Claire is back in book 7 of the Terrified Detective series. There is trouble in Claire's life as she is searching for a wedding gown and choosing food for her marriage to police detective Brian. When the baker is murdered with a poisoned pastry the police are baffled and her friend and bakery owner Gloria thinks she is next to die so she hires Claire's PI firm. Can be read as a stand alone, the characters are fun and have great interaction. Now romance is in jeopardy when Brian's ex girl friend becomes his new partner. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is my first book by Carole Fowkes and it was a good cozy mystery. In this book meet Clair, a private investigator who is hired to find the killer of a local pastry chef. Even though I had not read any of the other books I found this one easy to read on its own. There is a bit of a love triangle that I felt I may have understood a bit more if I had read the other books but it doesn't take anything away from the plot of this one.

Claire’s style of investigating was not impressive at all, and her flirtatiousness with another guy while being engaged and was days away from the altar wasn’t a good trait in my book. Besides that, it was an interesting and intriguing read.

A good mystery book to read and keeps you guessing till the end. This is my first book by the author and i would love to read more.

Claire DeNardo has taken over her retiring uncle’s detective agency, and, in the seventh installment of The Terrified Detective Series, Pastry and Poison, by Carole Fowkes, is hired by her former boss and bakery owner, Gloria Valducci, when her head pastry chef drops dead after eating a beautiful tart that was delivered to the bakery. Of course most people wouldn’t be stupid enough to eat something that had suspicious beginnings, such as being delivered anonymously, but some of the characters in the story are actually that stupid and they are paying with their lives. Clair must investigate that murder and subsequent ones at other bakeries, and find the murderer before she is targeted and before more bakery employees die.

Apparently Claire is scared of lots of things, which makes her a “terrified” detective, and that seems like an oxymoron, since detectives are supposed to be brave to solve cases. The books are light and a bit humorous, however, so in this case it is okay. Fowkes does a good job of developing Claire’s character in this novel, but those who have read the previous novels will probably fare better with Claire’s personality because they contain her history. This novel can be read as a standalone novel, however, and except for several people being morons and eating something suspicious, the storyline is fairly believable. There are a few twists and turns, and a bit of romance involved, especially since Claire’s fiancé is the good looking police detective, Brian Corrigan. Brian unfortunately has a sexy new partner, and that makes Claire a bit jealous.

All told, this is a light, fun novel. It won’t be on the list of classics years from now, but it is well-written and suitable for all ages. Cozy lovers will enjoy this book and will most likely want to read the previous novels in the series, too.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in Cleveland Ohio. The MC is Claire, a PI who barely has any clients. She is hired by a local business owner to find out who is poisoning bakers with tarts. Claire does some investigating, helped (and sometimes hindered) by her Aunt Lena. There's also a love triangle (or quadrangle) with her, a detective, his partner, and a friend of her Aunt's. I enjoyed the mystery and figure out who the killer was before she did, which was surprising.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This story was very cute. I love culinary cozies. The characters are realistic and likeable. The plot kept me entertained. I read this book in one sitting and loved it. I cannot wait for another.

This is a fun, witty winter cozy. The book is paced really well and Claire, the protagonist, is totally relatable. What can possibly go wrong when it involves a poisoned tart, the local mob, and the winter weather in Cleveland, Ohio?! This is a fun cozy in a fun series that includes some great recipes.

This is the first book I have read in this particular series, and I had a bit of trouble connecting with the characters. The mystery seemed to take a slight backseat to the situation between Claire and her dislike of her fiance's new partner. I expect that I would have understood everything better if I had read more of the series. The mystery did keep me guessing which is always a good thing!

Pastry and Poison by Carole Fowkes has Private Investigator, Claire, looking in to the poisoning of bakers in the area.  Her fiancé, Police Detective Brian Corrigan, is on the same case, and so there's some friction there.

His beautiful new partner isn't helping matters, either.  Nor is the worry about how to pay the bills.

As you can see from the title, this is the 7th book in this series, and you can tell that in some ways with the call backs to previous cases, but it doesn't feel like we've missed too much!

This is a light weight read, as you find from cosy crimes.  I found myself irritated with the main character, as she did things that she knew would put her relationship in trouble.

 Pastry and Poison  by Carole Fowkes was published on 29th September 2020, and is available to buy from  Amazon .

You can follow Carole Fowkes on  Twitter ,  Facebook  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  BooksGoSocial.

From its title, you can guess that Pastry and Poison is a 'cozy' murder mystery.
The star of the show is female Private Investigator, Clare DeNardo.

Clare, who is engaged to police detective Brian Corrigan, is busy with her wedding preparations, including trying out the menu for the wedding. When one of the chefs is poisoned, Clare is called in to help solve the mystery. But this isn't the only incident as more chefs fall victim to the same method - death by poisoned pastry. Who is killing off these cooks and why? For that, you have to read Pastry and Poison. I have to admit that I guessed 'whodunnit' the moment the killer was introduced into the plot, but it was an easy read so I read it to the end. Fans of the cozy genre will enjoy this book as it is a tad more intelligent and better written than some of the others.

Thanks to NetGallery for providing this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Well written and entertaining cozy mystery. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

This was my first read from this author and found it to be a lovely cosy mystery.

Whilst I wasnt hooked on the main storyline of catching the killer, I did enjoy the back story of Claire, her fiance Brian and their family and friends.

It was easy to read and follow and I thought it was a very good cosy mystery and I would read more in the series.

Although Pastry and Poison by Carole Fowkes is book 7 in the Terrified Detective Mystery series, it was my first. I was not lost as the author provided some background and the mystery was individual to this novel.

Private Investigator Claire is a tough cookie who believes in getting on with the job in hand. Her fiance is a police detective who is not too keen on Claire being involved in police matters. The mystery itself was compelling and well written by Carole Fowkes and I loved that she pitted Claire and fiance Brian against each other. It was great getting to know the gang and overall, Pastry and Poison certainly grabbed my attention. I will doubtlessly be reading more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley and this is my own unbiased opinion.

Still scratching my head on this one. Not sure if I enjoyed it or if I hated it. It didn't stick with me but I didn't stop reading it either.

A fun cozy mystery that made me laugh and kept me hooked.
I liked the fleshed out and quirky characters, the well developed plot and the solid mystery that kept me hooked
I can't wait to read another book by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Pastry and Poison was my first book by Carole Fowkes and I found it to be a good cozy. The book revolves around Claire, a private investigator, and her friends and family. When a poisoned tartlet is sent to a local pastry chef, she is hired to find the killer and it becomes a race against time--and with the police--to solve the crime.

Having not read previous books in the series, I found the characters pretty easy to fall in step with, and the plot was mostly independent of itself. I felt that Claire was an accessible character. The love triangle caused me heartache, but mainly because the guys were both good men and Claire couldn't figure herself out. Plus jealousy is a trope I dislike so that is personal preference. Aside from that, if you're looking for a nice, quick, winter cozy with some yummy winter recipes, give this one a shot!

Great read by a new author for me. The plot is well written and enticing to the reader. The author writes in a way that makes the reader feel like part of The story.

Pastry and Poison by Carole Fowkes is the 7th book in A Terrified Detective Mystery Book series, and my first book by the author. Claire is a private detective and when pastry chefs are being poisoned all over town, Claire is hired to find the killer. I really enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to reading the whole series. I was not happy with the Claire and Corrigan situation, maybe I'll understand better after I read the rest of the books. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love a great cozy mystery and Pastry and Poison by Carole Fowkes is certainly that! This delightful book centers around a town lucky enough to have a few bakeries. Each bakery receives an anonymous pastry delivery and the mystery unfolds. The main character, Claire, is a private investigator who is hard working, perfectly imperfect and very relatable. Her aunt owns one of the bakeries while her rival and friend, who owns another of the bakeries, hires Claire to investigate on her behalf. Aunt Lena is a brazen, opinionated albeit very well-meaning aunt who believes she can assist her niece with the investigation. Claire's fiancé is the detective assigned to the case with his former heart throb who is runway model gorgeous. The story is witty and believable. I enjoyed this book and believe you will, too! I received this book in exchange for a review.