A weekend team building retreat is coming to Ashland and Torte is catering several meals, as well as being at the white water rafting part of the weekend. When one of the executives from this dysfunctional group is found dead in the water, Jules and Lance continue their sleuthing ways. A fun book, great writing, good recipes and a picture of Jules' life outside of the bakery. I enjoyed this journey to the area outside of Ashland.

This is one of my favorite cozy series and at sixteen books I can say I've not been disappointed. With Ashland, OR for the setting and a cast of recurring characters who feel like close friends and family, I always enjoy the reading escape. Jules and her husband Carlos are starting a new chapter in their marriage now that Carlos has decided to leave the seafaring life. In this puzzle, Jules has taken on the job of catering a river outing on the Rogue River for a company retreat. The challenge of cooking over campfires and the like soon pale in light of one of the employees is found face down in the river. There was stress amongst the group but who was the one taking it to the level of murder?
Jules, her family and friends and the family bakery are, to me, pitch perfect. The puzzle is complex, keeping me guessing wrong to the final reveal. It's a series that can be read out of order as there is always enough back story to keep a new reader from becoming confused. I hope I don't have to wait too long for #17.
My thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchage for my honest review.

I’ve read every single book in the Bakeshop series, and while I’ve loved most of them, this one sadly left me wanting.
One of the things I usually like best in Alexander’s stories is how vibrant Ashland seems. However, I just couldn’t get a feel for that same magic in this story. In one scene Jules is on a summer rafting trip and in the next she’s baking fall cookies and Andy is crafting fall lattes, leaving me so confused as to the setting and season. And the Torte Bakeshop and Torte characters whom I usually adore felt very much like very minor subplots, and I really didn’t like a single one of the new characters.
Unfortunately, the mystery left much to be desired as well. While Jules talked to many people, she (and the readers) were led completely off base only to watch the police solve the mystery and answer all the questions. It left me rather frustrated because as a reader, I love watching the main character solve the mystery and solve it with the main character. Not be blindsided by the end by someone else solving the case.
I’ll still be reading the series because I do love Torte and her people, but I hope the next book has more of the magic the previous books had!

Jules and her lovely bakeshop, Torte, in Ashland, Oregon, home to all things Shakespeare, are back starring in another cozy mystery. She and her husband, Carlos, are in a good place, and Carlos' son has arrived to spend the school year with them. Come fall, the heaviest of the tourist season is over and Jules takes on a catering job for a corporate retreat. They want to go river rafting, except they are doing it glamping style. The company's liaison is incredibly hard to please and Jules almost regrets taking on the job. It only gets worse. The head of the company is bent on creating dissension among the "team" and ultimately, someone drowns in the river. Is it a death by natural causes or is it a murder? If it is a murder, whodunit? And who might be next? Jules and her friend, Lance, set out to do some investigative work on their own.
The descriptions of the foods served up by the bakeshop sound scrumptious. There are lots of red herrings and false trails to follow. If you like cozy mysteries and baking, then this series is for you.

While the money is good, Jules Capshaw and the team at Torte, her bakeshop, quickly regret agreeing to cater a weekend getaway for Bamboo, a tech company in Silicon Valley. The staff is dysfunction to say the last – starting with Josie the owner and CEO who belittles the staff every chance she gets. Still, dysfunction as they are, Jules isn’t expecting that one of them would be murdered – and that she would be the one to find the body. Jules knows that the police are capable of solving the murder but she feels personally involved and does a little sleuthing of her own but will they find the kiler before the staff of Bamboo leaves town?

Muffin But the Truth is the enjoyable sixteenth book in Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop cozy mystery series. I always love my visits to Torte – although I feel like I put on weight just reading the descriptions of the things Jules makes! I love the way Jules and the rest of the characters have grown throughout the course of the series – this series has more character development than many other cozy mystery series that I have read. The setting of the murder was a nice change of pace and the mystery was well done with plenty of twists and turns and red herrings – I was surprised more than once by events that happened in the book. Finally, without giving any away, I really like the way Alexander revealed who the killer was.

Muffin But the Truth is a nicely done cozy mystery.

Muffin but the Truth is book 16 in the A Bakeshop Mystery series. This cozy mystery is filled with a lot baking details so don't read this hungry. Overall the characters are likable, especially everyone at the bakeshop.

The mystery itself was ok, and the ending was a bit unrealistic. I did feel a bit lost as I have not read any of the books in the series, especially wished I knew more about Jules love story.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks for the complimentary copy.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. In this entry, Jules and her team at her bakeshop are catering a weekend retreat for a big business, along the Rogue River. But the business' boss is extremely demanding, and the in-fighting among the business team starts almost immediately. When someone is murdered, Jules must help the police determine which among the many suspects most wanted the victim dead.

I love this series for the characters and their relationships. Jules is such a strong female protagonist, and she is surrounded by unique and loveable characters. The setting of Ashland is almost a character in itself, and really comes alive. I always look forward to what Alexander writes next.

I have read all of Ellie Alexander's books and enjoy them all. I wait for the latest one to come out and see what' next for Jules and Carlos a wonderful team they have become. Yes, I did find it wasn't expounded on the fact of the pink vest and was waiting for it to be known about it. But you know what it didn't ruin the book. It was well written, and I enjoyed every min. of it and couldn't put down the book till I finished it. I got an advanced copy and am so happy to be able to read it. Ellie keeps up the good work. Much appreciated it!!!!
Great work well written!!!!

A light, fun, cozy mystery. If you're looking for a psychological thriller, this isn't it but if you're looking for a fun, feel good read. Look no farther.

Juliet and the Bakeshop crew are hired to cater a rustic raft/campsite retreat for a tech company team building event. Unfortunately Cruella di Vil is the leader and she is making her team crazy. The rude Josie Jones has no idea what team building means and when one of her team is murdered, everyone assumes it was a case of mistaken identify. As usual Juliet and Lance are set to investigate. I always enjoy the Bakeshop Mysteries, but this one was a bit heavy on philosophy near the end and a unsatisfactory resolution to the crime.

Cozy mysteries are my go too books for light reading. First time for this author and I did enjoy it. I will have to get other books in this series because the stories are light and I would like to get to know the characters better.

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book from the moment that I started reading, I knew that I was going to be getting an amazing read that I would not be able to put down. IT moves along at a pace that makes for an enjoyable read, one in which you can lose yourself and forget everything else. The characters are amazing and you cant help but love them and the story will not disappoint, keeping you interested and reading until the end. This book is a must read, no doubt about it.

Muffin But the Truth is the 16th installment of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mystery series. Jules Capshaw owns Torte a bakeshop in Ashland Oregon. Jules has accepted a catering job on the Rogue River for a group of executives. The event will take place over an entire weekend with the majority of the cooking being done on site. The executives seem to be doing more bickering than team building. Jules is happy to see them leave for the river rafting. Upon their return, they enjoy dinner, wine and dessert while watching a Shakespeare performance. But all is not well with the group. Early the next morning, Jules discovers a body floating face down in the river. As usual, Jules joins forces with her detective step father to solve the mystery. There are several twists and turns in the investigation. This is a cozy mystery that keeps you interested.

Muffin But the Truth is a quick, enjoyable read. The characters are an interesting mix - some are endearing and others are just downright loathsome. The mystery kept me turning pages, trying to figure out who was the guilty party. I enjoyed the setting in and around Ashland, Oregon.

It was a pleasure reading this book. The author has a smooth style that draws you in and allows you to immerse yourself in the story and the mystery. I’m not much of a baker but I enjoy and appreciate the tips that are included when Jules is putting together a dish.

In this latest installment, Torte has agreed to cater an executive retreat for Bamboo, thanks a tech company from Silicone Valley. The retreat is a real adventure, a camping and rafting weekend albeit a glamorous one with individual yurts and Jules and her husband on hand to cook high quality artisan food over a campfire or on a camp stove.

The retreat starts off with dinner at Torte and Jules and her staff are amazed and appalled at the toxicity of Bamboo’s owner Josie. She belittles and berates her team and is rude and condescending to Torte. Jules regrets her decision to cater the weekend but it’s a done deal.

Things continue to be bad when they arrive at the campsite with Josie subject to a few not so nice pranks. And the next morning Jules discovers a body floating in the river and thinks it’s Josie but it not , it’s another member of the Bamboo team who looked like Josie.

Was Josie the intended target? Did the victim know a secret that another Bamboo exec would be willing to kill to,protect. Having discovered the victim Jules feels she needs to help investigate and calls on her buddy Lance for assistance.

That being said, I don’t think Jules solved the mystery and identified the killer.

If you’ve read previous books in the series you’ll love seeing the growth in the series characters and the relationships between them.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I love going back to Ashland, Oregon and Torte! Juliet and Carlos are a great couple and I love the sleuth dynamic between Juliet and Lance. The addition of Carlos' son in this book was a great example of how things are now with blended families and how everyone should get along for the kids. Great mystery, I think I'm probably 50/50 with figuring out who did it. Can't wait to see what happens next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

I had read a few books in this series a while ago, but was recently reintroduced to it through an online buddy read. I was very excited to read the latest in this well-written culinary cozy series. In this book, Jules Capshaw is catering a corporate retreat that includes a rafting trip on Oregon's Rogue River and then glamping on the shore. What could be a nice break from her work at her bakeshop is a chore because the CEO in charge of the group is one of the most negative, difficult people Jules has had to deal with.

Things get even worse for Jules when she discovers the dead body of one of the members of the group, but that’s when things get good for the reader! I enjoyed the parts of the book that took place during the retreat the most. It's interesting to read about the activities and meals provided on the retreat, and it's great seeing Jules, her husband, and his son bonding on the trip in spite of the murder. Once Jules and her family return home, the pace of the book slows down, but there are still some fun moments with Jules and her best friend Lance investigating. Any scene with Lance is sure to be entertaining! After the case is solved, the book ends on a very upbeat note and I look forward to more in this series.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martins Press. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Juliet (aka Jules) was raised in small town Ashland, OR, which has a Shakespearean theme. She grew up helping her parents in their bakery and went on to culinary school. After working for many years on a cruise line, where she met her Italian husband, Carlos, she moved back home to take over the family bakery, Torte. Though she shares ownership of it with her mother, who is married the local head of police, Jules does the day-to-day running of it. Carlos runs the winery they have majority ownership of. Ramiro, Carlos' son from a previous relationship, is in high school and spending a year with them.

Jules and the Torte team have been hired to cater an outdoor glamping outing for executives of a firm from the city. It's supposed to be a teambuilding adventure but Josie, the boss, is always being rude to the execs which has everyone on edge. After a night of them eating, drinking and being degraded by Josie, Jules welcomes the quiet the next morning as she heads to the river for water ... until she sees a body in the water. She jumps in but it's too late. While the investigation goes on, the team isn't allowed to leave Ashland and strange things keeps happening to them.

This is the sixteenth in the Bakeshop Mystery series (I've read them all) and I thought it was okay. The whodunnit came up rather quickly and I didn't think the reason justified the murder. It's written in first person perspective in Jules' voice. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. It works as a stand alone as there is plenty of background info provided.

Ashland is known for its Elizabethan charm and touches of Shakespeare around every corner, but the surrounding Rogue Valley draws adventure enthusiasts to its outdoor wonderland of high alpine lakes, mountain ranges, and pristine rivers. Jules Capshaw and the team at Torte have been hired to cater a weekend getaway on the mighty Rogue River. Jules is going to have to put her culinary skills to the test while baking gooey chocolate chip skillet cookies over an open flame and preparing extravagant feasts under a canopy of stars. The executive team at a big city firm will be rafting the Rogue’s rapids and gathering around the campfire for spooky stories, but their dysfunction quickly begins to show. Between constant bickering and heavy drinking, Jules wonders how the team can accomplish anything. She’s happy for a brief reprieve when they zip up their lifejackets and head out in their boats, but the serenity of the scene quickly vanishes when Jules discovers one of the execs floating face down in the water. She’s going to have to uncover the truth before she gets pulled under.
This is a good mystery. The truth of the matter is that you would never guess who the murderer is.
I never read a book by this author before.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.