My first question is if you can’t bake then why on earth would it be your lifelong dream to open a bakery? You save your whole life and work extra hard to accomplish this goal but again why? That made no sense to me at all...

As mentioned Lyndsay has been obsessed with her dream of opening a Caribbean bakery in her neighborhood since forever. With the help of her family the dream is finally coming true. The business is family run and family owned so the fact that she can’t bake doesn’t matter much because her parents, grandmother and brother can. The problem comes in the form of another bakery owner, Claudio, whose business is in the neighborhood. He assumes for no reason that this is all about him and stealing his business and his customers even though they aren’t selling the same things. After repeatedly threatening her and her family prior to the opening he shows up the day of their soft launch to cause a whole scene. Which is witnessed by a whole lot of people and Lyndsey tired of the harassment puts him in his place. Naturally because this is a cozy mystery he gets murdered later that night and of course Lyndsay is a suspect because.... reasons. The man had been harassing her in life and apparently will from beyond the grave.

Does it matter that everybody, including his own son, hated this man? Do the police use any logical thinking in that if he let the killer in it wouldn’t have been Lyndsay someone he didn’t like? Why would you let a stranger you don’t like into your house late at night? So you know cozy mystery so Lyndsay has to solve the murder herself with the help of her family and community.

So to be fair I think I just don’t like cozy mysteries that much there’s always just a level of nonsense I can’t take. Maybe there just has to be something truly interesting worth me getting invested that is hard to find in these types of books. The other problem for me I guess is I don’t exactly like how the author writes. It’s likely a me problem but this is my 3rd book by her and I only read this one basically to see if it was just the other series that I didn’t like. So I probably won’t read any more of her work but again it’s likely just a me problem. This book wasn’t too bad it dragged as these types of books tend to do, it was just ok for me.

Lyndsay is about to fulfill her dream of opening a Caribbean bakery in her Brooklyn neighborhood. There's a nasty man who runs a different kind of bakery somewhat nearby, and he comes in on opening day and get into an altercation with Lyndsay. Then he's murdered, and Lyndsay is the prime person of interest. The detectives don't seem inclined to look further, so she decides to investigate. Is the deceased's son a suspect because he has gambling debts? How about the woman who felt the dead man cheated her? The Grenadian-American family is very close knit and likable, and they are determined to help prove Lyndsay innocent.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

An interesting start to a new cozy mystery series. I enjoyed the characters, the food that was mentioned, the cultural aspects, the mystery and red herrings, and the sense of community around the family and their new bakery. There are a few things that took me out of the story that I hope will be tightened up in future books, but I liked it overall and look forward to the next book in the series.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

If you like A Deadly Scoop you might enjoy this book. I really enjoyed the family, community, and Caribbean inspired books but I think the plot was really slowed down by all the details. It was a wee bit repetitive to read about things that happened in high school though it helped give context to why succeeding was critical.

Olivia Matthew’s Against the Currant is a solid entry into the cozy mystery genre. The main character is Lyndsay Murray, the primary shareholder of a family-owned West Indian bakery in the Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn. Before the bakery’s hard opening, Lyndsay becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a competitor who is hated by everyone in the neighborhood, While the novel starts fairly slowly, this gives the author the opportunity to flesh out the main character and her family, and to introduce the reader to Grenadian food and culture. Once the plot gets going though, the mystery is packed with many plausible suspects and twists and turns to keep the reader’s interest.

I especially appreciated the culture and racial diversity in the novel, which makes it a stand-out in the cozy genre. I look forward to reading further novels in this series. 4.0 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with advanced courtesy copy of this book.

Lyndsay Murray has long dreamed of open a bakery with her family that celebrated their Caribbean heritage. Just as that dream is about to be a reality, rival bakery owner Claudio is found murdered in his home. Though all the evidence is circumstantial, are the police even looking at other possible suspects or are they just looking for more evidence against Lyndsay?

I'm always on the lookout for new cozy mysteries, particularly ones that are unique in some way. Against the Currant is book one in Oliva Matthews's Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series. It is set in a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York known as Little Caribbean.

Lyndsay, along with her parents and brother, immigrated to the U.S. when Lyndsay was little more than an infant. Sometimes later her grandmother joins the family in New York. Extended family also live in the family. I think this is the only cozy mystery series I've read that features an immigrant as the main character.

This is my first book by Olivia Matthews though she has several novels which are part of two other series.

I thought the premise was a good one. I love culinary cozies and I liked learning about the Caribbean culture. I had never heard of the phrase "She kissed her teeth." I'm assuming it is an idiom common in their culture. I think it is like sucking air through your teeth.

Unfortunately, I found the execution lacking. The pacing was off. And a pet peeve of mine is continuity issues and this one had a few. The timeline was off in a couple scenes. For example, it was around midnight when one scene started and the characters drove 20 minutes home, told their story, called the police and family, the brother came to the house, and then they drove back to the scene to meet the police and it was just after midnight when they get there. Then they go over what happened with the police and then drive back home and it is still just after midnight.

I know this is the first book in a new series so there is some amount of set-up and explanation required but it felt like there was too much explaining of things in the first several chapters and it was repeated a number of times. I felt like I was being beat over the head with the fact she opened a family bakery among other facts. There was a lot of telling instead of showing as well. All of this added up and diminished my enjoyment of the novel. It was such a slow start. We know who is going to get killed and who is going to be accused of the murder early on and I found myself thinking "can we hurry up and get to the murder?" I found it to be a boring read that was a struggle to get into.

Some of the characters have potential. I wasn't overly fond of the main character Lyndsay. I found her to be a little too immature. She should have moved on from high school by now. I know it's hard as I too was mistreated in school, but she's been to college and graduate school and worked at a marketing firm. She's probably in her 30s by now and shouldn't still be thinking of herself as the shy, tormented child. I've moved on and I didn't enjoy reliving the toxic thoughts through the character.

I think the secondary characters could have been put to better use. I was expecting some good zingers from her grandmother. And I couldn't really figure out why Lyndsay's cousin Reena was around sometimes. She is there to be a foil to Lyndsay and she fills that role well but she doesn't have a stake in the business as far as I could figure out. I assume she is supposed to fill the quirky sidekick role which she doesn't do as well. But seeing as Lyndsay doesn't have any friends outside of family, she is the best choice for a sidekick and contemporary confidente.

I often find the first book in a new cozy mystery to be a bit of a bumpy ride - it is why I often don't start a new series with book 1 (I like coming in around book 3 or 4). I would consider reading a second book in this series to see if some of the kinks get worked out as I do think it has the potential to be a fun series.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/01/against-currant-by-olivia-matthews.html

I really enjoyed this book! Culinary cozy mysteries are my favorite and this was so unique. I really loved learning more about West Indian food and the characters was fantastic. Can’t wait for more in this series!

Dollycas's Thoughts

The first book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries introduces readers to Lyndsay Murray. Her lifelong dream has been to open a West Indian bakery featuring food and using recipes from her Grenadian history. The bakery is set to open in the Little Caribbean neighborhood, of Brooklyn, New York. She is so excited to be working alongside her parents, grandmother, and even her brother who is helping out with the opening.

The bakery's opening day arrives and is very well received by everyone in the area except Claudio Fabrizi, who owns and operates another bakery a few blocks away. He doesn't want any competition even though the new bakery is offering very different choices from what he serves at his place. He barges into the Spice Isle Bakery spewing threats and just being nasty. Lyndsay has been dealing with the man for weeks and has had enough. She comes around the counter and has a serious verbal altercation with him in front of a room full of her customers. So when Claudio is found murdered the next day, Lyndsey finds herself at the top of the suspect list, Before her lifelong dream goes up in smoke she has to find the real killer and fast.

______

I love that this story features a tight closely knit family. Lyndsay starts out pretty meek and mild but over the course of the book her self confidence grows exponentially. It was a pleasure to see this happen. Her grandmother is also a treasure. Sitting at a table crocheting, ready to jump in and help in any way possible. She is not afraid to speak her mind or give a push or a shove to get anyone moving in the right direction. Her parents are hard workers who love their daughter and want to help her succeed. Her father is in charge of the Caribbean music played at the bakery and Lyndsay knows his emotions through the songs he plays. Her brother Dev, a junior partner of an international law firm has taken time off to help during the opening week. Family always comes first and they back it up in both their words and actions. All are cleverly written and evolve nicely throughout the story, leaving plenty of room for growth as the series continues.

The mystery was complex with more suspects than I first imagined. Claudio Fabrizi was not a nice man. He was cantankerous and rude. No wonder his business was going down the tubes. Filled with twists and turns Lyndsay followed the clues, asked some great questions, and did her best to solve the mystery. Like me, she was surprised when the guilty party revealed themselves, but her actions in the showdown were absolutely epic and had me cheering.

I really enjoy Ms. Matthews's descriptive writing style. She sets a scene so well without getting overly wordy. I could easily imagine each place Lyndsay went. I could hear the music and smell the food. All the food served at the Spice Isle Bakery was new to me but everything sounded so good. Recipes for the popular Currant Rolls and Coconut Bread are included at the back of the book.

The Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries are off to a great start with Against the Currant. The characters are unique and interesting as is the setting of the Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn. I am excited to see the series continuing with Hard Dough Homicide which will be released in May. I am eager to see what drama Lyndsay Murray and her family get into next.

I thought this was a great beginning to a new cozy mystery series! And the food mentioned sounded really good. Overall, I would definitely recommend trying this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Nach längerer Zeit habe ich mal wieder eine Cozy Mystery gelesen und sie hat mich daran erinnert, warum ich diese Art von Büchern generell mag. Denn das gemütliche Tempo und der Fokus auf die Charaktere sowie ihr Leben gefiel mir gut.

Der Roman ist der erste in einer Reihe, im Zentrum steht eine neue Bäckerei in Familienbesitz. Beim Lesen gefiel mir dieses Setting sehr gut, die Spezialitäten aus Grenada haben mich zum Teil ganz schön hungrig gemacht. :)

Die Geschichte und vor allem der Kriminalfall waren interessant, konnten mich beide aber nicht komplett faszinieren. Dazu hätte der Fall etwas raffinierter sein müssen, zudem wirkte das Opfer, das man zunächst noch lebendig kennenlernt, auf mich etwas zu eindimensional.

Den Fokus auf die Familie der Heldin muss man mögen, mir war es teils einen Tick zu viel. Die gegenseitige Unterstützung fand ich toll, ich hätte Lyndsay aber gerne öfter in Situationen ohne ihre Familie erlebt.

Die cozy mystery ließ sich insgesamt gut lesen, ob ich das zweite Buch in der Reihe lesen werde, weiß ich aber noch nicht. Mal sehen, worum der Fall gehen wird.

🖤🖤🖤1/2

Für wen?

Wer ruhige cozy mysteries mit einem Fokus auf Familien mag, sollte sich das Buch mal näher anschauen.

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.