For the beginning of the year, I decided to go for something comfortable. A cozy mystery. Against the Currant is the first in Olivia Matthews’s new Spice Isle Bakery mysteries. It was released yesterday (the 24th) by St. Martin’s Press. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it.

Against the Currant follows Lyndsay Murray as she and her family open a bakery in Little Caribbean (Brooklyn, NY). As if opening a business isn’t stressful enough, throw in a rival bakery owner who threatens to shut them down them gets himself murdered the very next day. Lynds is now the main suspect of a murder! Luckily, she and her meddlesome family are on the case despite her protests that she’s just trying to find more likely suspects, not the actual murderer. There’s a hot detective for a potential love interest as well. What could go wrong?

The plot is standard, but a little on the weak side. One mild argument does not a murderer make, especially when there are a plethora of other suspects with much better motives. The detectives in this book are the stupidest people ever. They only focus on Lyndsay and they don’t listen when far better leads are given to them. I mean, I’m okay with nosy people solving cases (it’s why I read cozies), but I hate it when the cops are this dumb. There were plenty of red herrings they could’ve followed that would’ve been fine, but they stuck with the flimsiest one. That was annoying. And I really hope the detective doesn’t end up being the love interest. He’s a dick. Just don’t. Also, there was a character who showed up twice pretty early on for absolutely no reason. All he did was start stuff, which any established character could have done, then he completely disappeared. What was that about?

I liked the characters, though there were a lot of them. While I understand the desire to introduce all of the family (and extended family) at once, all of the names were overwhelming and I couldn’t keep them straight. On top of them, there were two detectives, five or six suspects, and three or four extras. It was a lot for one book. But I liked the ones I could remember. Lyndsay, Dev, Reena, the grandma, and parents. All great with a lot of potential. The murderer was pretty easy to pick out, but a couple of the red herring characters were great and would’ve been just as plausible. Mostly, I think the characters are good and have the potential for growth if the series continues.

As far as the writing goes, it’s a bit repetitive, especially early on. Like, I heard you the first three times. Move on. And there were some tics that kept showing up in multiple characters. If it’s one character doing it, I write it off as a character tic, but if multiple characters do it, it’s probably the author’s go-to reaction when they don’t know what else to use (mine is shrugging or nodding). Lots of kissing teeth, which took me far too long to figure out since I didn’t Google it, but I learned a new phrase, so that was cool. Stuff like that. But it was a quick read nonetheless.

Ultimately, I was kind of meh about Against the Currant. If I catch the next book in the series, I’ll check it out to see if anything changes, but if I miss it, no big deal.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. If you’re into cozy mysteries set in bakeries, go ahead and try it. There are some recipes included if you’re into that kind of thing too.

This was everything I wanted in a cozy and more!! The bakery being from a Caribbean family helped me learn about several new foods and provided a new spin on the bakery cozy. The family was so supportive and also protective. I loved how they interacted and supported each other. We have an opinionated grandma, a sassy cousin, and a kickboxing main character!
A couple piddly complaints- The police investigation was almost non-existent, but there is room for growth in the next book. The romantic possibilities are questionable, but again I can see room for growth in those characters.
A couple unique things- The main character did not find the body. I liked this! Also the main character will be competing in a kickboxing showcase/ tournament in the future. Lyndsey’s experience with kickboxing really some depth to her character.
This is an amazing beginning to a new series.

This was a very enjoyable first in a new cozy series about a Grenadian-American family opening a new bakery in Brooklyn. The story centers on Lyndsay Murray, the primary force and dreamer behind the bakery, and on soft opening day things are going splendidly until the incredibly cranky competition from down the street comes charging into the store to make a scene and drop a few threats. Lyndsay stands up for her family and business and drops a mild threat of her own - with a rapt audience cheering her on. Unfortunately the next day the nasty man is found dead and Lynds becomes the prime suspect.
The characters are wonderful and varied. The sense of family and community is warm and refreshing, and hold Lyndsay together when things get seriously scary. The police work that sets up Lyndsay as the main suspect is pretty silly considering what a jerk the murder victim was and how many enemies he had. But her actions to try to clear her name actually seem fairly reasonable. It will be interesting to see how this will be turned into a series as she doesn't exactly have the temperament for steady sleuthing. But for the first in a series (always difficult), this was a very nice job! Highly recommended.

Lindsay is fulfilling her dream of opening her own bakery with a Caribbean twist in Brooklyn. When the owner of a competing shop next door ends up murdered Lindsay is the lead suspect after having a public confrontation with the man. As other incriminating evidence tries to point local police towards Lindsay she is determined to find out who is responsible and save her bakery’s reputation as well as her her own. Her family is a wonderful bunch of characters, especially her grandmother who is always cheering Lindsay on. I not only loved the family theme but also the touching of racism and dynamics in a bigger city. I also can’t forget the food, I wanted to eat all the dishes and pastries that mentioned! This was a great cozy mystery!

A young woman and her Grenadan family open a new bakery in their New York neighbourhood, only to attract the ire of a competator. When he ends up dead, she's forced to investigate in order to clear her name.
This story is full of colourful characters and plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing who-dun-it right through to the end of the story.
A good read with a few good recipes thrown in as an added bonus.

When NetGalley released a list of Read Now cozy mysteries, Against the Currant was one that I jumped on! The first in the Spice Isle Bakery series, Lyndsay must figure out who killed her competition before she gets blamed for it!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted ebook! All opinions in this review are my own.

To start, I love that this series is set in a West Indian bakery in Brooklyn! Lately I have been reading cozy mysteries set in small towns, so this was a refreshing change!

While I felt like it did take a little while for Lyndsay to start trying to solve the mystery, it fits with the fact that this is the first book in the series. She is not just going to start chasing after a murderer immediately. Lyndsay's reaction to being framed made the mystery more realistic. Plus, by not jumping right into trying to solve the mystery, it gave us time to get to know her family more and I loved their interactions!

Needless to say, I will be reading the second book and I'm excited to see where this series goes!

This was a wonderful beginning to a new series. The relationship between the characters and the progression of the story had a nice pace that kept me invested from page one. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

The soft opening of Lyndsay’s family bakery is ruined by a fight with a local bakery owner. The next day he is found dead and Lyndsay is the number one suspect. The police seem content to believe she is the culprit so Lyndsay is forced to take matters into her own hands and investigate.

This was just so overly simplistic that it required me to suspend my disbelief way beyond reality. It just wasn’t believable. How is Lyndsay able to uncover more information about the deceased than the police? How is it that total strangers sing like canaries to her? She has no actual detective skills and simply forces the murderer into a position of revealing themselves by… talking?

Nevermind there was an absence of actual detective work or crime solving. She never uncovers physical evidence. In fact there’s a scene involving a gun and I don’t understand why the police wouldn’t have eliminated their suspicions of her by simply testing for gunshot residue. I don’t even watch crime shows and even I know that’s basic suspect elimination.

Also the police were so certain it was Lyndsay for mind boggling circumstantial evidence when there was a list of potential culprits with more valid reasons. Well this fact is acknowledged by Lyndsay I think the book could have done a better job exploring why the police were content to focus on her.

Also I realize this is probably a “me problem” but the main character who is well over the age of thirty CONSTANTLY referred to her main parents as “mommy” and “daddy.” As a result, she came across as extremely juvenile to me and frankly the use of the terms (well probably irrational to most) made me want to hurl my Kindle out the window. Then I spiraled down a rabbit hole of is this weird and Googling this. I’ll save you the mystery and let you know that this is apparently a deeply divided issue on Reddit.

As a casual connoisseur of cozy mysteries, I need a fun element and this just overall lacked a reason for me to keep turning the pages. It was fairly short so it had that going for it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved meeting Lyndsay and her big, awesome family. Her Granny just cracked me up--she was definitely my fave character! All the characters and descriptions really helped me feel like I was there in that section of Brooklyn even though I've never been shopping there. (My only quick Brooklyn experience included eating at Junior's and seeing the house used for the exterior of Blue Bloods lol). Aside from the mean guy who was dead, most of these people were so amazing in how they protected each other and came together as family/good friends to support Lyndsay.

I was definitely surprised by the whodunit since I had someone else in mind all together. That was a great showdown and I was cheering the whole time as Lyndsay kicked some serious behind. She was more grateful than ever for the kickboxing she'd done since age thirteen. The ending was my favorite type with food, family and friends along with everything being explained completely. I'm eager to see what other kinds of adventures my new book friends come up with in the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this new cozy series by Olivia Matthews. The main character, Lyndsay is opening up a Caribbean bakery in Brooklyn with her family when a competitor begins causing issues, later ending up dead. Of course, Lyndsay is the main suspect! Matthews did a great job of finding that younger voice for her character that made it believable and accurate which so many cozy authors struggle with today. I felt that this was a girl in her 20s trying to find her path in life while encountering all these obstacles through no fault of her own. The mystery was straight-forward with lots of suspects and red-herrings, but in the end, justice prevails. Those looking for a great young protagonist in their cozies should pick this one up!

What a fun first book in the series! Lynsday Murray has saved every penny she could since she was a little girl, and now her dream to open up “Spice Isle Bakery” with help from her family is finally a reality.
A local baker seems to be threatened by the opening of the family business, and on opening day comes in threating to shut them down, later that night he is killed. Lyndsay is suspect number 1 – and the police doesn’t seem to look much further. It’s up to her to clear her name and keep her family safe.
Such a fun cozy! Great plot line, story is full of Caribbean folklore, sayings,… - the food makes me want to just drop in for a quick lunch. Keep your eye on Granny, she is a hoot!

Against the Currant is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in a Caribbean bakery in Brooklyn.
The story is told mostly in first person, which made it hard for me to remember the name of the main character….Lyndsay Murray. I don’t mind stories told in first person, but it does mean I remember the other characters names better than the actual protagonist.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the foods and the author offers the reader an “easy” version of the currant rolls using puff pastry.
The mystery of who killed Claudio was one where I didn’t figure out the culprit. I had my eye on someone else. There were some good suspects that Lyndsay looked into while the police seemed happy to pigeon hole her for the role of murderer.
I enjoyed reading Against the Currant. It was interesting to read a cozy set in Brooklyn.

I enjoyed reading this first book it had real true facts of how the police wouldn't listen to Lindsay and what her family had to say. It was ver relaxing action packed with a lot of different suspects kept me on my seat trying to figure out who the true killer was. The wole family was in it together helping in all different aspects of the bakery and the crime solving. And shw was amazing till the end.

Deliciously murderous!
Absolutely loved this series debut by Olivia Matthews! From the characters to the recipes Against the Currant was a great new cozy mystery!
The story follows Lyndsay Murray, her family and their business (Spice Isle Bakery) as they try to clear their name and solve a murder (or two)! It’s full of twists, suspense, sleuthing and a possible romantic interest. I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book in the Spice Isle Bakery Series! (Hard Dough Homicide coming May 2023)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Each time I read a cozy mystery, I tell myself I need to read more. I thoroughly enjoy thrillers/mysteries, but something about a cozy mystery really pulls me in and this was no different. Matthews did such an incredible job setting up the scene in the bakery, so much so that I was ready to go visit. I felt like I was in the book. I loved it.
The only thing that I'm not the biggest fan of in cozy mysteries is the pacing being a little slower than I tend to like, but I still enjoy them. It makes me savor them.

Lyndsay was a great character and I really enjoyed watching her story unfold. Her family interactions were so fun, even if it was in a stressful environment and I enjoyed watching how all of this unfolded and how Lyndsay was going to defend herself. This was another fantastic cozy mystery and I enjoyed it!

This is the first in a new cozy series set in Brooklyn with the main character owning a neighborhood Caribbean bakery with her family. This book has the components you’d pretty much expect to find in a cozy mystery - a main character suspected of committing a murder, an amateur sleuth who gets involved in investigating the murder, a tight knit family and a sense of community and friendship. The family relationships were a strong aspect of this story. The characters were likable and the character development was good. The investigation into the murder was a bit slow to develop and there were parts that dragged, mostly because there was repetitive information that wasn’t necessary and didn’t move the story forward. All in all, this was a good introduction to the series.

This was a great read! I loved the main character who struggled with making herself assertive. When she does stand up for herself, she ends up as a suspect in a murder. The setting of the family owned bakery was great, it felt like the place to be in the neighborhood. The mystery was well thought out and as a reader the hints along the way were subtle. It was a good resolution and I hope there are more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an opportunity to read AGAINST THE CURRANT.

Full Disclosure: I am so lily white that you can see the blue veins under my skin. I hope that NetGalley and the publisher reached out to book reviewers who are of West Indian ancestry.

This novel is told from the First person narrative. Usually I read novels in the third person narrative.

Thought the writing was very good. I could easily imagine the characters. They are described very well. We get an insight into Lynds' personality. Love the background of the Bakery.

Highly recommended for fans of cozy culinary mysteries with POC characters.

Ever since she was a little girl, Lynds Murray has wanted to open a Caribbean-style bakery in her Brooklyn neighborhood. After a post-graduate degree and time in the marketing trenches, she’s finally saved up enough money to open the store of her dreams. With the help of her parents, her brother Dex and her formidable Granny, she’s all set to launch Spice Island Bakery, serving both baked goods and savory breakfast and lunch menu items six days a week.

Unfortunately, a neighboring baker isn’t at all pleased by this new competition. Claudio Fabrizi is a bit of a carpetbagger, having come from outside the neighborhood and doing little to ingratiate himself with his clientele. But he’s cornered the market on higher end European pastries, so shouldn’t feel threatened by Lynds’ shop, located several blocks away from his own. Alas, he doesn’t see it that way at all, and makes it a point to cause huge scenes just as Spice Island is opening for business.

When Lynds ends one such scene with a warning that could be construed as physically threatening, she’s roundly applauded by her clientele, none of whom have taken to Claudio’s high-handed manner. Her hard-won sense of bravado wavers significantly, however, when the cops knock on her door the very next day. Claudio has been murdered, and she’s just become their prime suspect.

Lynds’ family, friends and regular customers all assure her that they know she had nothing to do with Claudio’s murder. But when her name is linked to it in the local paper, and businesses start canceling their catering orders, she realizes that she’ll have to take action or kiss her fledgling bakery goodbye. Soon enough, she’s attracted the attention of the real murderer, who won’t hesitate to kill again. Will even Lynds’ formidable kickboxing skills save her from a calculating killer with a gun?

This was a very relatable contemporary culinary cozy that takes care to lay out the thought processes of our heroine as she gets caught up in amateur sleuthing despite the risks. Lynds is an introvert who’s had to work hard, with the help of self-defense courses taken since childhood, to learn how to stand up for herself and the people she loves. I really enjoyed spending time with her over the course of this novel. And, oh, the descriptions of Caribbean food had me craving bakes and roti and curry throughout and well after. If you love Caribbean food like I do, you’ll adore this book. And if you haven’t yet been introduced to this wonderful cuisine, then you are in for a real treat!

There are two recipes included, from Lynds’ home island of Grenada, and I decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Currant Rolls

2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk (optional)
1 puff pastry sheet
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 ½ cup dried currants
Parchment paper
Baking tray

Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set the bowl aside.

Mix together egg and milk in a bowl. Set the bowl aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Allow the puff pasty to thaw in the fridge until soft enough to work with but still cool to the touch. On a flour-dusted surface, use a rolling pin to roll the puff pastry into a rectangular shape about 2/10 of an inch thick.

Brush half of the melted butter over the surface of the dough.

Sprinkle the currants evenly across the surface of the dough. Then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mix on top of the currants.

Following the long side of the rectangle of dough, roll everything tightly into a log shape. Put the seam side of the log on the bottom to help keep it closed as it bakes in the oven. Cut the log into two pieces. Place both pieces onto a parchment-lined baking tray, seam side down.

Brush the egg-and-milk wash over the surface of each of the two halves of dough.

With a fork, poke a few holes over the surface of each log.

Put the tray on the middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the logs. Brush the remaining melted butter over both logs. Place the logs back into the oven for 5 more minutes.

Place the logs on a cooling rack. Once they are cooled, cut the logs diagonally into serving-size pieces using a serrated knife. NOTE: Use a gentle motion to cut through the logs without destroying the pastry.
END QUOTE

I honestly don’t know what my husband was thinking buying gluten-free puff pastry at the store, which is fine as far as pastry goes but tends not to have that flaky lightness that really sets baked goods apart. That aside, this is a very easy to put together recipe that comes out beautifully, with a rich flavor from all the butter. One thing I might do differently next time is push the currants into the pastry a bit instead of just sprinkling, to help encourage the dough to embrace the dried fruit. Of course, this might just be a trait of the gluten-free stuff being less yielding than regular.

Next week, we travel even further north to make an unusual, and outstanding, sandwich while investigating the mysterious murder of a man about to marry. Do join me!

A slow mystery with a less than enthusiastic start. Luckily, the character development is what kept me enthralled.