Emily is excited that her donut shop, Deputy Donut, has been hired to supply a donut wall at a fellow business owner's wedding. The donuts are a big hit. The only problem is the groom who is being rude and obnoxious to everyone until he ends up collapsing by the donut wall with his pockets stuffed with crullers.

This story has likable characters with my favorite being Dep, the cat with an attitude. Also, the reader gets a lot of details to help you to envision the story although occasionally it is a bit much.

This is the second book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series but could easily be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What I'm enjoying about this series so far is the setting (I'm always in for a Wisconsin set book) and the delicious descriptions about dougnuts and the Deputy Donut shop. I think Emily is a charming main character, and her relationship with her in-laws is sweet and admirable. The language in this one had me rolling my eyes a few times as the dialogue can tend towards the ridiculously unbelieveable (no one unironically refers to their "bridegroom"), but overall it's still a series I'm invested in.

Goodbye Cruller World is the second book in Deputy Donut Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.
Emily and her father in law are expanding their business by catering the wedding for the friendly clothing shop owner. All is going well until rude and obnoxious groom ends up dead at his own wedding reception. Hundreds of possible suspects to sift through has Emily determined to find out the truth. I appreciated her close relationship with the local police force and the investigation procedure. Nice and likable set of characters. I must say that I didn't have any problem familiarizing with the story even though I still haven't read the first book.
It is a well plotted mystery that moves at the steady pace with many twiats and turns.
Highly recommended for a quiet afternoon of sleuthing.

GOODBYE CRULLER WORLD, the second book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series by Ginger Bolton is a sweet read and will have you craving donuts throughout the entire book! I was captivated by the pun-y title and the inviting cover design pulled me into the story. An ex- 911 dispatcher, protagonist Emily Westhill owns the Deputy Donut Café with her father-in-law. This duo has a touching, heart-felt relationship that adds an emotional undercurrent to the story, especially since they lost a son and a husband to a tragic death. The charming donut shop setting provides the perfect gathering place for law enforcement and emergency response personnel and allows Emily access to information when she gets involved in murder investigations. The author’s strong descriptive voice makes you feel like you’re right there with Emily and I could almost smell and taste the donuts in the shop!

Deputy Donut is hired to cater donuts for the wedding of Jenn, owner of Dressed to Kill which is one of the neighboring shops to Emily’s. It doesn’t take long for conflict to erupt between the bride and her half-sister over the upcoming nuptials and once Emily meets the groom, she understands why. When the groom is poisoned and dies after eating some of the donuts she provides at the reception, Emily knows she must get involved and clear both her business’ reputation and prove the bride’s innocence. It doesn’t help that the bride invited an ex-boyfriend to the wedding and seemed to have had second thoughts about getting married. Since my own cousin is a wedding planner, I loved the details the author provides about the reception from the food, to the over-the-top décor, to the special touches the bride requests. Ms. Bolton provides plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing and enough twists and turns until the threads of the plots are woven together into a satisfying conclusion. You’ll be drooling over the yummy treats Deputy Donut serves to its customers and the author provides a couple donut recipes at the back of the book.

Hard to say about a groom dead on his wedding day but Roger wasn't a good guy. But...who poisoned the donuts on the wall at the reception? Certainly not Emily and Tom, who made them, and not Jenn, his bride. This is a delightful series made all the more so by the fact that Emily and Tom both worked in law enforcement until Emily's husband (Tom's son) died and thus have the knowledge and insight some cozy sleuths do not. Now the real local enforcement- Yvonne- she's a pill and she'd like the pin the murder on them. Never fear, a combo of good story telling and a nice plot made this a cozy I enjoyed (there's even a cat!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Even though this is the second in a series, it's easily read as a standalone.

Synopsis:

Named after her beloved tabby, Deputy Donut, Emily Westhill's donut shop in small-town Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, is doing so well, she's expanding into catering weddings. But a killer is about to crash the reception . . .

Normally, Emily's eyes tend to glaze over when prospective brides go on about their wedding plans. But when the owner of the clothing shop, Dressed to Kill, asks Emily to design a donut wall for her reception, she's immediately sweet on the idea. With the help of her father-in-law and business partner--the former police chief of Fallingbrook--she hangs the treats from dowels on the wall so guests can help themselves.

But that night, when the groom ends up on the floor with signs of poisoning, Emily suspects someone has tampered with her treats. When the groom dies, there's no way to sugarcoat it: she's got a murder on her hands. Despite a list of suspects as long as the guest list, Emily vows to find out who created the killer confection to save her shop's reputation and keep the bride out of handcuffs. She'll have to move fast . . . before the poisoner takes a powder. (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Emily is not afraid of hard work and she is happy to spend her days working to make her donut shop successful, So when she has the opportunity to create a donut wall for a wedding reception, she is happy to do it. Little does she know that her creation is going to be used for murder. She knows that she is going to have to get involved in another killer investigation and figure out who the culprit is. With the help of some friends, she does just that.

The mystery was well plotted and moved along at a nice pace. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. Throw in some red herrings and twists and turns and it is not very easily solved. The fact that Emily was considered a suspect seemed a little off to me, she did not know him at all. I guess the fact that the lead detective really dislikes Emily (I think she dislikes everyone) was the reason why she wanted to pin the murder on Emily.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Emily Westhill and Deputy Donuts are busily preparing two types of donuts for the donut wall at her friend Jenn's upcoming wedding. But it appears not everything is sugar and spice as the wedding approaches. Jenn's fiance Roger is a bully and she is having second thoughts about marrying him. Her sister Suzanne is also a bully and keeps pushing Jenn to cancel. When the night of the wedding arrives, Emily and her partner and father-in-law Tom set up the donut wall, carefully labeling the side which holds Roger's favorite donuts and the side that holds Jenn. When Roger winds up dead during the reception with donuts crammed in his mouth and pockets, Emily fears for her business.

I really liked this story and it’s premise. It was no surprised as to who did it. What I really enjoy is finding out the why. I don’t believe the why was compelling enough. I was disappointed in the reveal, I felt cheated. There wasn’t a good reason other than his nastiness to the Jenn and alleged questionable business practices. What was the groom blackmailing anyone about? It really wasn’t clear. I believe the reader needed to know more about the groom and his interactions with others.
I was also disappointed that the neighbor from the first story was completely gone.

I liked the donut wall, the interaction of Emily, Jenn, and the crew that supports Emily. I learned a few things in this book. Who knew there was a tasteless arsenic? I also liked the introduction of other potential romantic interests for many of the characters and that the book did not dwell on that aspect. I see a lot of potential in this series.

Goodbye Cruller World is the second delicious novel in the Deputy Donut series. Bolton wastes no time engaging the reader as we join our protagonist, Emily, at her friend's wedding. Emily is there with a donut wall, filled with the bride and groom's favourite donuts, for guests to enjoy at the reception. Once Emily steps away to join the dance, foul play occurs at the wedding, and Emily is working double duty to serve donuts and solve the murder!

This is a fun read - there is an interesting group of suspects, plenty of red herrings, many twists and turns, and these kept me guessing right up to the end. The donut shop is a great backdrop for Emily's sleuthing, as it is such a cornerstone in her small community. In this book, I found Emily's over-analysing of everything, from the suspects to her relationship with Brent a bit much, and the ending could have been tidied up a little more quickly. But I will certainly look for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for an ARC of this book in exchange for review.

Loved it! An entertaining and engaging addition to a delightful series. Adorable cat, fun people, and donuts all add up to an enjoyable read. Light reading at its best.

I appreciate the opportunity from NetGalley and the publisher to review this title. I was looking forward to this second installment of the Deputy Donut crew, and it didn't disappoint! I love the familiar, small-town feel of the setting, as well as a mystery that kept me guessing. With several of the series that I've read for a long time coming to an end, I'm thrilled to have found this series!

Another fun cozy mystery in the Deputy Donut series! The setting really sucked me in and a well planned mystery kept me engaged and guessing until the very end. The author went above and beyond adding several donut recipes at the end of the book!! I really enjoyed this second book in the series and hope to read more by this author.

Goodbye Cruller World is the second installment in the Deputy Donut Mystery series set in the small town of Fallingbrook, WI and featuring widowed donut shop co-owner, Emily Westhill. The donut shop that Emily owns with her father in law, the ex Chief of Police Tom is doing well and the customers are delighted to be able to peer in the all glass office each day to see the shop's namesake, the cute tabby cat Deputy Donut.

When the owner of Dressed to Kill, the clothing boutique next door, Jenn Zeeland asks Emily and Tom to create a donut wall for her upcoming wedding reception, Emily is delighted to showcase their donuts. Emily is looking forward to arriving at the wedding in the shop's classic police car complete with a donut on the roof and flashing sprinkles. But, she is not looking forward to working with Jenn's half -sister Suzanne and the grouchy groom, Roger.

Things at the wedding are a little tense. Jenn has invited her ex boyfriend Chad to the reception and the groom is falling down drunk. Much to Emily's surprise after inhaling one of her delicious crullers, Roger collapses and dies; a victim of poisoning. With fingers pointing to Emily as the culprit, she is determined to clear her own name and in turn save the reputation of Deputy Donut.

Setting out with advice from Tom, Emily joins forces with Detective Brent Fyne to catch a killer before the vindictive Detective Yvonne Passenmath locks up Jenn. There are plenty of other suspects including the two women who'd been attending a conference in the room adjacent to the banquet hall and the mysterious security guard who wasn't hired by anyone to guard the halls. Emily has to act fast before she finds herself the killer's next target.

A quick read with a well developed plot. A few things are hard to get past when reading this series; the first being the constant use of "mmp", it's rather annoying that the cat and characters are constantly using this expression and the second being that Emily never has any interaction with her mother in law Cindy, although Tom seems to have a wonderful marriage and Emily was totally devoted to her late husband Alec. But the donut descriptions are mouthwatering and the recipes at the end of the book are delicious!

I received an advanced copy of Goodbye Cruller World from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this mystery. I liked that the main character has ties to the police force, so she doesn't do anything overtly stupid. I loved the donut theme, and the donut descriptions almost made me want to go off my diet. Very interesting setting and fun cast of characters. Great mystery. I look forward to more in the series!

Emily and Tom are retained to build a “wall of donuts” for a wedding reception and the groom ends up dead – from eating an arsenic laced cruller.

The bride is Jenn, the owner of Dressed to Kill, a boutique just across the way from Deputy Donuts, Tom and Emily’s donut shop. There is no shortage of suspects, beginning with the bride herself who realizes she made a mistake in marrying Roger. Then there’s Gerald Stone, a security guard, who no one hired, sitting right outside the murder scene and two women, Vanessa and April, who have nothing good to say about Roger but were sort of hovering around the reception.

Once again, the banter between Emily and Dep, her spunky tabby, make this an entertaining and engaging read. Ginger Bolton continues to build a comfortable community of characters as she creates another interesting mystery with twists and misdirection. The plotting is this book is well done. And it’s always worth returning to read how Emily and Dep are getting on…meow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

As with the first Deputy Donut mystery, I was hooked from the start with this unique and cute book! I adore the world Ginger Bolton has created here, and all the detail given to us from Deputy Donut the cat, to her friendship with Tom her Father-in-law, to the wonderful network of friends surrounding Emily. Every part of this book is cozy perfection; great small town attitude, police officers, food descriptions (yum!) and of course, a murder mystery to solve. I absolutely never tire of them, especially with wonderful authors such as Ginger Bolton up to the task!

If you're looking for a cozy mystery to satify your sweet tooth, or perhaps your love of murder mystery (why not both?) then this is the series for you. I can't wait for the next installment!

The characters were interesting and the author did not treat the older women in the story as if they were demented. I kept thinking I figured out who the murderer was but it took until the big reveal before I was sure.I was kept guessing until the end. Some twists and turns.

I enjoyed this enough to make it all the way through to the end despite pegging the killer from the beginning, although I'm still a bit dubious about a 'donut wall' at a wedding, particularly one where the groom appears to be the type of guy who would want the best of everything (although, okay, Emily's donuts are the best donuts).

There was a lot of information dumping in it and a long, drawn-out confession of the killer at the end, some clunky detail that could easily be either tidied up or removed entirely, and although I liked the premise and some of the characters, it fell short for me being eager to continue.

The second installment of Deputy Donut is a fun read. Emily Westhill and father-in-law, Tom are creating a donut wall for her Jenn Zeeland's, wedding. At the reception, the groom is found under the table unconscious and a white powder is on the table cover with a plate and under Emily's Deputy Donut hat appeared. Emily calls 911 for help and her good friend Bryant who tells her to get everyone out of the hotel. The groom died and the power turns out to white arsenic. Emily with Deputy Donut, her cat become involved with the investigation. There are enough changes in the story to keep your attention. I found the book difficult to put down So I read it sitting. I am looking for too many more adventure s Del and Emil
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and series.
Donut recipes are included.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Kensington Books for a review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

3.5/5

This is the second book in the Deputy Donut mystery series, and while I think there were some things that were improved in this book compared to the first, overall I feel the book failed to grip me.

Emily Westhill owns a donut and coffee shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin with the father of her deceased husband. The team is hired to provide some of their delicious donuts at the wedding of the owner of their neighbouring business. It turns out that the bride is marrying a bit of a butthead. At the wedding the groom becomes suddenly ill and later succumbs to his injuries. It seems that someone poisoned the groom by dipping his crullers in arsenic! Concerned about saving the reputation of her shop, and helping her friend, Emily tries to track down the killer!

I will say flat out that this series makes me hungry. It is a wonder that I did not eat a dozen donuts whenever I read the book. The author describes so many delicious flavour combinations — I wanted to try each one of them!

I think this book improved on a few things that had bothered me in the last one — in the first book there were some odd and awkward characters, as well as a few scenes that seemed clunky. While I found there was one scene that was awkward (Emily telling her life story to the ex-boyfriend of the bride while dancing at the wedding), I thought this was a vastly improved book in that sense. I also liked that there was less discussion of how Emily and her girlfriends acted in high school and they were just free to be themselves (and be adults) in this book.

I was surprised that this book did not include some of the characters from the first. In the first book Emily teamed up with her elderly neighbour to investigate the murder of a friend, and I liked their friendship — it was fun and quirky and I liked how they both cooked delicious dinners for each other. But the neighbour seems to have moved to another city. Instead, Emily teams up with her father-in-law for much of her sleuthing. This makes sense given that he is the former chief-of-police, and now I am left wondering if he should have been included more in the first book. Either way, they have a nice relationship and I liked them working together.

The villain in this book (and the first) is the external detective brought in to oversee the murder investigation. And while it’s not unheard of for a non-local cop to be seen as the bad guy in cozies, I sometimes feel like she is characterized too much as a villain — she is just painted as so incompetent and unsympathetic that it almost makes me dislike the way the character is structured, rather than the character herself.

I liked the mystery of the book — who dipped donuts in arsenic and fed them to the groom? Where did the arsenic come from? I wasn’t able to solve the mystery until the killer was revealed, so this book definitely kept me guessing. But, at the same time I never felt like I couldn’t put the book down. It was a nice book to read, and I read it relatively quickly, but it was easy to pause.

Things seem to be moving slow and steady with Emily and Brent — her husband’s former partner. In the first book they rekindle their friendship, and the second book has them falling into a nice friendship with a regular routine. I wish there had been a bit more focus on their relationship in the book, but given Emily’s backstory I understand why that is pretty slow-moving.

Overall this book was an improvement on the previous book. The story overall wasn’t as exciting as I would have liked, but I like both Emily and her potential romantic partner Brent enough to keep reading the series to see where it goes.