Another five-star review from Lucy Burdette in the Key West Food Critic Mysteries. The baking contest featuring the charming Scone sisters from Scotland had me intrigued. One of the competitors' husband was murdered, which was an intriguing twist in the drama surrounding the competition. Hayley Snow, the Key West food critic, remains one of my favorite characters. Her friends and family make this series a must-read every time.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review

While I am an avid reader of cozy mysteries, this was my first time reading one of Lucy Burdette's cozies and I jumped in with #13 in the series. That being said, the book absolutely could be read as a standalone. Yes, there were some references to earlier plot lines from the other books, but nothing that made the book challenging to follow.

The cast of characters in the book was fun, but I really enjoyed the multi-generational aspect and the friendships that existed between the women in the book. Overall, I felt like the plot line was solid and I enjoyed some of the unexpected twists. The Scone Sisters were delightful - one part that did feel a little off was how slap dash the competition felt put together in the story. It seems like lots of folks know the Scone Sisters and enjoy them - so why would this competition, kicking off their tour, feel so last minute and hodgepodge? Other than this though (and it didn't really detract from anything!), I really thought the book was fun and the writing was solid. The setting of Key West and houseboats was perfect for the characters.

I look forward to reading more from Lucy Burdette!

I recommend reading A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, Lucy Burdette’s 13th book in her Key West Food Critics series. This book can also be read as a standalone. Haley Snow and her friend, Miss Gloria, welcome the Scottish Scone Sisters, Violet and Bettina Booth, to Key West to host a baking competition. The television competition show is called UK Bakes! Key West Edition, similar to The Great British Baking Show, where contestants compete by baking their best version of a selected item. In this case, three contestants bake scones. When the husband of one of the contestants is found murdered, the search for the killer begins. Are the Scottish Scone sisters responsible for the man’s death?

A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is a wonderful cozy mystery. I especially like the Key West setting. As a fan of The Great British Baking Show, I like that the plot centers around a baking competition. I enjoy Lucy Burdette’s writing and plan to explore other books in her Key West Food Critics series. Thankfully, there are lots of books to keep me entertained.

My thanks go to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the e-arc of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS.

For those who love a cozy mystery with food, this book is for you! It also has recipes included in the back.

Hayley has her hands full with her neighbor Miss Gloria, and the Scottish Scone Sister, Violet and Bettina Booth who have come to the US for their cooking show The UK Bakes! – Key West Edition.

Right from the start , when they arrive in Key West, nothing seems to go right. With the three elderly ladies in tow, can Hayley find out what’s going on and keep her friends safe?

Such fun and entertaining characters, looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Food critic Hayley Snow and her friend Miss Gloria are thrilled that Violet and Bettina Booth, aka the Scottish Scone Sisters, are coming to Key West to host the American version of The UK Bakes! But things go wrong with this trip from the start – their agent is missing as is their luggage, they can’t find contestants for the show who can actually bake, the bed-and-breakfast is set on fire, and the owner is later found murdered. It looks like someone is targeting the Scone Sisters and Hayley and Miss Gloria want to find out who before one of the sisters becomes the next victim.

“A Clue in the Crumbs” is the nicely done thirteenth book in Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic cozy mystery series. Baking competitions seem to pop up in every cozy mystery series these days but Burdette puts enough twists in the plots that it doesn’t seem stale. It was nice to see Violet and Bettina again in this book – they truly are a delight and make a nice match for Miss Violet who is one of my favorite cozy mystery characters. While the mysteries in this series are good – the best part really is about Hayley and her friends – at this point they also feel like friends to readers of the series. The Key West setting is a nice one and Key West is almost a character itself in the series – although not always as friendly as Hayley and her friends! The mystery is well done with just the right amount of suspects, some twists and turns and red herrings – just enough to keep the readers not only guessing who the killer is but motivations of some of the other characters.

“A Clue in the Crumbs” is a nicely done cozy mystery.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is the newest installment in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. Hayley Snow, a local food critic, and her neighbor, Miss Gloria, are hosting the Scone Sisters for the first stop on a US tour of their TV show, The UK Bakes! When the B&B the sisters are scheduled to stay in is burned down, and then the owner is murdered, they all work together (along with Hayley's husband - aspiring police chief, Nathan) to solve the crime.

This was a charming and well plotted cozy mystery, with a lovable cast of characters. I thought the author did a great job of setting up the characters for those, like me, who are new to the series. It definitely whetted my appetite for more!

The Scone Sisters from Scotland are in Key West to kick off the American version of their TV and end up having a slumber party with Miss Gloria on her houseboat. With only three contestants scheduled for the bake-off, it's very inconvenient that only one can actually make anything edible and she's a suspect in her husband's untimely demise. With grudging acceptance from her police detective husband--who has to admit that people tell Hayley things that they wouldn't tell him, Hayley's on the case to track down the miscreants before serious harm can come to her friends! Great fun as always.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

This is the first book that I've read in the series. I often read cozy mystery series out of order and the books usually give you just enough backstory that you are fine reading them out of order. This book has multiple references to past plot lines. If you are interested in trying the series, I would start with book one.

One of the issues that I had with the book is that the Scone Sisters had a very popular tv show and everyone was saying how they watched the show and loved it. However, when it came to doing a Key West version of the show, they had to scrounge up contests that would have been better contestants for Worst Cooks in America. If it was realistic, then they would have people lining up to audition to be on the show.

The book was not for me. I never warmed up to the characters and maybe if I had read other books in the series, I might have had a different experience. I have no interest in continuing the series.

Thank you to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book in advance of its publication in return for a review.

A Clue in the Crumbs is the 13th book in Lucy Burdette’s A Key West Food Critic Mystery Series, and is certainly was a lucky number 13 to me.

This book was absolutely charming. It doesn’t suffer some of the problems I’ve had with jumping into other cozy series midstream. Although all the characters come to you fully formed with extensive backstories, you don’t really feel like you’re missing any pieces of them at all. Their relationships all felt really full and real without having to explain how they fitted together. Well done.

This book follows our protagonist Hayley and her next door neighbour and best friend Miss Gloria as they welcome two friends from Scotland, Violet and Bettina, The Scone Sisters, to key west to film the first leg of their cook show based in the states. It becomes clear that it is not going to be a smooth visit when they find out that the hotel that The Scone Sisters were suppose to stay at has had a fire, and shortly afterwards the owner was murdered. This sends the team of four women, and one tired husband/detective, on a journey to figure out what’s happening and try to save the show.

This book didn’t have a lot of twists and turns, and although the mystery element was there it wasn’t always front and centre for me. What did hold all of my attention was the characters and their relationships with each other. They all felt so lived in and like they were a real community. I loved it.

This has been the first book that I’ve read that’s been set in the Florida keys and it was a really delightful setting! I wish the book was a little longer so I had more time to luxuriate in its setting. Luckily for me there are 12 other books in the series I can read to soak in all that sun and Jimmy Buffett

This would be a great book for any cozy fan who’s looking for an escape to the south, or anyone who wants to enjoy a quaint little story about some wonderful characters.

A Clue in the Crumbs by Lucy Burdette due to be published August 8th 2023 by Crooked Lane books is the 13th book in the Key West Food critic series. With Haley Snow being the main character who lives in Key West and works for KeY West Style e-magazine. She is married to Nathan who is a Key West police detective. They live in a houseboat next to their good friend Gloria.

Gloria and Hayley welcome the well know Scone sisters Violet and Bettina to Key West so they can film an episode of The UK Bakes. The same day as the sisters arrive the bed and breakfast they were supposed to stay in gets torched. The contest begins the next morning with 3 contestants one being Rayna who is the owner of the B&B’s wife. She is soon a person of interest in the fire and the following day a person of interest in her husbands murder. Did she do it? Why? You’ll be along for a very thrilling ride reading this very fast paced book.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to get into it since I have never read the other books in the series but this could definitely be read as a stand-alone. I’ll be sure to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Lucy Burdette for allowing me this opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A Clue in the Crumbs.

Even though this is Book 13 in this series, it's the first one I've read. I think it works well as a stand-alone read, although there's obviously a rich back story to the various relationships. Still, I don't feel left out of jokes or missing information just because of that. So the author handles that very well.

It's a lighthearted cozy set in Key West, and it zips along with many disasters befalling people connected with a visiting pair of Scottish sisters who are hosting a U.S. version of their U.K. baking show. The main character, Hayley, and the main supporting characters are all likeable, which I enjoy. The secondary characters are a mix and range from brutish to slightly bizarre. A nice mix!

Of course, it's unbelievable, as all cozy mysteries are, and I'm okay with that. My one nit-picky complaint is that if the main character has to wonder "why so many people in my life had a name starting with Mar: Marline, Martina, Martha..." then the author should change some of those names. Other than that, thumbs up. I'm going back to the start of the series to get to know everyone from the beginning.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my review. 4 stars. My favorite cozy escape series and a beautifully written book.

From the first few pages it feels as if you are a welcome guest in Key West and being shown around by dear old friends. The vivid imagery of the scenery, architecture, restaurants and food are intermingled with insider settings: houseboat row, town meetings, Williams Hall, the library and of course, a local yet internationally renowned cooking show with a cozy mystery to solve. The author brought together the the personality of Key West with familiar and new well-written characters. A bonus are ‘the cooking quotes’ at the start of each chapter. Looking forward to the next one in this series.

I really enjoyed being brought back to Key West ~ I felt this was a smooth easy read and enjoyed the story, it was simple but given I have developed a liking for the characters I found it fun to tag along on their adventure :)

houseboat, Key West, island-life, pets, foodie, law-enforcement, recipes, arson, murder, murder-investigation, senior-sleuths, unputdownable, baking, TV/film-industry, series*****

Hayley is a food critic and her husband Nathan is a police detective.
This time she shares the sleuthing not only with her fantastic octogenarian neighbor Ms. Gloria but with two elder friends, the Scone Sisters, that she and husband met while on their honeymoon in Scotland. The sisters have turned their win on a British baking show into a line of bakeware as well as a TV touring. But their hotel goes up in flames, their agent goes MIA, and then there's the murder. Well done and full of surprises. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is the first book that I have read by Lucy Burdette but it will not be the last. Once I started reading I just could not put the book down.

I enjoyed meeting Hayley and her husband Nathan and of course, Ms. Gloria. Hayley is a food critic and lives in Key West. It seems, her neighbor, Ms. Gloria and her are always trying to solve mysteries and sometimes getting into trouble.

Nathan is a policeman and I think he partially enjoys them helping solve the mysteries but he is also worried about them getting hurt in the process.

Enjoyed the book and I think you will too.

Hayley Snow is a food critic. She is part of a group that invites two charming Scottish sisters to film their cooking contest in Key West. But the day they arrive, their bed and breakfast is torched. Not long after, the owner of the b and b is found dead.

To complicate matters, the wife of the murdered owner is one of the contestants. Hayley and her husband, the local police lieutenant, along with her good friend, must find the murderer.

By cozy mystery standards, this is a good story. It touches all of the bases. The characters are engaging. The dialog is realistic. I recommend this book for readers of this genre.

A cute, cosy mystery, A Clue in the Crumbs is the thirteenth book in the series, however can be read as a stand-alone. This is the first book I read in the series and I really enjoyed learning about the characters, they were well written and I also loved the descriptions of the setting and food (it sounded delicious). The mystery was intriguing and had a lot of twists and turns whilst also keeping the story warm hearted and cosy. This is overall a nice solid mystery.

It was a slow start but I like the premise of the book. Fun to see two baker nans in Florida mixed with a bit of baking drama.

Who doesn’t love a baking competition? The Scone Sisters, Violet and Bettina, are back in the latest Key West Food Critic Mystery by Lucy Burdette. This time, the Scottish baking sensation are visiting Key West, FL on their American tour, taping episodes for their new American spinoff of their popular Scottish baking competition television show.

Their first stop includes a visit to see Hayley, the series' intrepid Food Critic and amateur sleuth, her husband Nathan, who is actually a police officer, and their retired neighbor Gloria. While they are there, they will begin filming a competition among local bakers.

This story moves along a quick pace, becoming increasingly more dangerous as it goes, from a fire at the bed and breakfast Violet and Bettina were meant to be staying, to an entire shipment of pans that has gone missing, to the mysterious disappearance of the sisters’ agent, to a brutal murder. The characters, including tarot readers, feisty old ladies and mysterious baking show contestants are just as engaging as the action. Some of the contestants have shady pasts and questionable baking skills. But through it all, Hayley, the Scone Sisters and Gloria are ready for any adventure. The climactic scene especially is great fun and surprisingly believable.

You needn’t have read the rest of the series to read this book, but why wouldn’t you after reading it? Like the rest of the series, this book does a fabulous job of capturing the flavor of Key West, the furthest southern point in the United States. Burdette sprinkles in some Key West history, along with generous portions of delectable food descriptions. You will find yourself craving some of these foods, especially the Scone Sisters famous Cinnamon Scones. Lucky for us readers, Burdette includes recipes for many of the foods featured in the story.  

A Clue in the Crumbs comes out August 8, 2023. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this book.

I love this series and always look forward to the next installment. Food critic Haley Snow and Miss Gloria are a riot and this time they get the scone sisters (Violet and Bettina Booth), from Scotland, involved, when the sisters come to visit them in Key West and host The UK Bakes - Key West Edition.

Things go down hill, from almost the minute they get off the plane. There's a fire at the bed-and-breakfast, where they're supposed to stay and the next night the owner of the B&B and husband of one of the baking contestants, is found murdered.

When the group of women aren't working on the baking contest, they're trying to help find clues for Haley's detective husband, Nathan. Can they find out who the guilty party is, without getting burned?.