"How the Murder Crumbles" is the first book in the "Cookie Shop Mystery" series by Debra Sennefelder to be released June 20th, 2023. It is your classic cozy mystery 1st book. That being said, it is a good a story and I can't say I've read it's exact like before. I have read a LOT of cozy mysteries, so that is saying something. My only complaint is that there is a whole thing about almond melt cookies throughout the book but no Almond Melt Cookie recipe included in the recipes at the end of the book. Why bother using that particular cookie if you aren't going to give a recipe for it?

I gave How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder 4 stars

Wingate, Connecticut, is famed as one of the top ten shopping destinations in the state, and home to Mallory Monroe’s beloved Cookie Shop—a place where patrons are greeted with the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies that are as beautifully decorated as they are insanely delicious.

But things aren’t going so smoothly for Mallory. Her two employees are a disaster in the kitchen, she catches her boyfriend with another woman, and she’s seen having a fierce argument with food blogger Beatrice Wright, who accuses Mallory of stealing her cookie recipe. Then Beatrice turns up dead in her kitchen, flour outlining her body and a bloodied marble rolling pin nearby. Mallory immediately becomes suspect number one, her sales plummet, and she desperately tries to clear her name—but that’s not the only murder the killer is baking up.

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The first in a new series! I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. It gave me spring feelings, and the story as well as the mystery were well done. I have nothing bad to say about this book, and I am very much looking forward to the next one. The ending put a smile on my face and I can see some romance blossoming in the future books.

I highly recommend this, and reading about all the cookies made me want to decorate my own.

This book comes out 20 Jun.

Thank you Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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A promising first installment to the series. Yummy setting and lots of baking info....too bad the book isn't illustrated ! The plot is straightforward....the murder suspect turns amateur sleuth is a familiar trope as are the requisite friend/sidekick, annoying nemesis and law and order potential love interest. A quick read for those who enjoy their mysteries somewhat predictable. It will be interesting to see if the author takes a more unexpected route in a second book.

How the Cookie Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder, was a fun, easy read, with several twists and turns along the way.

After Mallory took over "The Cookie Shop" she had an angry woman, Beatrice, came in, accusing her aunt of stealing a recipe for one of her signature cookies, called "Almond Meltaway"!
Mallory decided to go by Beatrice's home after work, to show her the recipe she used was not the same, but instead of having a conversation, she finds Beatrice dead, Murdered!
While trying to clear herself she kept having run ins with Will Hannigan, the detective in charge of the case who she first met when he came into the Cookie shop earlier that day.
The story line was fairly fun and the characters were interesting in the parts they played in Mallory's life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for the ARC, and the opportunity to take a fun journey in the first of a new fun series.
I'm leaving this honest review of my own free will and happy to do so!

A very promising start to a new series. We meet Mallory who has just started running a cookie shop in Windgate, Connecticut.

Soon after the story begins life takes a wrong turn for Mallory as her relationship breaks down, she has a public row about the rights to a cookie recipe, and the person she argues with is found murdered. Worried that people feel she must be the murderer Mallory sets out to discover who really did it.

I enjoyed the story and the cookies sounded amazing. There were many possible suspects, and a possible love interest for Mallory in future books turned up in the Detective who is investigating the case. All very interesting and I look forward to more books in the series.

Baker and Cookie Shop owner, Mallory is clearly having somewhat of a life crisis between struggling employees and her boyfriend cheating! Then she caught up in a public dispute with her Cookie Blogger cousin, Beatrice who has accused her of stealing the recipe for one of her most popular cookies…
Not long after, Beatrice is found dead in the kitchen, flour outlining her body and a rolling pin the apparent murder weapon. As a primary suspect Mallory takes on her own investigations to clear her name …

Mystery lovers will absolutely enjoy this one!

A well written Agatha Christie style murder mystery. I love a good mystery and I really enjoyed the setting of the Cookie shop (as Baking is one of my number one hobbies!). The language used was easy to read and follow and I absolutely loved the inclusion of some cookie recipes at the end.

For me personally I did find the pacing to be a little bit choppy and as such struggled to really connect with the characters and story as much as I would’ve liked. I didn’t really get so much of the suspenseful drama that I would usually hope for from a mystery. However, it was indeed as described an easy reading and cozy mystery.

My personal overall rating : 3 Stars

Thank You to NetGalley, Debra Sennerfelder and Crooked Lane Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder is the first in a new cozy cookie shop mystery series.
It follows cookie decorator extraordinaire Mallory Monroe, who inherits her Aunt's bakery and sells specialty cookie bouquets and sweet treats. Mallory must manage a new business model for the long time bakery and clashing personalities of her two employees. On top of that a nasty woman named Beatrice accuses her of stealing her cookie recipe in front of a reporter doing a piece on Mallory and the shop.

To make matters worse, Mallory discovers her boyfriend is cheating and finds a dead body all in the same week!
There's actual quite a few challenges for Mallory to face on top of finding out who the killer is before she gets accused of murder.
Fun characters and lots of twist and turns to keep you interested!

How the Murder Crumbles is a cozy mystery beginner series that stars Mallory Monroe as a cookie owner with two employees that really like to antagonize each other and she is having a very bad week. She is accused of stealing a cookie receipt from a rival who just happens to end up dead. Her boyfriend is caught kissing another woman, that woman is buying her building and she is now accused of rivals murder. If I was her I would just go back to bed and hide under the covers. It was a nice quick read with fascinating characters. It will be interesting to see where the next books will take them.

How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder is the first book of Cookie shop mysteries and is due to be published June 20th 2023 by Crooked Lane Books.
A delightful cozy mystery with the main character Mallory Monroe who bakes and decorates cookies and cookie bouquets. Her aunt left the bakery to Mallory in her will before she passed. When a very distasteful women named Beatrice accuses Mallory’s deceased Aunt Glenna of stealing her Almond meltway cookie recipe then is found murdered later that night, Mallory is now the main suspect. Can she clear her name before her future is in ruins?

This was such an amazing cozy mystery that involved a lot of baked goods and amazing characters that I loved to get to know along the way. I’m so ready to read the next book in this series when it comes out! Then ending had recipes which is really cool and I may have to try the Almond Meltaways.

Thank you NetGalley, crooked lane books and Debra for allowing me to read this ARC.

How the Murder Crumbles follows Mallory, a cookiepreneur and mystery lover, in her attempts to clear her name after the murder of a local resident puts her in the spotlight.

This was actually my first cozy murder mystery I've read, all the murder mysteries I've read in the past have been gritty, so I didn't know what to think. I was very pleased to find that I loved it, and think this was my entry to a genre that I'll be frequenting now that I've found it.

My favourite thing about this story was the character building - all the characters in this story felt fleshed out so you could understand the motive for all of them. Mallory, Kip and Aspen especially I really was drawn to and would happily read other books surrounding them. Maybe a romance between Mallory and Will? *hint hint*

At page 148 stating I had no idea who the killer was, and that lasted right until the final reveal. Maybe this is because I'm a mystery novel novice, but I think it's more likely that this story was really well-written and kept its secrets close to its chest.

I'd highly recommend this story to anyone wanting something cosy and feel-good, with that element of mystery.

Great start to a series! The main character was super fun. She knew she was doing borderline dangerous things, instead of being portrayed as the ingenue, and I always appreciate that. I really enjoyed the secondary characters, especially her new relationship with her exes girlfriend and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

How the Murder Crumbles is a cozy mystery set in a small town in Connecticut and revolves around the life of Mallory, who runs a popular cookie shop. However, her life takes a turn for the worse when she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, and her employees are causing trouble in the kitchen.

Adding fuel to the fire, she is accused of stealing a famous cookie recipe from a blogger, which leads to a public argument in front of her customers. Things take a sinister turn when the same blogger is found dead, and Mallory becomes the prime suspect due to her public altercation with the victim.

Despite a slow pace in parts, the novel is well-written and manages to capture the essence of small-town life, making it easy to relate to the characters. The author, Debra Sennefelder, does a great job of developing the characters' personalities, particularly Mallory's, and hits all the right notes when it comes to a small-town mystery.

The story is full of suspense, humor, and drama, and the ending ties up all the loose ends nicely. It's definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries set in small towns.

This book is an enjoyable and easy read, with a surprise ending that will leave readers satisfied. The characters are well-developed, and the story is engaging and intriguing. The author's inclusion of delicious cookie recipes is a nice touch that adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the book. In short, How the Murder Crumbles is a great cozy mystery that will keep readers entertained until the very end.

My full-length review will be posted online and links will be provided closer to the release date

What a cute cozy mystery. I liked the characters and their various interactions. Reading about all the cookies sure made me hungry though.

A cute cozy mystery to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This is my first foray into this author, and I found this book a delight. With the backdrop of a baker with a penchant for solving crime, this book scratched both the mystery itch and your need for baked goods.

The characters were well thought out and lived up to their archetypes. The town was aptly described and felt three dimensional. And, the mystery was just convoluted enough to keep you guessing.

The author mentions in her acknowledgements that this is her twelfth book, but this story felt like the beginning of a fun series for the main character. An enjoyable read.

This is the 1st in a new cosy mystery series following baker Mallory. This was a fun, well paced murder mystery with a mix of red herrings and a romantic subplot to keep you reading until the end. I wasn't on the edge of my seat and desperate to find out more but I did like the characters and found Mallory to be a nice main character. I think this is a nice easy read but not something I would pick up if I wanted a hard hitting suspenseful mystery.

Who knew baking cookies could be so mysterious? 🧈

This book didn’t follow a recipe and took it’s own turns. You follow the life of Mallory - who has moved to Westgate to take over her aunts baker. This is her lifelong dream running a bakery and one special tradition is the cookie of the month. This cookie is the motive, she has a fight with fellow Westgater Beatrice. Queen Bea thinks her Aunt stole her cookie recipe and they have a blow out. Later that evening Mallory goes to talk to Beatrice and find her murdered. Who did it? Why? Was Queen Bea a royal b? Will Mallory figure it out before the police do or will she be next? 🔎

I loved loved loved this book. It was super cute, easy to read, but I also could not figure out the ending. I give this one a 4/5. I also will be trying the Almond Melt recipe at the end of the book and as these were to die for. 🪦

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Debra Sennefelder for this ARC.

This is the 1st in a new cozy mystery series and I have a feeling it will become one of my favorite ones.

Mallory is trying to get her new cookie bakery established in Wingate, Connecticut when she gets into an argument with a rival. Can you guess who ends up dead later on and who is a murder suspect?

I loved getting to knoe the charcters in this book and the plot kept my interest. There were so many suspects which kept me guessing on who was the murderer. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend anyone who enjoys cozies to give this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 ⭐️
How the Murder Crumbles follows baker, Mallory Monroe, who gets involved in a confrontation with local food blogger, Beatrice, over an allegedly stolen cookie recipe. Only for the blogger to turn up dead hours later. Mallory soon finds herself at the center of a murder investigation, and takes it upon herself to clear her name. Unfortunately for her, Beatrice was just the killer’s first victim.

This was my first cozy mystery, and I will be reaching for more. I loved reading this book! It was well paced and kept me intrigued throughout. Though it did get slightly difficult to keep up with all the characters at times. Overall this was a great read, though it did get docked a star for the JK Rowling mention.

This cozy's an enjoyable read, and I like the cookie shop setting (ha--big surprise there). The death of an unlikeable character sets everything in motion, and the plot proceeds in a pretty logical manner. It just feels not quite suspenseful enough. Plus, the whole "Who does this handsome cop remind me of?" subplot alongside the "I wonder what ever happened to that cute boy I kissed a long, long time ago..." That alone loses a star for me :>(

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great start to series!
Mallory Monroe has made a career change and opened her dream designer cookie shop. While trying to get her business of the ground, a public argument with the town's most difficult citizen over the recipe rights for Mallory's bestselling cookie makes Mallory the prime suspect when she finds the "Queen Bea" dead.

Good mystery with enough twists to keep you guessing to the end. Characters were likeable and designer cookie theme makes me want to continue the series.