Title: Against the Currant
Author: Olivia Matthews
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5

Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, New York: Lyndsay Murray is opening Spice Isle Bakery with her family, and it’s everything she’s ever wanted. The West Indian bakery is her way to give back to the community she loves, stay connected to her Grenadian roots, and work side-by-side with her family. The only thing getting a rise out of Lyndsay is Claudio Fabrizi, a disgruntled fellow bakery owner who does not want any competition.

On opening day, he comes into the bakery threatening to shut them down. Fed up, Lyndsay takes him to task in front of what seems to be the whole neighborhood. So when Claudio turns up dead a day later—murdered—Lyndsay is unfortunately the prime suspect. To get the scent of suspicion off her and her bakery, Lyndsay has to prove she’s innocent—under the watchful eyes of her overprotective brother, anxious parents, and meddlesome extended family—what could go wrong?

I really liked the cultural aspects in this book! They absolutely fascinated me. I found myself looking up soca music and some of the foods—which sounded amazing—just to settle myself a little more deeply into the characters’ culture. I think Lyndsay is a great character: she’s grown a lot from childhood, but she’s still fighting not to go back to old habits. And this isn’t a romance—unusual for a cozy mystery—although the potential is there for the future. The vibrant characters kept me engaged, and there was never a dull moment while reading this.

Olivia Matthews is a bestselling author. Against the Currant is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

This new series is off to a great start. Set in Brooklyn, New York it showcases Caribbean cooking. Lyndsay has always wanted to own a bakery that honors her family heritage and now that dream has come true. On opening day things look rosy...until they aren't. There is another local baker who is furious that Lyndsay has brought competition to the neighborhood. That's when things sour for Lyndsay. He shows up and makes it crystal clear that he wants her shut down post haste. Going toe to toe with him, she tells him off and she has a huge audience when she does. Then things go from bad to horrible when Claudio, the baker in question, meets his maker via a murderer. Of course the police hear all the details of Lyndsay's encounter with him and she becomes the prime suspect.
Time for family and friends to gather around Lyndsay and help her not only clear her name but catch the killer. The list of suspects turns out to be a long one and it includes Claudio's son. Claudio was not a nice person.
The mystery was well crafted and kept me guessing wrong but the best part was the feeling of family and friendships working in the community. Add the descriptions of yummy food and I wasted no time adding this series to my TBR list. I only have to wait until May 23, 2023 to read the next book in the series, Hard Dough Homicide.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lyndsay's dream of opening a West Indian bakery in her neighborhood is finally coming true. But the owner of a rival bakery nearby tries to intimidate her into closing. When he is murdered after arguing with her at her bakery's soft opening, the police look at Lynds as a prime suspect.

The book began with a somewhat slow start with lots of establishing the bakery and family. The speed didn't particularly pick up, as the story continued. It was a slow and easy read. I didn't particularly enjoy the telling of the mystery.

By far, my favorite aspects were the mouthwatering descriptions of baked goods with a recipe included at the end. The Spice Isle Bakery sounded like a wonderful place to visit. And I also really enjoyed the feel for the community. There were some great and supportive characters.

Thank you to you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this cozy murder mystery. It was full of culture and community and had my mouth watering throughout. It would have enjoyed more scene diversity, as the majority of this book takes place in Lyndsay's bakery, but otherwise I thought it was a thoughtful, funny, low stakes mystery. I really enjoyed Lyndsay's family, and I look forward to spending more time with them in the next books!

Against the Currant is a new cozy mystery series by Olivia Matthews. It’s a charming, sweet, mystery about Lyndsay and her close-knit, supportive family who opens a Caribbean bakery and cafe in a small neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is Lyndsay’s life-long dream. She has saved her whole life for this opportunity and the bakery is proving to be a huge success on their soft opening. When a rather heated argument takes place between usually soft-spoken Lyndsay, and the infamously caustic Claudio, antagonistic nearby bakery owner, the breakfast customers support her for standing up to the bully. However, when he is found murdered later that day, all fingers point to Lyndsay, despite other viable options.

I loved the people, the strong sense of family and community and the rich culture and tradition displayed in this story. I did find it to be rather slow in getting to the actual investigation and somewhat repetitive in regards to various speculations and aspects of the crime. This caused me to lose a bit of interest in the plot despite the novel’s charm. The culprit was fairly obvious, though the conclusion offered a nice final twist.

This simplistic, sweet cozy mystery offers a unique and heart-warming variation to this genre, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just hope that in the next addition to the series, the plot is a tad more complex and less redundant.

I received the audio arc of this book and will be reviewing it instead.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When Lyndsay Murray convinced her family to open a bakery filled with the pastries, breads, and flavors of their native Granada, she knew it would be a lot of work. But she didn’t think it was worth killing for.

Spice Isle Bakery has been Lyndsey’s dream since she was a child. She wanted to open a place in Brooklyn, where she grew up, inspired by the spices, scents, colors, and flavors of the island where she had been born. In the part of the city called Little Caribbean, she has found a storefront and—with the help of her parents, grandmother, and older brother—she has set up the kitchen and the front just how they want it. The kitchen has all the equipment they need to bake the pastries and breads as well as a place to make savory breakfasts and lunches. At the front of the store are the pastry cases and several small tables where customers can sit and eat. Her grandmother has painted the walls in bright Grenadian colors, adding warmth and brightness to their small dining room.

Lyndsay’s MBA and the time she spent in the marketing firm taught her a lot about publicity and marketing, so when it’s time for their soft opening, there is a line outside the door. Customers come in, order their Caribbean delicacies, and move on, stopping to talk for a minute about how excited they are about the bakery. And then, Lyndsay looks up at the line and sees him. Claudio Fabrizi is there, again, to let Lyndsay know how he feels. Fabrizi is the owner of another bakery a few blocks away, and he has been by several times already to tell Lyndsay that he plans to shut her down. She tells him again that there is room for both bakeries in the area, and he should focus on making his customers happy and leave them alone.

And then he does leave them alone. Because someone kills him.

Lyndsay’s loud argument with him in front of all those witnesses makes her a person of interest, and two homicide detectives show up the next morning to question her. Her brother Dev, a lawyer, goes to the police station with her to help keep her calm. But days later, when they open the bakery, Lyndsay realizes that this isn’t going to blow over. Clearly, she had not killed Fabrizi, but she’s worried that the neighborhood talk will destroy their bakery. Her parents and her grandmother invested in the bakery, in her dream. She can’t let the bakery close. So she will do what she can—she’ll figure out who did kill Fabrizio, so that she and her family can concentrate on their bakery, on their future. But will going after the killer make Lyndsay the next target?

Against the Currant is the first in a new series from Olivia Matthews. The Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series focuses on the Murray Family and the way they share their Grenadian heritage with their New York neighbors with their delicious foods. Lyndsay and her grandmother bring the spice in the family with their feisty determination, and her parents and brother add some clear-headed logic and lots of support. It’s a charming place to hang out to taste the islands, hang out with friends, and solve crimes.

I really loved the idea of the family bakery opening up and finding success. These are interesting characters, and I could see why customers would be drawn to them and their bakery. However, I did find the story to be a little insular, with so much of the story being told in the bakery and the family being so close to each other. And I thought that the actions of the police were unrealistic, jumping to the conclusion that Lyndsay was the killer and not investigating much beyond that. That was disappointing. But I like these characters, and I think the idea of this bakery and the family have a lot of story possibilities, so I look forward to seeing how the next book comes together. And at the end there is a recipe for the family’s Currant Rolls, for anyone wanting to try out the Grenadian delicacy for themselves.

Egalleys for Against the Currant were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Cute, cozy mystery including a female entrepreneur, a sweet Caribbean family, a rival business, and of course, a few recipes! I really enjoyed it. I did not guess who the murderer was until it was revealed- it really kept me guessing. I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

Against the Currant is an excellent start to a new series. Lyndsay and her family are well-rounded and interesting characters. Spice Isle Bakery and Little Carribbean are practically characters of their own. The author gives us multiple suspects and motives, which created a true whodunit? There were plenty of false leads to chase, but the end still felt satisfying. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Review based on ARC provided by Netgalley.

The very best cozy mysteries provide not simply a good whodunit but take the reader to a place that is new to them and intriguing. This book hits both of these for me. Lyndsay Murray lives in Brooklyn, New York, in a neighborhood in which immigrants have formed a Little Caribbean. As the book opens she has just achieved her dream to open a West Indian bakery with foods inspired by her family roots in Grenada. As a young immigrant who came with her parents, family is first for Lyndsay, and this includes her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her bakery opening is a success, save for the appearance of Claudio Fabrizi, a nearby baker who wants to eliminate any possible competition.
Lyndsay is an engaging character. She is young, lacks confidence, but has some big dreams. She’s also a longtime kickboxer, an activity her parents encouraged when she was being bullied in school. Her life and dreams are turned upside down when Claudio is found murdered and Lyndsay is publicly stated to be a suspect of interest in the local paper. Compounding this is that the detectives, one of whom was Lyndsay’s longtime unrequited crush in school, seem to only be looking at her. With the mixed concern and support of her family, Lyndsay pursues an investigation into Claudio’s death to find others who were more likely to have killed him.
This book shines in weaving the mystery alongside the story of bakery’s opening. Colorful characters emerge in Lyndsay’s family and in her customers. Best of all are the descriptions of the food Spice Isle Bakery sells. Currant rolls, fish bakes, exotic teas are all on the menu. The book does include two recipes, but I have to admit the descriptions sent me looking online to find pictures and learn more about West Indian foods. This was a great first entry for a series with many strong characters. It also seems likely that the next book will be able to explore developing multiple relationships just on the cusp for Lyndsay’s brother, her cousin—and perhaps for Lyndsay herself. This a series with great promise both for its character development and its possibilities for learning about Caribbean cuisine.

4.5 rounded up because this is a masterclass in a cozy series debut, honestly. A really distinct community that readers will want to continue to get to know, peppered liberally with a vast array of characters and personalities. A well told mystery that is thoroughly and satisfactorily resolved.

I enjoyed this introduction to a new mystery series, but it wasn't as cozy as I expected it to be. I hated how the police treated this Caribbean family, so unlike most cozies, I'm not really looking forward to more installments about this baker working with the police to solve more crimes. I'm not even sure that's the direction this series will go. That said, I did enjoy the setting and the characters enough to care to find out where it does go so I'll be looking forward to the next book.

I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this! This was a fun cozy mystery that gave me similar vibes to Arsenic & Adobo, but set in NYC. I really liked the family dynamics, but felt that the story was a bit repetitive and there was a lot going on. I'll definitely pick up the next if this becomes a series though!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Against the Currant is a nice cozy mystery set in a Caribbean bakery. The main character, Lindsay, has to clear her name and investigates the murder of another bakery owner in the same neighborhood. Lindsay and her family are nice, relatable characters and give the story a distinct flavor. The storyline was interesting, and it makes me want to read other books by Olivia Matthews. Definitely worth reading!

Against The Currant is the first book in a new cozy series featuring a family from Grenada who are opening a bakery in their Brooklyn neighborhood. The story is told from the POV of the main character, Lyndsay, the daughter of the family. It was her idea to open the bakery, which features recipes from the Caribbean, such as currant rolls, as well as something called “fish bakes” (which were never explained, so I still don’t really know what they are).

The family is tight-knit and I enjoyed their interactions. There’s Granny, who is a feisty 81-year-old with a fashion sense; Lyndsay’s mother and father, and an older brother, Devon, who is a lawyer. The story is a good one and kept me guessing. I was glad to see that Lyndsay’s kickboxing skills wound up being useful at one point. It will be interesting to see how the author continues this series. The local color was great.

[A minor point: I think this could use a bit more editing to remove some of the repetitive features, such as the constant thankfulness for her family, the description of the aromas in the store, etc. I also found it a bit irritating/childish for the main character to constantly refer to her parents as Mommy and Daddy; I don’t think there was a single sentence where it was simply “my parents”, for example. Since I read an advance copy, some of this may already have been addressed.]

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed getting to meet Lyndsay and her family as well as getting to know a little more about her Grenadian culture and food. I’m a little sad I don’t have a Grenadian bakery to run to so I can try some of the items mentioned. The mystery was well-paced, although there were so many different suspects and new characters introduced, it was hard to keep track of them all. The setting was quaint and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

🥐 Cozy mystery
🥐 Amateur investigation
🥐 Lots of West Indian food!

This was a fast paced cozy mystery set in Brooklyn. A new bakery specializing in Caribbean food is opening and the current neighborhood bakery owner comes by to cause trouble. So after a heated back and forth that surly bakery owner is found dead at his home.
And of course Lyndsay is the prime suspect cause of the verbal fight the day before.
Though through some investigating of her own she finds there are a lot of people that have issues with this guy due to his bad attitude, bad business practices and possible grifting.
But the police still won't look at anyone but her. Love a good cozy and the food sounds amazing!!

Thank you stmartinspress and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars for this slow-paced yet appetizing mystery that puts family at the forefront of the story.
Lyndsay Murray is finally getting her dream of opening a West Indian bakery with her family in her little Brooklyn neighborhood. When the neighborhood bully, baker and landlord Claudio Fabrizi, shows up to the grand opening to threaten her, she does what she rarely does and stands up to him. The problems begin when he ends up murdered that same night and the cops seem to refuse to follow any other lead or entertain any other suspect other than poor Lyndsay. This, of course, means that Lyndsay must put on her amateur detective shoes and look into the motives of everyone who might have had a beef with Fabrizi, which turns out to be a lot of people.
The story puts a lot of focus on family and accepting help from loved ones when you might be getting in over your head. It's a good spin on what is otherwise a very standard cozy mystery.
I walked away from this book with a major craving for some good currant buns, which is why I greatly appreciated the recipe at the end. It's a nice little touch that I've come to appreciate in cozy mysteries and was happy to see in this one.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for the twisty read!

I was excited to read this because I thought it would be super cute. A cozy mystery set in NYC surrounding a newly opened Caribbean bakery? And seeing a book about a family from Grenada was very different in this space.

Sadly the story didn't really engage me. Lyndsay is framed for the murder of a rival bakery owner and has to clear her name because the police aren't even trying to look for the killer. That part tracked. It took so long for her to actually decided to do something in this slow-paced story. Also despite being 27 Lyndsay reads more like 21/22. She keeps harping on childhood bullies, high school, and having to have dealt with those same people in college.

As someone with family from the English speaking Caribbean who even has family friends who live in Little Caribbean, I side-eyed so much of this book. Some things were done well and some things were done so wrong. The descriptions of food and the close connection between the family were the highlight of the book. And I had to resist the urge to go eat something while listening because I didn't have any food to compare. Some of the mentions of popular musicians were completely off. Trust me non Caribbean/Caribbean diasporan readers when I say the only ones who consider Harry Belefonte the Calypso King are white people. And hearing the uncle say "you all" instead of "allyuh" hurt me a little.

If I didn't switch to the audiobook I probably wouldn't have continued. It already started off very heavy-handed with the over explanations of the Murray family's background. And throughout the text kept reminding readers of what proud immigrants they were. Which got repetitive and old real quick! But also the audio narration was so horrible when it came to character's who weren't US born that I found myself cringing as the narrator used an unidentifiable accent and mispronounced popular terms constantly.

On a side note I've seen quite a few white readers complain about this and I'd just like to note that it's a cultural thing to refer to refer to parents as "mommy" and "daddy" not a sign of the main character's maturity level.

I wanted this book to be as spicy as the name of Lynd’s bakery and it just wasn’t. While the colorful descriptions of the background and the tempting aromas were there they just didn’t evoke much of a response from me unfortunately. The whodunit portion of the cozy didn’t provide a satisfying reveal for me as well.