Another book about the bakery and another murder. It is fun and easy to read. You do not have to read the first Book to understand this.

Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews provides a delightful and flavorful introduction to the work of this talented cozy mystery author. As a first-time reader of Matthews' work, I found myself immersed in a world of delectable treats, engaging characters, and a compelling whodunit that kept me guessing until the very end.

The novel introduces us to Lyndsay Murray, the determined owner of Spice Isle Bakery, who reluctantly finds herself hosting a retirement dinner for a former boss with whom she had a strained relationship. However, when tragedy strikes and the boss dies after consuming curry chicken, Lyndsay's life takes an unexpected turn. As the police investigation threatens to tarnish the reputation of the beloved bakery, Lyndsay takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery and protect her family's legacy.

Olivia Matthews skillfully crafts a cozy atmosphere within the pages of this book. The descriptions of the bakery and its mouthwatering creations transport readers into a world filled with irresistible aromas and tantalizing flavors. Matthews' ability to evoke the senses through her writing is commendable, making the reading experience all the more enjoyable.

The characters in Hard Dough Homicide are engaging and relatable. Lyndsay's determination to protect her family's bakery and her unwavering resilience make her a protagonist worth rooting for. The family dynamics and the strong sense of loyalty among the characters add depth and authenticity to the story.

The mystery itself is well-crafted, with enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged. Matthews skillfully builds suspense and introduces a variety of suspects, creating a guessing game that will challenge even the most astute cozy mystery enthusiasts. The pacing of the investigation is well-balanced, allowing readers to unravel the clues alongside Lyndsay without feeling rushed.

As a first-time reader of Olivia Matthews' work, I found her storytelling style to be engaging and easy to follow. Her ability to create a cozy atmosphere, craft compelling characters, and construct an intriguing mystery is evident in this novel. While there may be room for further refinement in terms of pacing and plot development, it is clear that Matthews possesses a talent for crafting enjoyable and entertaining cozy mysteries.

Hard Dough Homicide is the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery mystery series. After requesting this book on NetGalley, I decided to read the first book in the series (Against the Currant) before reading this one. While you can read the second book without reading the first one (Matthews does a good job of providing a recap of the first book), I’m so glad I read the first book! It was great to watch Lyndsay Murray, the protagonist, grow into a more self-assured business owner and person. I enjoyed getting to know her family members (her grandmother is amazing!) as well as the locals who visit the bakery. The mystery was just right and provided enough suspects to keep things interesting without becoming overly convoluted. I loved, loved, loved learning about Grenadian/Caribbean culture…and the recipes were great! Overall, I would recommend this book for those interested in reading a cozy mystery that centers around family, a neighborhood with a great cast of characters, and delicious food.

This is the second book in the series and Lyndsay Murray is at it again because her bakery and family are once again under fire for killing someone. The bakery is an amazing place for all this to happen in her place. But the police are so rude about it all. and once again she has found the real truth. a very enjoyable read and fun. Looking forward to what happens next???!!!!

This series continues to evolve.. The lead character is a strong female, and she has a great supporting cast. While I do feel they fall into a bit of stereotypical type casting, I feel they are a great mix. I look forward to seeing how Lyndsay grows as the series continues.

Another wonderful book by Olivia Matthews! I had the chance to read the previous book, and wanted to read the next book. The book's cover is really cozy and artistic, encouraging readers to give it a try. It's a wonderful book and I recommend it to readers.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I liked the characters and the actual plot of everything that happened. I found the mystery to be good. I also loved that the main character kick-boxes. As another female who does this I love when I see a female character who also enjoys kickboxing! The only thing I would say is there came a point where I could not read “mommy and daddy” anymore. It drove me crazy, made it feel like the character was really young. Other than that great book!

This book is a light read! It has drama and intrigue without being overly stressful. Its a great, light beach read or rainy day in.

4 stars!

This is the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series and although I did not read the first one, I was still excited to see what this cozy mystery had in store. Overall, I felt like it was definitely a cute, fun read and at times I did want a little bit higher stakes but I think this is what is to be expected with a cozy mystery. The elements I really enjoyed were the descriptions of the baked goods, the inclusion of Carribean culture, and the inclusion of the day to day running of a bakery. Overall a fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this second book in the Spice Isle Bakery mystery series, Lyndsay Murray and her family are again caught up in a murder investigation. When Principal Emily, a universally disliked school administrator, expires in the Spice Isle Bakery at her own retirement dinner, the bakery and Murray family come under suspicion. However, several others also have means, motive, and opportunity to dispose of Emily. Becoming frustrated with the investigation, Lyndsay and helpers go on the offensive and try to discover some information on their own, placing themselves in the line of danger.

I most enjoy the characters in this mystery series, and also learning about the Caribbean cultures. The food descriptions are delightful, and the book includes recipes at the end. Readers who like a lot of description about what people are wearing, their hair styles, and locations of the action will enjoy all the descriptions in this book. I skimmed over some of them. I also had some difficulty believing that locals could just walk into a school and go to the office without being stopped in the halls or at the door.

This is a clean mystery without explicit violence, sexual content, or swear words. I am looking forward to future books in this series, and with connecting again with the Murray family (especially Granny!)

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Cute family mystery story about Lindsay trying to solve another murder that centers around her families bakery. The circumstances are unfortunate when someone gets poisoned during their retirement dinner. Lyndsay has a list of subjects and she’s determined to find out so did it to eliminate her mom as a person of interest. Will she be putting herself at risk again?

I love the strong sense of family in this series. I love the way the characters grow and develop and change, something you don't always see in a series, especially so early. I'm excited to see more of Lyndsay's brother at the bakery in future books. This was a fun read and kept me guessing till the end. Very enjoyable!

Lyndsay Murray owns Spice Isle Bakery with her family. But she already regrets agreeing to host the retirement dinner for local high school principal Emily Smith. The tyrant used to be her mother's boss and they did not get along. Emily starts convulsing―right after eating the curry chicken―and dies soon after. She must put aside her reservations about investigating another crime, because the Murrays refuse to go down without a fight.

This is the second book of Spice Isle Bakery mystery series. I have not read the first one yet, but is no problem for me to following the characters and mystery. I like this kind of big family mystery series. The love interest is cute and believable. And of course the food, Caribana food is amazing. I try to solve the mystery, there is a little bug for me, that's why i gave tis book 4 stars.

I will pick up the first one and can't wait for the 3rd one.

Dear Fellow Reader,

In my last note, I mentioned that I usually don’t try and solve mysteries when I read them. At least I don’t usually think about trying to solve them. One of the books that I saw on a summer reading list is the new book by Donna Leon, So Shall You Reap. I have read all her Guido Brunetti books (32 of them!) and have enjoyed them. I was surprised when I picked this one up from the library because it was uncharacteristically short. I can’t say that all of hers are long but I think they are fairly substantial books. The new one is under 300 pages. Anyway, the point here is that I knew “who done it” several chapters before the end. It was so clear to me that I thought I must be wrong. But I wasn’t. A good story and great if you like to guess the ending of a mystery.


Today’s, book is Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews. I didn’t realize before I started reading the book that it was the second in a series. Even though I had not read the first book, I could follow along without an issue.

Spice Isle Bakery owner Lyndsay Murray is trying to grow her business. She owns the bakery with her parents. Lyndsay really didn’t want to have Emily Smith’s retirement party at her restaurant but after being asked several times, she gave in and said that she would have the party at her restaurant. Emily Smith was retiring from her position as Principal at the school where Lyndsay’s mother had taught. Lyndsay’s mother did not like Emily nor did anyone who worked with her. But Lyndsay’s mother had not seen Emily in three years and thought it would be alright to have the retirement dinner at the restaurant.

Well, that didn’t work out. Emily started convulsing early in the party, right after eating a small portion of curry chicken. While she wasn’t there long, Emily had had plenty of time to be rude to her five guests. Lyndsay was stunned by how mean the woman could be to her staff. No wonder there were only 5 at the retirement party!

Emily was taken to the hospital and died.

This was not what the Murrays needed. The restaurant had only been open a year and this was the second murder associated with the restaurant. You know it isn’t good when you are acquainted with the police that show up to investigate.

The police seem to think that Lyndsay’s mother should be the prime suspect. Lyndsay is furious and starts to look into the murder to make sure the police get on the right track. In the meantime, the business in the restaurant plummets. Lyndsay has to find the answer and fast.

The book was well written and the pace was good. I am not completely happy with the book and while I wouldn’t suggest you not read it, I would suggest that you put it on your reading pile for someday.

Thanks for reading!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Published: 05/23/23

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks for accepting my request to read and review Hard Dough Homicide.

Enjoyed reading this cozy. This is the second in the series, and good things do come from accidents. I picked this up based on its own merits, and was surprised to find I had read book one (wasn't a fan).

This cozy has most of the tropes. I liked the characters and I liked the story.

I was impressed with the main character and the lead detective relationship. While there was flirting, it was not over the top. I also liked that the author didn't have the detective cross the line. He stayed true to the profession. I would like to see more of those type of relationships with professionals.

The second book of a series (I did not read the first but would like to) centers around Caribbean bakery Spice Isle and the Murray Family including our main character Lyndsay. The bakery hosts a retirement party for high school principal Emily Smith, and immediately after dinner she convulses and dies. Lyndsay's mom and Principal Smith knew each other from working the school, and her mom becomes one of the persons of interest in the murder investigation. Lyndsey feels the police aren't doing their jobs, so she sets out to investigate and clear her family's name on her own.

A fun cozy mystery with a intriguing setting and lovable family. I will read more about Spice Isle Bakery if published.

Positives:
The setting of the bakery in the little Caribbean area of Brooklyn
Description of the food and recipes in the back of the book
The main character is spunky and one to root for
Strong family ties are a positive throughout the book
The mystery was one that had enough intrigue, suspects, and motives, to make it interesting and enjoyable to read about
The bit of romantic interest between Bryce, one of the main detectives, and Lyndsey

Negatives:
At times the book and wriitng could be repetitive; maybe part of the cozy mystery genre

I really wanted to like this more than I did. It’s a cozy mystery about a family bakery in Brooklyn, full of what should be interesting characters who all could be suspects in the suspicious death of a much-disliked local principal. Unfortunately, I felt like the book kind of jumped all over the place, the detectives were randomly suspicious of people for no reason (without really doing anything about it), and random characters kept being introduced, making it hard to keep track of who was who, which were “regulars” and which were strangers, and who I should care about.. Lyndsay (our main character) annoyed me, and I didn’t really ever connect with her or her family or romance. I know a cozy is light and fluffy, and this definitely was that, but I guess it wasn’t the fluffy book for me.

Hard Dough Homicide: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery
By Olivia Matthews
St. Martin’s
May 23, 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s only been one month since the opening of the family-owned Spice Isle Bakery in Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean neighborhood, so Lyndsay Murray is looking for opportunities to promote their West Indian specialty baked goods and treats. That doesn’t’ mean that she’s willing to host the retirement party for Kings County Early College High School principal Emily Smith though, as the woman made Lindsay’s mother’s life miserable when Celia Bain Murray was a math teacher. Despite the deadline of only ten days to plan a party of six though, the dollar amount Emily’s administrative assistant throws out is just too high for the bakery to resist. Which they definitely should have, as in the middle of the dinner Emily collapses, later dying from a case of poisoning.

It was also a month ago that NYPD were last called to the Spice Isle Bakery as a result of a murder, and now Lyndsay’s high school crush Detective Bryce Jackson is back again with his suspicious partner intent on examining their kitchens. When they determine that Celia had both motive and opportunity to act out revenge on her nemesis, they only have to discover the exact means the poison was delivered for them to arrest her for murder. Not about to allow her beloved mother be found guilty for a crime she would never have committed, Lyndsay and her grandmother Genevieve don’t hesitate to begin their own investigation into the woman who never put the “pal” in principal. Those attending the retirement party did so reluctantly, and all had reasons for resenting Emily for petty insults and controlling their careers. While a local reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Beacon writes incendiary articles that implicate Celia and the bakery, Lyndsay must also deal with her own family’s turmoil when her lawyer brother returns home and faces his own personal crisis. Their chances of participating in the Caribbean American Heritage Festival are dwindling as murder-fans flock the store while neighboring businesses resent the link to criminal activity.

One of the more enjoyable aspects about both the first and this follow-up of the series has been the treatment of the relationship between Lyndsay and Detective Bryce Jackson. Despite suspecting both Lyndsay and her mother of committing murders, it doesn’t seem to have affected his interest in dating Lyndsey. The normal trope for most books would be to have them spar but quickly get over this conflict and begin a relationship, and it is possible for this to be the eventual endgame for them. For now though, Lyndsey very realistically finds his active investigations of her family to be an insurmountable roadblock that makes him undatable. The ethics of the detective pursuing a relationship in the first place are extremely questionable, so Lyndsey’s refusals to date are extraordinarily refreshing. This allows her to focus on the far more enjoyable and rewarding interactions with her family members, who are so loving and unwaveringly supportive. Both Lindsay and her brother are loyal to the family and feel responsible for the bakery, wanting only to make their parents proud while ensuring its success. Descriptions of the many West Indian meals will have foodies ready to take a turn at trying the recipes at the end, and while the retirement party may have been a bust its jerk and curry chicken seemed amazing. This second installment full of entertaining, relatable, and admirable characters lives up to all of the promise of the first, making this a must-read for those looking for multicultural, food-centric reads.

Hard Dough Homicide is the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery series, and another fun cozy just like the first! I loved being back with the Murray family, as Lyndsay tries to solve another murder, this time with her mother as the prime suspect. However, the timeline felt off to me. Two murders connected to the bakery within weeks of each other would make me wary as well. This book didn’t hold my attention as well as the first, and I did find the incompetence of the police less believable in this one. Overall, I did still enjoy the book and look forward to continue reading the series as the books release!

Hard Dough Homicide
Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries Book 2
By Olivia Matthews

Principal Emily Smith dies during her retirement dinner at Spice Island Bakery. The police suspect Cedella Bain Murray; her daughter Lyndsay knows one of the dinner guests committed the deed. Determined to clear her mother’s name, Lyndsay, with the help of family, does the solve the how and why of the principal’s murder, but may not live long enough to reveal the killer’s identity.

Family-owned Spice Island Bakery sits in the Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Owned by Lyndsay Murray and her lawyer brother Devin, the bakery employs Lyndsay’s parents Cedella Bain Murray and Jacob Murray. The staff is rounded out by Lyndsay’s grandmother Genevieve Bain, Cedella’s mother. The four-month-old bakery has survived an earlier murder investigation (Coconut Drop Dead), but is facing another when Cedella’s previous boss, Emily Smith, principal of King’s County Early College High School and the reason Cedella took early retirement, drops dead during her retirement party at the bakery.
Because of Cedella’s rocky history with Principal Smith, Cedella becomes the prime suspect in her former boss’s murder, much to the regret of Detective Bryce Jackson, detective with the NYPD Homicide Division. Lyndsay and he are old schoolmates; he was a few years older, but Lyndsay noticed him in high school. Now, it’s obvious he is attracted to her, but Lyndsay can’t forget he suspected her of murder in the previous case. Now he suspects her mother of murder. Humor in the story comes through as Lyndsay’s heart wars with her mind over the handsome detective.
The mystery itself kept me guessing all throughout the book. Principal Smith’s death happens during her retirement party-a very small, private affair she insisted Spice Island cater. The suspect pool was confined to the staff and the guests, and the how of the murder was as big a mystery as the why Principal Smith was murdered.
I enjoyed Hard Dough Homicide for multiple reasons. The Grenadian influences throughout the book—the food and the close family relationships that included extended family. A tricky murder. The characters and their relationships drew me in and kept me reading to the end. The resolution of the murder left me feeling a bit flat, but all-in-all I enjoyed reading Hard Dough Homicide.