donut shop with her father in law in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and when one of their regular customers is found dead Emily finds herself in the middle of the case.
This series to me has a lot of potential to be a really good one but I didn’t think it stood out and shined much in the first book. Emily was likable enough as a character but I didn’t feel overly drawn to her either. I would have liked to have seen her have a bit more determination in solving the crime instead she seemed to be dragged into investigating.
The book also starts off in the donut shop with a whole group of local elderly ladies attending their knitting club so I was immediately on alert hoping this group would be featured quite a bit with some hilarious hijinks and when that didn’t come about I thought it was a missed opportunity. The main characters in the story felt like they weren’t quite fully developed so the secondary ones seemed to completely hide in the shadows but hopefully we’ll get more in the future.
The setting is a nice one that I enjoyed and I was glad to see some sort of connection to law enforcement giving the main character a bit more believability. There was a possibility of a future love interest but thankfully so far it wasn’t pushed as we just touched on what had happened to our character in the past. In the end I'd rate this at 3.5 stars and I thought while there was room for a bit of improvement this could still lead to a great series overall in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
This series to me has a lot of potential to be a really good one but I didn’t think it stood out and shined much in the first book. Emily was likable enough as a character but I didn’t feel overly drawn to her either. I would have liked to have seen her have a bit more determination in solving the crime instead she seemed to be dragged into investigating.
The book also starts off in the donut shop with a whole group of local elderly ladies attending their knitting club so I was immediately on alert hoping this group would be featured quite a bit with some hilarious hijinks and when that didn’t come about I thought it was a missed opportunity. The main characters in the story felt like they weren’t quite fully developed so the secondary ones seemed to completely hide in the shadows but hopefully we’ll get more in the future.
The setting is a nice one that I enjoyed and I was glad to see some sort of connection to law enforcement giving the main character a bit more believability. There was a possibility of a future love interest but thankfully so far it wasn’t pushed as we just touched on what had happened to our character in the past. In the end I'd rate this at 3.5 stars and I thought while there was room for a bit of improvement this could still lead to a great series overall in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
February 25, 2018
An entertaining debut featuring a great cast of central characters. Protagonist, Emily, opened the Deputy Donut Shop with her father-in-law after the death of her husband, Alec, a police detective. She has a clever, protective cat, ‘Dep’ who the shop is named after. When an elderly customer who is a knitter and a doll doctor doesn’t show up for a Knitpicker meeting at the shop, Em joins the other ladies in the group to go to her home and check on her. They find her murdered. Em, and her husband’s ex-partner, Brent; work closely with Lois, Georgia’s best friend; and some of Emily’s law enforcement contacts to establish a timeline of events before and after Georgia’s death. They must also figure out how her death could be related to the unsolved mystery of her son’s murder five years ago.
The story pacing is fast; the Wisconsin location is charming; there are red herrings galore; dry humor; and I didn’t realize the identity of the culprit until the protagonist put two and two together herself. I’m looking forward to reading book two.
The story pacing is fast; the Wisconsin location is charming; there are red herrings galore; dry humor; and I didn’t realize the identity of the culprit until the protagonist put two and two together herself. I’m looking forward to reading book two.
January 19, 2018
The cover caught my eye and made me decide to give this book a try. I love everything about it: the super cute kitty (and I am not a cat person due to allergies), the donuts, the colours - it absolutely screamed READ ME...and I was not disappointed. A great mystery that didn't let me go and kept me thinking about the book when life got in the way and I couldn't just sit and read.
Emily and Tom, the father of her late husband and ex police chief, own the Deputy Donut coffee and donut shop. The Knitpickers, a local knitting group, are regulars at the donut shop. One day Georgia Treetor a member of the group doesn't show up for their meeting and Emily and the Knitpickers go to check up on her and find her dead in her home. Lois an old friend of Georgia just moved back to Fallingbrook is attacked in her backyard soon after...
Interesting characters, a pinch of romance and Emily's cute cat Deputy Donut after which the donut shop is named are some of the ingredients for this fast paced and fun mystery.
I got hooked and added the Deputy Donut mysteries to my "must read series".
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Kensington and the author provided me with an advance copy.
Emily and Tom, the father of her late husband and ex police chief, own the Deputy Donut coffee and donut shop. The Knitpickers, a local knitting group, are regulars at the donut shop. One day Georgia Treetor a member of the group doesn't show up for their meeting and Emily and the Knitpickers go to check up on her and find her dead in her home. Lois an old friend of Georgia just moved back to Fallingbrook is attacked in her backyard soon after...
Interesting characters, a pinch of romance and Emily's cute cat Deputy Donut after which the donut shop is named are some of the ingredients for this fast paced and fun mystery.
I got hooked and added the Deputy Donut mysteries to my "must read series".
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Kensington and the author provided me with an advance copy.
June 6, 2019
An entertaining debut featuring a great cast of central characters. Protagonist, Emily, opened the Deputy Donut Shop with her father-in-law after the death of her husband, Alec, a police detective. She has a clever, protective cat, ‘Dep’ who the shop is named after. When an elderly customer who is a knitter and a doll doctor doesn’t show up for a Knitpicker meeting at the shop, Em joins the other ladies in the group to go to her home and check on her. They find her murdered. Em, and her husband’s ex-partner, Brent; work closely with Lois, Georgia’s best friend; and some of Emily’s law enforcement contacts to establish a timeline of events before and after Georgia’s death. They must also figure out how her death could be related to the unsolved mystery of her son’s murder five years ago.
The story pacing is fast; the Wisconsin location is charming; there are red herrings galore; dry humor; and I didn’t realize the identity of the culprit until the protagonist put two and two together herself. I’m looking forward to reading book two.
The story pacing is fast; the Wisconsin location is charming; there are red herrings galore; dry humor; and I didn’t realize the identity of the culprit until the protagonist put two and two together herself. I’m looking forward to reading book two.
February 10, 2018
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Set in fabulous Wisconsin this book gets this series off to a wonderful start.
We meet widow Emily Westhill and her father-in-law Tom, owners of the local donut shop lovingly named after her tabby cat Deputy Donut. When one of their regulars fails to show up to meet her knitting circle her friends get worried. By the end of the day, Emily tags along with the group to see if something happened to Georgia at home. When they find the woman dead on the floor surrounded by donuts from Emily’s shop, Emily has to draw on her dispatch training to get them through the aftermath of their discovery. The woman’s son died on the same day 5 years ago. A case that stuck with both her husband and his partner. Since her husband’s death, Emily has steered clear of his partner Brent, but this new murder has brought them back together. Emily used to be a good sounding board for her husband. Can she and Brent work together to solve this murder?
This author also wrote the Threadville Mysteries as herself, Janet Bolin. A series I absolutely loved. So when I heard she was writing a series set in my home state I was over the moon.
This new set of characters is very captivating. The idea of Emily working with her father-in-law/retired police chief is such a fun idea. Everyone knows how much police officers love their donuts. Emily and Tom work well together and the shop has a set up where Deputy Donut “Dep” can watch over the whole place without getting in trouble with the health department. He is a very special cat too, attentive, inquisitive and very important to Emily, the donut shop, and this story. Emily’s friends, Misty, a police officer and Samantha, an EMT, have Emily’s back no matter what. Emily is a wonderful protagonist. You know right away she has a caring heart, but it is a little closed off dealing with the grief of losing her husband and guilt thinking had she been working the dispatch when the call came in that maybe he would still be alive.
The mystery itself is pretty complex. The suspect pool was very small until Emily did a lot of snooping in both in the cold case and the new one. To say I was shocked at the big killer reveal would be an understatement. I really enjoyed the ending, it sure got my heart rate escalating.
As I said, the story is set in Wisconsin, but it was Emily’s Fallingbrook home and yard that were very intriguing. Her place and her neighbors are connected in a unique way, and she didn’t know it until this mystery begins.
The author writes with a delightful descriptive style that makes the story flow so well. She drew me in quickly and I was actually sad when I reached the final page. I want to know these characters better. I am excited to see what happens next in their lives. Goodbye Cruller World hits bookstores August 28 and I can’t wait.
Set in fabulous Wisconsin this book gets this series off to a wonderful start.
We meet widow Emily Westhill and her father-in-law Tom, owners of the local donut shop lovingly named after her tabby cat Deputy Donut. When one of their regulars fails to show up to meet her knitting circle her friends get worried. By the end of the day, Emily tags along with the group to see if something happened to Georgia at home. When they find the woman dead on the floor surrounded by donuts from Emily’s shop, Emily has to draw on her dispatch training to get them through the aftermath of their discovery. The woman’s son died on the same day 5 years ago. A case that stuck with both her husband and his partner. Since her husband’s death, Emily has steered clear of his partner Brent, but this new murder has brought them back together. Emily used to be a good sounding board for her husband. Can she and Brent work together to solve this murder?
This author also wrote the Threadville Mysteries as herself, Janet Bolin. A series I absolutely loved. So when I heard she was writing a series set in my home state I was over the moon.
This new set of characters is very captivating. The idea of Emily working with her father-in-law/retired police chief is such a fun idea. Everyone knows how much police officers love their donuts. Emily and Tom work well together and the shop has a set up where Deputy Donut “Dep” can watch over the whole place without getting in trouble with the health department. He is a very special cat too, attentive, inquisitive and very important to Emily, the donut shop, and this story. Emily’s friends, Misty, a police officer and Samantha, an EMT, have Emily’s back no matter what. Emily is a wonderful protagonist. You know right away she has a caring heart, but it is a little closed off dealing with the grief of losing her husband and guilt thinking had she been working the dispatch when the call came in that maybe he would still be alive.
The mystery itself is pretty complex. The suspect pool was very small until Emily did a lot of snooping in both in the cold case and the new one. To say I was shocked at the big killer reveal would be an understatement. I really enjoyed the ending, it sure got my heart rate escalating.
As I said, the story is set in Wisconsin, but it was Emily’s Fallingbrook home and yard that were very intriguing. Her place and her neighbors are connected in a unique way, and she didn’t know it until this mystery begins.
The author writes with a delightful descriptive style that makes the story flow so well. She drew me in quickly and I was actually sad when I reached the final page. I want to know these characters better. I am excited to see what happens next in their lives. Goodbye Cruller World hits bookstores August 28 and I can’t wait.
May 20, 2021
I have read the 2nd book in series first. And I just got done with the first. First one is about Emily and her late cop husband Alex father in law Tom owning Deputy Donuts a donut and coffee shop (the coffee from all over the world) Deputy Donut was Emily and Alex kitty too she had donut designs on her side.Emily decided to open up a donut shop after her husband Alex died in line of duty. She used to be 911 dispatcher buy after her husband died she did not want the job anymore. Bring back to much emotional memories of her husband dyiny. The 1st book in series. Tom and Emily had not seen one of their favorite costumers Georgia come in with the Knitpickers. A group where ladies knit in shop. Lois a very old friend of Georgia was in her place Emily never saw her before. All the Knitpickers and Emily were worried about her because she never missed anything. So they decided to go to Georgia house. There they saw an upsetting scene. 5years ago Georgia son got murdered. Too. Brent a cop that Emily late husband Alec best friend try to find out who killed son and mother. They were suspecting Lois and her great nephew Randy that Emily remembered from high school were the ones who did it. This first book tells about the squad car 1950 Fordor for Ford the one in book 2 how they found it. I love all the different donuts and fritters that they make raised donuts with fudge frosting, raise blueberry donut with lemon icing with raspberry jam dusted with powdered sugar unraise donut confetoners sugar and nutmeg fundraiser orange with orange icing with bits of candied ginger and sprinkled dark icing, fritters orange blueberry fritter strawberry donut pink icing and dark pink sprinkles shaped tiny strawberries and many more. I really love these books. Will keep reading them
January 31, 2018
Survival of the Fritters is the first installment of the Deputy Donuts Mystery Series. Emily runs a donut and coffee shop in Fallingbrook WI with the father of her late husband. Her father-in-law is a former retired police chief. Emily is a former 911 operator, so both have experience in dealing with emergencies. When one of their regular customers fails to show up at the coffee shop, Emily and a few members of the local knitting group become concerned. Soon, the customer is found dead in her kitchen, five years after her son was murdered. Could the suspicious deaths be related? Emily is determined to find out. I give this book a solid 3 stars. It is an interesting story line and the mystery is well-crafted. The recipes provided at the end of the book are appetizing and I plan on trying at least two. I wish the characters had been a little more developed and therefore more relatable. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series to see how the characters develop. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley, but this did not affect my rating. I have provided an unbiased and honest review.
January 30, 2018
Emily Westhill used to be a 911 operator. After the death of her beloved cop husband, she decides it’s time for a career change. She opens a donut shop with her father-in-law and her kitty Deputy Donut. When one of her customers is murdered, Emily can’t stop herself from trying to figure out who the killer is.
Things take a scary turn when Emily’s next door neighbor is attacked in her own home. Then, Emily discovers this attack and the murder could be connected to the case her husband had been working on before his death. All kinds of emotions are stirred up for Emily, but it doesn’t stop her from trying to figure out what is going on in this small town.
The author did a good job of giving us characters the readers can care about. I felt that way especially about Emily. She has a lot on her plate, but it doesn’t get her down. She’s an easy character to root for and I wanted to see her succeed. There are many emotions running strong for her, but at the same time, she’s trying to establish herself and move on after the loss of her husband.
There’s, also, a cat involved so that always makes me happy :) The cat, Deputy Donut, lends a helping paw in trying to solve the case.
The secondary characters are interesting and are well developed. That’s sometimes hard to accomplish in the first book in a series, but this author did and she did it well.
The mystery is intriguing with many twists and turns. There were several different possible outcomes and it wasn’t easy to figure out.
I enjoyed this first book of the series and look foward to reading the next one. This series off to a great start.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Things take a scary turn when Emily’s next door neighbor is attacked in her own home. Then, Emily discovers this attack and the murder could be connected to the case her husband had been working on before his death. All kinds of emotions are stirred up for Emily, but it doesn’t stop her from trying to figure out what is going on in this small town.
The author did a good job of giving us characters the readers can care about. I felt that way especially about Emily. She has a lot on her plate, but it doesn’t get her down. She’s an easy character to root for and I wanted to see her succeed. There are many emotions running strong for her, but at the same time, she’s trying to establish herself and move on after the loss of her husband.
There’s, also, a cat involved so that always makes me happy :) The cat, Deputy Donut, lends a helping paw in trying to solve the case.
The secondary characters are interesting and are well developed. That’s sometimes hard to accomplish in the first book in a series, but this author did and she did it well.
The mystery is intriguing with many twists and turns. There were several different possible outcomes and it wasn’t easy to figure out.
I enjoyed this first book of the series and look foward to reading the next one. This series off to a great start.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
January 15, 2018
The first in a new series and a new author for me.
In Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, Emily Westhill has open a Donut Shop with her Father-in-law, Tom after the death of her husband a few years ago. It is named her cat, Deputy Donut aka Dep. The pair established the shop as Emily had many requested to buy her donuts. The shop has become popular with the police department. Tim was the police chief for many years. Tom fixed the office as a cat so she is with them during the day but not breaking any health code laws.
One of the regular knitknickers group Georgia Treetor is late for coffee and we meet Lois Unterlaw , a close friend of Georgia. Later the Knitkniters picked up Emily and they go to Georgia's home to find her dead. Lois becomes a person of interest in the murder. Emily works with her husband partner to clear Lois. The ending will please you. Dep has a special role in the story. I am looking forward to Emily and Dep's next adventure. I highly recommend this book. Recipes are included.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kennington Books through NetGalley for a review. My thanks to them for the opportunity to review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
In Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, Emily Westhill has open a Donut Shop with her Father-in-law, Tom after the death of her husband a few years ago. It is named her cat, Deputy Donut aka Dep. The pair established the shop as Emily had many requested to buy her donuts. The shop has become popular with the police department. Tim was the police chief for many years. Tom fixed the office as a cat so she is with them during the day but not breaking any health code laws.
One of the regular knitknickers group Georgia Treetor is late for coffee and we meet Lois Unterlaw , a close friend of Georgia. Later the Knitkniters picked up Emily and they go to Georgia's home to find her dead. Lois becomes a person of interest in the murder. Emily works with her husband partner to clear Lois. The ending will please you. Dep has a special role in the story. I am looking forward to Emily and Dep's next adventure. I highly recommend this book. Recipes are included.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kennington Books through NetGalley for a review. My thanks to them for the opportunity to review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
March 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this first start of the series. I enjoyed the donut shop, the characters, and the mystery. I thought I figured it out, but I didn’t.
My only very little complaint is the emphasis on all the “hot” guys and commentary of beauty standards. It’s just something I do t enjoy, but with the ladies in the book and their ages I understand the dating and beauty chatter. I also did not care that the one plus size person described in the story, Honey, is described as so gross and is basically a desperate and hateful woman.
Now the good stuff… cozy… the donuts sound delightful and the shop so cute. The older characters are fun and sweet. The town sounds incredible and I even like the potential love interest. I teared up when the MC talked about her loss. I love the cat too Deputy sounds awesome!!
3.5 stars
My only very little complaint is the emphasis on all the “hot” guys and commentary of beauty standards. It’s just something I do t enjoy, but with the ladies in the book and their ages I understand the dating and beauty chatter. I also did not care that the one plus size person described in the story, Honey, is described as so gross and is basically a desperate and hateful woman.
Now the good stuff… cozy… the donuts sound delightful and the shop so cute. The older characters are fun and sweet. The town sounds incredible and I even like the potential love interest. I teared up when the MC talked about her loss. I love the cat too Deputy sounds awesome!!
3.5 stars
February 21, 2018
Former 911 operator, Emily Westhill and her father-in-law and former police chief, Tom Westhill, are co-owners of Deputy Donut, a donut and coffee shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. After Emily’s husband was killed while working a call, Emily quit her position. While coping with the loss of her husband, she found her donut making talent, hence the opening of Deputy Donut with her husband’s father, Tom. The name Deputy Donut was adopted from their tabby cat, Deputy Donut, who went to work with Emily every day. A favorite meeting place for the area police officers, it was also a favorite for a group of ladies named the Knitpickers, a knitting circle. Every morning the ladies would arrive to sit and share gossip while they enjoyed the daily donut special and coffee. When Georgia Teeter, a member of the Knitpickers, doesn’t show up one morning and is unable to be reached by Lois Underlaw, another member, the Knitpickers as well as Emily decide to check out Georgia’s residence. When Georgia doesn’t respond to their knock or their call, the ladies enter the house. Georgia was found in her kitchen dead, surrounded by the donuts she had purchased at Deputy Donut’s. 911 is called and the ladies await the arrival of the police and emergency personnel to arrive. Unfortunately, when Emily’s husband’s former partner, Brent Fyne arrives as the officer in charge, Emily has a hard time. With the aid of the Knitpicker’s will Emily be able to solve the case of who murdered Georgia even though they are warned to not get involved. The answer can only be found by reading the book.
Ginger Bolton has presented a storyline that will keep reader’s page turning to the end. The characters are well-developed and believable. I fell in love with Deputy Donut, a cute little tabby cat who has a personality that will win over most anyone. This is the first book in the series, so it will be interesting to see where Ms. Bolton takes her characters and their relationships.
Ginger Bolton has presented a storyline that will keep reader’s page turning to the end. The characters are well-developed and believable. I fell in love with Deputy Donut, a cute little tabby cat who has a personality that will win over most anyone. This is the first book in the series, so it will be interesting to see where Ms. Bolton takes her characters and their relationships.
June 7, 2021
This book was fantastic! I literally couldn't put it down. I am so excited that I am behind because now I can binge the series. I would highly recommend you read this one if you haven't already.
January 29, 2018
Ginger Bolton is a new to me author and this is the first book in her new Deputy Donut Mystery. I found this to be a fun, easy read with a steady pace that had me turning pages. Emily Westhill is a sympathetic, likable main characters. She is a widow still trying to find her footing after the death of her police officer husband a few years earlier. She comes across, at least to me, as caring and genuine. There is an interesting cast of secondary characters that round out the story nicely. This is a first book in a new series, so I am looking forward to seeing the characters develop and grow more.
I thought the mystery was well done. There are clues, twists and turns sprinkled throughout the story and done well enough to throw the reader off the trail of the real killer. There is also the hint of a potential future romance down the road for Emily if she is willing to take the chance.
This book is scheduled for release on January 30th. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
I thought the mystery was well done. There are clues, twists and turns sprinkled throughout the story and done well enough to throw the reader off the trail of the real killer. There is also the hint of a potential future romance down the road for Emily if she is willing to take the chance.
This book is scheduled for release on January 30th. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
February 8, 2018
Great start to the Deputy Donut mystery series!
Emily is still grieving the loss of her husband who was a policeman, she quit being a 911 operator as well. She started making donuts and it started out with making a donut cake for someone and then others wanted them. So she opened a donut shop with her father-in-law, Tom, who was an ex-policeman.
The donut shop has it's regulars and one of them is a group of knitters, when one doesn't show up the others are a bit worried. Emily is not real worried but she is concerned, so when a group of them decide to go to Georgia's house to check on her. They find Georgia dead with a doll sporting a donut skirt in her mouth.
The investigation brings her husbands partner and she reignites a friendship with him that she had sort of let fall by the wayside as it was just hard to be friends with him since her husband died. She also starts a friendship with her new neighbor Lois who gets conked on the head and has a link to what happened to Georgia. Lois refuses to believe that the person she thinks of might have done anything to Georgia or hit her on the head even though a lot of the evidence points their way.
Emily decides to do a bit of snooping and knows some information that Lois has told her that she knows she should share and so she tells Brent and he tries to get Lois to talk about it on her own. Sometimes it looks like Lois could be guilty of some things but Emily just doesn't believe that. By the time Emily figures things out she is in a dangerous situation.
I liked Emily but I also thought as a former dispatcher and having a cop for a husband, she should have known better than to do some of the things she did at the scene of the crime. I know some of it was just a reaction but after she knew the lady was dead she still did some things that drove me crazy. I love her idea of donut cakes I think I might like those more than regular cakes...yum. I liked the secondary characters too, Brent sounds like a nice guy, I also liked her father-in-law, Tom too.
It has a really good mystery and I didn't guess who the bad guy was as I thought it was someone else, so that is always good. :) I can't wait to see what will happen next in this series. Though I am not a cat person, Deputy Donut aka Dep is kind of cute. ;)
Emily is still grieving the loss of her husband who was a policeman, she quit being a 911 operator as well. She started making donuts and it started out with making a donut cake for someone and then others wanted them. So she opened a donut shop with her father-in-law, Tom, who was an ex-policeman.
The donut shop has it's regulars and one of them is a group of knitters, when one doesn't show up the others are a bit worried. Emily is not real worried but she is concerned, so when a group of them decide to go to Georgia's house to check on her. They find Georgia dead with a doll sporting a donut skirt in her mouth.
The investigation brings her husbands partner and she reignites a friendship with him that she had sort of let fall by the wayside as it was just hard to be friends with him since her husband died. She also starts a friendship with her new neighbor Lois who gets conked on the head and has a link to what happened to Georgia. Lois refuses to believe that the person she thinks of might have done anything to Georgia or hit her on the head even though a lot of the evidence points their way.
Emily decides to do a bit of snooping and knows some information that Lois has told her that she knows she should share and so she tells Brent and he tries to get Lois to talk about it on her own. Sometimes it looks like Lois could be guilty of some things but Emily just doesn't believe that. By the time Emily figures things out she is in a dangerous situation.
I liked Emily but I also thought as a former dispatcher and having a cop for a husband, she should have known better than to do some of the things she did at the scene of the crime. I know some of it was just a reaction but after she knew the lady was dead she still did some things that drove me crazy. I love her idea of donut cakes I think I might like those more than regular cakes...yum. I liked the secondary characters too, Brent sounds like a nice guy, I also liked her father-in-law, Tom too.
It has a really good mystery and I didn't guess who the bad guy was as I thought it was someone else, so that is always good. :) I can't wait to see what will happen next in this series. Though I am not a cat person, Deputy Donut aka Dep is kind of cute. ;)
January 23, 2018
I read Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton yesterday. This was a very compelling cozy mystery with a great story, filled with twists turns and nostalgia. I love the complex relationships and back story of main character Em. A young widowed police officer's wife, who together with the retired chief of police who also happens to be her father in law open a doughnut and coffee shop. The mystery and the unraveling of facts was fascinating, and so well thought out. This is a very well written cozy and I think this will make a wonderful series. I really enjoyed it and this one comes out January 30th from Kensington.
January 10, 2018
Survival of the Fritters is a really good mystery. I love the main character, Emily, as well as her friends. I was glad to see that a romance wasn't a focal point for the main character right off the bat. It's good to have a change of pace in that regard because so many mysteries focus on romance too. I was actually shocked by who the killer was. I love it when I'm blindsided by who the killer is in mysteries... because it rarely happens. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series because the first chapter was included at the end of this book and it already caught my interest. I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers, especially if you like mysteries featuring cats, because Emily's cat, Dep, is featured prominently in the book.
Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
February 7, 2025
Twenty-nine year-old widow, Emily, is content to run the coffee and doughnut shop she co-owns with her father-in-law, Tom, the retired chief of police, and play with her cat, Deputy Donut. Emily enjoys getting to know the regulars, like the ladies of Knitpickers, a knitting group that meets every weekday morning. One regular, Georgia, even orders doughnuts to go to tide her over on the weekend. Now Georgia's friend Lois has moved back to town and joined the group. All should be well but when Georgia fails to appear for their regular meeting and doesn't call, Lois becomes worries. Later that day, the Knitpickers pick up Emily and hop in Lois's mini van to Georgia's house where Emily discovers Georgia lying on the floor of the kitchen pantry with a teen doll in a doughnut "dress" stuck in her mouth. When Emily removes the doll, Georgia doesn't respond. First responders declare Georgia dead and the neighbor across the street claims she was worried something had happened to Georgia. Then Emily's cat discovers a secret passageway between her walled garden and next door, which happens to be Lois's new house where Lois is lying in the mud in her garden, dazed and confused. Emily feels someone attacked Lois but Lois swears she fell on her own. Other little things don't add up and Lois eventually confesses she was attacked and is afraid if the police get involved it will put her and Emily in danger. Emily turns to her late husband's police partner, Alec, for help. Unfortunately, he suspects Lois's great-nephew is behind Georgia's murder and the attack on Lois. Lois swears Randy couldn't have done it but Alec isn't so sure. He isn't sold on Lois not being the killer either and when the chief brings in a state crime scene investigator, she suspects not only Randy and Lois but even Emily! It's up to Emily to put together the clues and save her new friend.
Well this was different! I expected a lot of world building and set up before the murder happened but this story gets off to a roaring start and is quick paced. I couldn't put it down! I liked the shop, it's very fancy for a doughnut shop. I wasn't sure if I would like all the law enforcement and first responder characters but it wasn't too much. If anything, it makes Emily less inclined to be stupid. There weren't enough characters in the story though so I figured out who the killer was pretty quickly, without even guessing at a motive, just by process of elimination. The story was well plotted and I wasn't 100% certain I was correct. The murderer was very clever and devious.
I like Emily well enough. She's a very caring person and has a good head on her shoulders. She worked as a 911 operator when her husband was killed in the line of duty. She was off that night and feels guilty, as if she could have saved Alec. Emily is still traumatized from Alec's death and nothing she's tried has helped her heal completely but life moves on and she just goes day by day. She SAYS she's not ready to date again and will never love again but I think she will. For all he's the co-owner of the shop, Tom doesn't appear much. He's the chief doughnut fryer and not the face of the business the way Emily is. He's also the retired chief of police though so I would expect him to want to be out there in the shop keeping an eye on things. Tom and Emily have a good rapport and work well together. Emily's cat, Deputy Donut, for whom the shop is named, is a great character. I'm not a cat person but I rather like this spoiled diva who knows how to get what she wants from TWO human "mothers"! She senses when something is wrong and leads Emily to act. When she likes someone, she's generous with her affection. When she doesn't, watch out because she becomes catzilla!
Georgia was a sweet little old lady who loved repairing dolls, knitting, crocheting and quilting. Her home was a doll hospital where she repaired and made cloth dolls. Five years ago her only son, her only child, Matthias, was murdered and his murder has been unsolved. Matthias was a well-liked grocer and no one can think of any reason for someone to want to murder him. How heartbreaking for Georgia's friends to watch Georgia lose her only child and then her own life. That's just awful! Her oldest friend Lois wants this murder solved. She is Emily's co-sleuth and pushes Emily into investigating. Lois seems like a nice old lady and a lot of fun. She was widowed 50 years ago at 22 (WWII?) after only one year of marriage and Georgia was like a sister to her and Matthias, a son. Her only family is a great-nephew, Randy and she loves him very much in spite of his shady past. I think Lois is sweet and I like her a lot but I think she's naive and too trusting. The other ladies in the knitting group don't appear again after discovering Georgia's body.
Emily's two best friends since childhood, Samantha and Tina, are also in local public professions. Samantha is a fun-loving EMT who wants to date a nice man and Tina, an Amazon apparently due to Scandinavian heritage (totally unnecessary to describe her like that) is a tough cop when she's on duty but is a caring friend and can let loose when she's not working. She, too, wants a nice date.
Eligible bachelor #1 is Brent, Emily's late husband's partner on the force. Brent was with Alec when Alec was shot and survived. We don't get any intel on his thoughts, whether he feels survivor's guilt or how much he misses his best friend. He seems to care for Emily but she keeps him at arm's length. Brent is a good detective, he listens and has compassion for his suspects. He's kind and considerate towards everyone, for the most part. While the evidence is circumstantial, as the evidence builds, it does seem more and more like Randy is the culprit. Brent is cautious and doesn't build a case against Randy or arrest him for no good reason. He lets Emily in on secrets by speaking in monosyllables and letting her infer his meaning. I like Brent and I think he and Emily will get together but I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not sure they SHOULD.
Eligible Bachelor #2 is Oliver, the high school hottie every girl sighed over. His good looks make Emily blush and her friends are eager to go out with Oliver now he's divorced. I found his personality lacking. He seems like a mansplainer and isn't used to rejection. He just assumes all women want to go out with him and he only needs to pick one- Emily! She's too nice to let him down firmly but gently and he's too stupid to take the hints. I find him smarmy. Eligible bachelor #3 is Scott, a firefighter. He's young, good looking and good natured. Unlike with Oliver, Emily can tell HIM she's not interested in dating. Scott takes it well and he claims he's not interested either. Eligible bachelor #4 is Randy, Lois's great-nephew. He was a bad boy in high school who gave himself a tattoo and drove a beat up old car. All the girls thought he was cute but knew he was bad news. He left town 5 years ago after Georgia's son was murdered and now he's back. Lois is convinced her great-nephew has reformed and he's innocent. I'm not certain he is.
Emily starts looking into Matthias's death and discovers two people who had a motive to murder him. Honey, a bridezilla at the time, claimed Matthias sold her tainted meat that made her ill and caused her groom to ditch her. She, apparently, was the only one who didn't know about the tainted meat from the meat packer and the refund Matthias was offering. Honey is now overweight and alone. I didn't like how she's fat shamed by everyone or how she's portrayed as a whiny, sadsack loser. She's awful! I feel bad for her though because life has dealt her a rough hand. She's on the lookout for a new boy toy but unwilling to be friendly enough with anyone who can introduce her to one of the eligible bachelors in town. Did Honey kill Matthias? I think she just likes to whine and complain and try to get people to feel sorry for her. Frederick Aggelton bought Taste of Fallingbrook, a gourmet grocery, from Georgia after Matthias was killed. Frederick was after Matthias to sell him the shop for YEARS and finally wore down a grieving mother. THAT tells me what kind of man he is. Then there's Emily's description of the shop, no longer a gourmet grocery! No one shops there anymore and products are out of date and the place smells bad. Frederick is Emily's top suspect in Matthias's murder, especially when Brent reminds her Frederick had another motive. Frederick proclaims his innocence but I think he's over compensating and certainly has something to hide.
A prime suspect in Georgia's murder is Dr. Jierson, an expensive dentist who is on call 24/7 to make his patients feel good again. He had beef with Georgia before she was killed and reading between the lines, he's a controlling narcissist who doesn't treat his wife very well. Mrs. Jierson is young and doesn't seem to have her own identity. She acts nervous every time she speaks with Emily and may know more than she's willing to let on about the day Georgia died. Could they have conspired to kill Georgia or does Mrs. J know Dr. J is the murderer or suspect? That guy is a little creepy if you ask me. There's no reason to connect either Jierson with Matthias though so if they did kill Georgia, Matthias's killer is still out there somewhere.
I liked this story enough to want to keep going. I don't think the series will be a top favorite though. We shall see.
Well this was different! I expected a lot of world building and set up before the murder happened but this story gets off to a roaring start and is quick paced. I couldn't put it down! I liked the shop, it's very fancy for a doughnut shop. I wasn't sure if I would like all the law enforcement and first responder characters but it wasn't too much. If anything, it makes Emily less inclined to be stupid. There weren't enough characters in the story though so I figured out who the killer was pretty quickly, without even guessing at a motive, just by process of elimination. The story was well plotted and I wasn't 100% certain I was correct. The murderer was very clever and devious.
I like Emily well enough. She's a very caring person and has a good head on her shoulders. She worked as a 911 operator when her husband was killed in the line of duty. She was off that night and feels guilty, as if she could have saved Alec. Emily is still traumatized from Alec's death and nothing she's tried has helped her heal completely but life moves on and she just goes day by day. She SAYS she's not ready to date again and will never love again but I think she will. For all he's the co-owner of the shop, Tom doesn't appear much. He's the chief doughnut fryer and not the face of the business the way Emily is. He's also the retired chief of police though so I would expect him to want to be out there in the shop keeping an eye on things. Tom and Emily have a good rapport and work well together. Emily's cat, Deputy Donut, for whom the shop is named, is a great character. I'm not a cat person but I rather like this spoiled diva who knows how to get what she wants from TWO human "mothers"! She senses when something is wrong and leads Emily to act. When she likes someone, she's generous with her affection. When she doesn't, watch out because she becomes catzilla!
Georgia was a sweet little old lady who loved repairing dolls, knitting, crocheting and quilting. Her home was a doll hospital where she repaired and made cloth dolls. Five years ago her only son, her only child, Matthias, was murdered and his murder has been unsolved. Matthias was a well-liked grocer and no one can think of any reason for someone to want to murder him. How heartbreaking for Georgia's friends to watch Georgia lose her only child and then her own life. That's just awful! Her oldest friend Lois wants this murder solved. She is Emily's co-sleuth and pushes Emily into investigating. Lois seems like a nice old lady and a lot of fun. She was widowed 50 years ago at 22 (WWII?) after only one year of marriage and Georgia was like a sister to her and Matthias, a son. Her only family is a great-nephew, Randy and she loves him very much in spite of his shady past. I think Lois is sweet and I like her a lot but I think she's naive and too trusting. The other ladies in the knitting group don't appear again after discovering Georgia's body.
Emily's two best friends since childhood, Samantha and Tina, are also in local public professions. Samantha is a fun-loving EMT who wants to date a nice man and Tina, an Amazon apparently due to Scandinavian heritage (totally unnecessary to describe her like that) is a tough cop when she's on duty but is a caring friend and can let loose when she's not working. She, too, wants a nice date.
Eligible bachelor #1 is Brent, Emily's late husband's partner on the force. Brent was with Alec when Alec was shot and survived. We don't get any intel on his thoughts, whether he feels survivor's guilt or how much he misses his best friend. He seems to care for Emily but she keeps him at arm's length. Brent is a good detective, he listens and has compassion for his suspects. He's kind and considerate towards everyone, for the most part. While the evidence is circumstantial, as the evidence builds, it does seem more and more like Randy is the culprit. Brent is cautious and doesn't build a case against Randy or arrest him for no good reason. He lets Emily in on secrets by speaking in monosyllables and letting her infer his meaning. I like Brent and I think he and Emily will get together but I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not sure they SHOULD.
Eligible Bachelor #2 is Oliver, the high school hottie every girl sighed over. His good looks make Emily blush and her friends are eager to go out with Oliver now he's divorced. I found his personality lacking. He seems like a mansplainer and isn't used to rejection. He just assumes all women want to go out with him and he only needs to pick one- Emily! She's too nice to let him down firmly but gently and he's too stupid to take the hints. I find him smarmy. Eligible bachelor #3 is Scott, a firefighter. He's young, good looking and good natured. Unlike with Oliver, Emily can tell HIM she's not interested in dating. Scott takes it well and he claims he's not interested either. Eligible bachelor #4 is Randy, Lois's great-nephew. He was a bad boy in high school who gave himself a tattoo and drove a beat up old car. All the girls thought he was cute but knew he was bad news. He left town 5 years ago after Georgia's son was murdered and now he's back. Lois is convinced her great-nephew has reformed and he's innocent. I'm not certain he is.
Emily starts looking into Matthias's death and discovers two people who had a motive to murder him. Honey, a bridezilla at the time, claimed Matthias sold her tainted meat that made her ill and caused her groom to ditch her. She, apparently, was the only one who didn't know about the tainted meat from the meat packer and the refund Matthias was offering. Honey is now overweight and alone. I didn't like how she's fat shamed by everyone or how she's portrayed as a whiny, sadsack loser. She's awful! I feel bad for her though because life has dealt her a rough hand. She's on the lookout for a new boy toy but unwilling to be friendly enough with anyone who can introduce her to one of the eligible bachelors in town. Did Honey kill Matthias? I think she just likes to whine and complain and try to get people to feel sorry for her. Frederick Aggelton bought Taste of Fallingbrook, a gourmet grocery, from Georgia after Matthias was killed. Frederick was after Matthias to sell him the shop for YEARS and finally wore down a grieving mother. THAT tells me what kind of man he is. Then there's Emily's description of the shop, no longer a gourmet grocery! No one shops there anymore and products are out of date and the place smells bad. Frederick is Emily's top suspect in Matthias's murder, especially when Brent reminds her Frederick had another motive. Frederick proclaims his innocence but I think he's over compensating and certainly has something to hide.
A prime suspect in Georgia's murder is Dr. Jierson, an expensive dentist who is on call 24/7 to make his patients feel good again. He had beef with Georgia before she was killed and reading between the lines, he's a controlling narcissist who doesn't treat his wife very well. Mrs. Jierson is young and doesn't seem to have her own identity. She acts nervous every time she speaks with Emily and may know more than she's willing to let on about the day Georgia died. Could they have conspired to kill Georgia or does Mrs. J know Dr. J is the murderer or suspect? That guy is a little creepy if you ask me. There's no reason to connect either Jierson with Matthias though so if they did kill Georgia, Matthias's killer is still out there somewhere.
I liked this story enough to want to keep going. I don't think the series will be a top favorite though. We shall see.
September 3, 2018
Come ho letto la trama di questo libro, ho capito che doveva essere mio, solo ho dovuto aspettare che fosse messo in offerta perché il suo costo era davvero elevato, rispetto a tanti altri cozy mysteries. Per una volta non ho neanche aspettato molto prima di leggerlo, una volta che era sul mio kindle. E l'ho apprezzato subito, fin dalle prime pagine. Una buona protagonista, un bel cast di personaggi, una gattina adorabile e una storia che mi ha fatto ipotizzare fino alla fine chi potesse essere il colpevole. Morale della favola, ora devo aspettare l'offerta per il secondo volume della serie, che è appena uscito...
January 30, 2018
Survival of the Fritters is the first in a new series by Ginger Bolton.
I found the cover to be colorful and the description was interesting.
The story centers around Emily Westhill, a previous 911 operator and her retired chief of police father in law, who now own Deputy Donut,the best donut shop in town.
Locals are drawn to the donut shop and this includes a group of knitters who spend their time drinking cappuccinos and having a good time.
When Georgia Treetor doesn't show up for her morning knitting session, everyone begins to worry, especially her friend her Lois, who just moved to town.
When Georgia's body is discovered, Emily cannot help but investigate and before long she finds herself in harm's way.
I always find it difficult to review a first in a new series. There is a lot to learn, characters to get to know, the location of the story and how it all melds together to form a perfect cozy mystery.
While I enjoyed the story-line, there was nothing about Emily that made me like her or hate her.
She felt a bit stale to me- (yes, pun intended) and I had a difficult time getting to know her.
The story itself was well written and the plot was good. I will definitely read the next book in the series to see if Emily has grown to be a more likeable and relate-able character.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
I found the cover to be colorful and the description was interesting.
The story centers around Emily Westhill, a previous 911 operator and her retired chief of police father in law, who now own Deputy Donut,the best donut shop in town.
Locals are drawn to the donut shop and this includes a group of knitters who spend their time drinking cappuccinos and having a good time.
When Georgia Treetor doesn't show up for her morning knitting session, everyone begins to worry, especially her friend her Lois, who just moved to town.
When Georgia's body is discovered, Emily cannot help but investigate and before long she finds herself in harm's way.
I always find it difficult to review a first in a new series. There is a lot to learn, characters to get to know, the location of the story and how it all melds together to form a perfect cozy mystery.
While I enjoyed the story-line, there was nothing about Emily that made me like her or hate her.
She felt a bit stale to me- (yes, pun intended) and I had a difficult time getting to know her.
The story itself was well written and the plot was good. I will definitely read the next book in the series to see if Emily has grown to be a more likeable and relate-able character.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
November 11, 2020
Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton is the first book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series. Following the death of her police officer husband, Emily Westhill opens a donut shop together with her father-in-law, a retired police chief. When one of her regular customers fails to attend, Emily discovers her murdered when she goes to check on her. A nice start to the series. I enjoyed meeting the characters and finding out some of their back story. Emily seems very capable. Recipes are included and sound tempting. Overall an engaging and interesting mystery.
February 3, 2018
Still reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Alec, 3 years ago, Emily is trying to move on with her life at the donut shop she owns with her father in law. Among the donut shop's favorite regulars is a group of older ladies, who have a knitting club called Knitpickers. So when one of the Knitpickers doesn't show up one morning, everyone is concerned. Later, they go to her house to check on her and find her dead, surrounded by donuts. Who killed Georgia and why? Is it related to the unsolved murder of Georgia's son, Mattias?
I'm not going to lie, the adorable cat on the cover made me want to pick up this book and it didn't disappoint! The excellent plot reeled me in like a fish and kept me turning pages and guessing almost up to the very last page! I liked that Emily didn't really go out and investigate, she just put the clues together (not that it didn't stop her from getting into trouble at the end.) I loved the characters, from spunky Lois and the Knitpickers to pragmatic Brent and the spark between him and Emily (mmph) they were all charming and realistic characters - but let's face it, we all know it's the adorable feline Deputy Donut who steals the show. An excellent introduction to picturesque Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and definitely a place I'm eager to visit again.
I'm not going to lie, the adorable cat on the cover made me want to pick up this book and it didn't disappoint! The excellent plot reeled me in like a fish and kept me turning pages and guessing almost up to the very last page! I liked that Emily didn't really go out and investigate, she just put the clues together (not that it didn't stop her from getting into trouble at the end.) I loved the characters, from spunky Lois and the Knitpickers to pragmatic Brent and the spark between him and Emily (mmph) they were all charming and realistic characters - but let's face it, we all know it's the adorable feline Deputy Donut who steals the show. An excellent introduction to picturesque Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and definitely a place I'm eager to visit again.
October 3, 2021
Cute cozy, once you get past the bit of 'ehh no that's not going to happen', in the first chapter, it was cute and cozy. It's not really my fav genre, but what are you going to do when there are no more Agatha Raisin or Hamish Macbeth books to be had? (Those are more, IMHO, character driven humorous stories that happen to be mysteries...) So there you go, if you like cozy mystery you'll like this, but in the scheme of things it's a cute read. The rating doesn't surprise me, I think it's accurate. I'm being generous because it didn't make me cringe, barring the first chapter, which is hard to do for a cozy).
Read
February 17, 2018A fabulous start to a new series! The setting is a enticing (I'll never get tired of donut shops in cozies) and the characters are well rounded and likable (even the killer)! Lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. I will definitely read more books in this series. Recipes at the end of the book look delectable! If you are a culinary cozy fan you will love this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book via NetGalley.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book via NetGalley.
October 21, 2019
Good first book in the series.
Good and enjoyable first entry in the series. I liked the setting and the characters. I’m looking forward to seeing how these characters change and grow. Donut recipes included at the end!
Good and enjoyable first entry in the series. I liked the setting and the characters. I’m looking forward to seeing how these characters change and grow. Donut recipes included at the end!
June 13, 2024
I’m really excited about this series 🤭👏🏼👏🏼
Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Content rating: PG
Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Content rating: PG
January 21, 2018
One thing I really enjoyed about Survival of the Fritters is that the characters are slightly different than the stereotypical cozy mystery characters. The basic equation is there, but the ‘norms’ are just different enough in this series to stand out. The heroine Emily is a former 911 operator and the widow of a fallen police officer, and she runs the Deputy Donut shop with her father-in-law, a retired police chief who was a detective before that. Emily’s late husband’s partner Brent is still a detective with the local police force and is in charge of the murder investigation Emily happens upon. So, lots of ties to law enforcement, and while Emily is technically an amateur detective she has all this experience around her and works closely with them to solve the case. The familiar ‘why are they trusting her to help’ argument that is common from some cozy mystery readers sort-of doesn’t apply here because Emily is basically one of their own – with a baker’s apron instead of a badge. Plus, she makes donuts so you know the police are always hanging out at her shop lol.
Speaking of Brent… I smell romance potential!! He looks at her in a certain way and there are a few breathless moments when that crucial next step (kissing) hangs in the balance. Will they? Won’t they? You’ll have to read to find out but I predict it won’t be an easy path for them if they do decide to purse a relationship at some point. Lots of emotional baggage between the two of them… which may present several challenges but also promises some mighty fine kisses once they get around to it. Fortunately, for those who prefer the mystery over the lovey-dovey stuff, this is a very minimal subplot in the overall scheme of the plot.
The mystery is well-plotted and I honestly didn’t know which of the suspects had truly killed Georgia now and possibly her son five years ago. The author did a great job of crafting the possibilities and presenting the story with enough twists to keep it interesting. In fact, I changed my mind several times about the identity of the culprit before all was revealed.
Bottom Line: Survival of the Fritters is a cute start to a new series, with characters you care about and a quaint small town Wisconsin setting. I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with each other – from Emily & her father-in-law, to Emily’s best friends, and even the KnitPickers group that meets in the donut shop. A well-written mystery and a nice start to a new series! Looking forward to more!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at ReadingIsMySuperPower
Speaking of Brent… I smell romance potential!! He looks at her in a certain way and there are a few breathless moments when that crucial next step (kissing) hangs in the balance. Will they? Won’t they? You’ll have to read to find out but I predict it won’t be an easy path for them if they do decide to purse a relationship at some point. Lots of emotional baggage between the two of them… which may present several challenges but also promises some mighty fine kisses once they get around to it. Fortunately, for those who prefer the mystery over the lovey-dovey stuff, this is a very minimal subplot in the overall scheme of the plot.
The mystery is well-plotted and I honestly didn’t know which of the suspects had truly killed Georgia now and possibly her son five years ago. The author did a great job of crafting the possibilities and presenting the story with enough twists to keep it interesting. In fact, I changed my mind several times about the identity of the culprit before all was revealed.
Bottom Line: Survival of the Fritters is a cute start to a new series, with characters you care about and a quaint small town Wisconsin setting. I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with each other – from Emily & her father-in-law, to Emily’s best friends, and even the KnitPickers group that meets in the donut shop. A well-written mystery and a nice start to a new series! Looking forward to more!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at ReadingIsMySuperPower
January 2, 2018
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn’t wait to dive into this book, I loved the entire premise of it (I told my best friends about it as soon as I saw it because a cat named Deputy Donut? I’m so there) but unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me. I actually DNF’d this one at about 34% because I just couldn’t make myself keep reading it. It’s not often that I don’t finish books but this one was just missing something to draw me in, and it has a few too many issues for me.
First of all, I loved the setting of this book, I’m a sucker for a good small town setting and the way it’s described seems really lovely. But that’s kind of where the good things end. My biggest issue with this one is the characters, I know basically nothing about them but I still managed to be irritated by, well, all of them. I especially dislike the main character, she’s beyond judgmental about such superficial things and I just can’t deal with it. I also do not care at all about the murder, so the actual point of this book. I don’t even care enough to check the end to see who killed her because there’s nothing that pulled me into this story.
I love cozy mysteries, and I’ve never not finished it, even when I didn’t like it. But unfortunately this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. If you like mysteries then I’d give it a shot, I’ve seen some amazing reviews so I guess I’m in the minority here, I just don’t have time for bad man characters. The cat is great though! Honestly the best character in the whole thing and the best pet sidekick in any cozy mystery I’ve read, so there’s that!
I couldn’t wait to dive into this book, I loved the entire premise of it (I told my best friends about it as soon as I saw it because a cat named Deputy Donut? I’m so there) but unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me. I actually DNF’d this one at about 34% because I just couldn’t make myself keep reading it. It’s not often that I don’t finish books but this one was just missing something to draw me in, and it has a few too many issues for me.
First of all, I loved the setting of this book, I’m a sucker for a good small town setting and the way it’s described seems really lovely. But that’s kind of where the good things end. My biggest issue with this one is the characters, I know basically nothing about them but I still managed to be irritated by, well, all of them. I especially dislike the main character, she’s beyond judgmental about such superficial things and I just can’t deal with it. I also do not care at all about the murder, so the actual point of this book. I don’t even care enough to check the end to see who killed her because there’s nothing that pulled me into this story.
I love cozy mysteries, and I’ve never not finished it, even when I didn’t like it. But unfortunately this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. If you like mysteries then I’d give it a shot, I’ve seen some amazing reviews so I guess I’m in the minority here, I just don’t have time for bad man characters. The cat is great though! Honestly the best character in the whole thing and the best pet sidekick in any cozy mystery I’ve read, so there’s that!
February 23, 2018
Ginger Bolton is off to a good start with her Deputy Donut series. It is full of engaging characters like the widowed Emily who runs the towns donut shop which is named after her cat, Deputy Donut. She goes to the home of a regular customer with the woman's friends who are worried about her and they find their friend's body. Emily's husband was a cop killed in the line of duty and she becomes involved with the investigation, especially since helping her neighbor Lois after she was attacked as she was the best friend of the victim. Her best friend is a cop and her husband's partner is still on the force too. Some future sparks maybe? The story is fast paced and has a twist that I didn't see coming. Another treat is the bonus donut recipes at the end of the book as well as a peek of the next story. I will definitely be waiting for the next book!
I received an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion
I received an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion
June 13, 2021
A Nice New Series and Author for Me.
This is a new writer and a new series for me.
While I enjoyed the story and the characters a couple of things, for me, seemed a bit silly.
The story revolves around a police officer's widow, a former 911 operator who left her job after her husband's murder leaves her job and with her father-in-law opens a coffee shop called Deputy Donut.
She discovers a friend dead and tries to help her new neighbor prove that the neighbor's great- nephew isn't the killer of two people.
The story is good and I see a lot of great stories coming Ginger Bolton. And can't wait to read the next book in the series.
The things that seem a little silly to me The cafe name. Deputy Donut, where cops hang out and they wear hats with the name and a fuzzy donut on top. But that is just me.
This is a new writer and a new series for me.
While I enjoyed the story and the characters a couple of things, for me, seemed a bit silly.
The story revolves around a police officer's widow, a former 911 operator who left her job after her husband's murder leaves her job and with her father-in-law opens a coffee shop called Deputy Donut.
She discovers a friend dead and tries to help her new neighbor prove that the neighbor's great- nephew isn't the killer of two people.
The story is good and I see a lot of great stories coming Ginger Bolton. And can't wait to read the next book in the series.
The things that seem a little silly to me The cafe name. Deputy Donut, where cops hang out and they wear hats with the name and a fuzzy donut on top. But that is just me.
January 28, 2018
What an awesome first book for this new series! And what a great idea for a donut shop with the whole police theme going on. Emily and her father-in-law own Deputy Donuts and are usually host to most of the town of Fallingworth's (WI) police force. When Emily and some of the older ladies in a knitting club find one of the donut shop's favorite customers murdered in her own home, Emily is forced into interacting with her late husband's police partner, Brent. They had all three been good friends until one evening when Alec was shot and Brent was just hurt. Emily hadn't contacted Brent since then. I liked how Brent and Emily can now remember things that Alec had said or done.
Just before the murder, the murdered woman's good friend Lois moved back into town. This murder also took place five years after the murdered woman's son was killed. This was a case Alec and Brent had not been able to solve. The main suspect now is Lois's great nephew, Randy who was a real stinker in high school but seems to have reformed. A state detective is pulled in eventually on the case so Brent, Emily and Lois decide to do a little sleuthing on their own.
There were so many good twists in this plot that I never saw it coming when the killer was revealed. The ending was pretty exciting and Emily took charge of the situation until the police arrived and took the perp into custody.
I like that Emily is at least acknowledging that Brent was hurting too when Alec was shot. I know their friendship is going to be a little slow coming but I hope they can become even better friends. If Alec was anything like he was described, I would think he would have wanted his partner and best friend to be there for his wife after he passed. There were some good funny parts too. I think I have new favorite little catch-phrase (non verbal kind of noise now), mmp! Even the cat was saying it.
The characters were really well developed and very easy to like. Tom seemed like the type that anyone would just love to have as a friend or father-in-law. Emily's friends Misty (police officer) and Samantha (EMT) were a lot of fun and good, faithful friends. Lois was a hoot! She was the funniest thing at times, kind of made me think of Betty White.
Oh there are some yummy sounding donut and fritter recipes at the end of the book, the favorites that Deputy Donuts serves.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book which was provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
Just before the murder, the murdered woman's good friend Lois moved back into town. This murder also took place five years after the murdered woman's son was killed. This was a case Alec and Brent had not been able to solve. The main suspect now is Lois's great nephew, Randy who was a real stinker in high school but seems to have reformed. A state detective is pulled in eventually on the case so Brent, Emily and Lois decide to do a little sleuthing on their own.
There were so many good twists in this plot that I never saw it coming when the killer was revealed. The ending was pretty exciting and Emily took charge of the situation until the police arrived and took the perp into custody.
I like that Emily is at least acknowledging that Brent was hurting too when Alec was shot. I know their friendship is going to be a little slow coming but I hope they can become even better friends. If Alec was anything like he was described, I would think he would have wanted his partner and best friend to be there for his wife after he passed. There were some good funny parts too. I think I have new favorite little catch-phrase (non verbal kind of noise now), mmp! Even the cat was saying it.
The characters were really well developed and very easy to like. Tom seemed like the type that anyone would just love to have as a friend or father-in-law. Emily's friends Misty (police officer) and Samantha (EMT) were a lot of fun and good, faithful friends. Lois was a hoot! She was the funniest thing at times, kind of made me think of Betty White.
Oh there are some yummy sounding donut and fritter recipes at the end of the book, the favorites that Deputy Donuts serves.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book which was provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
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