A great addition to the series- it’s like meeting up with old friends who can’t stay out of trouble no matter how hard they try

A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander is the eighteenth A Bakeshop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. The story was not as easy to read as the others in the series. We are introduced to a number of new characters plus there are the regular characters (hotel staff, Ramiro’s family, ski patrol, bakery staff, contest participants, townspeople). It can be a challenge to keep them all straight. I found the pacing to be languid (little action, but plenty of chatting and eating). The mystery was uncomplicated. The victim, of course, was not well liked. You do not get to know any of the suspects very well. The mystery is not at the forefront of the story. A couple of details give away the killer’s identity. I like that we get to learn about a few of the outdoor activities available around Ashland. Jules arranged for the family to go on a midnight snowshoe trip on Mount Ashland (I bet the stars were beautiful) with a late-night feast. They also went skiing. Mount Ashland’s annual downhill dummy competition is certainly different. As usual, there is plenty of baking, cooking, eating, and drinking wine. A Smoking Bun had a cheery ending. There was a tidbit at end regarding the obnoxious Richard Lord that had me chuckling. A Smoking Bun is a light, upbeat tale with a visiting family, a slain skier, a snug lodge, tasty pastries, downhill dummy competition, and sunny news.

I didn't realize A Smoking Bun is #18 in the Bakeshop Mystery series. That explains why I couldn't connect with the characters. They are too well developed in who they are and in their relationships which is a positive when you've followed the series from the beginning.

The plot was excellent. I did guess the victim and the murderer early on.. The baking lessons are part of the character's character.

My recommendation is to start this series from the beginning to get the maximum enjoyment.

This is the eighteenth book in the Bakeshop Mysteries series. It may be read as a standalone but you miss much of the character development that brought the cast to their current points in life.

Jules is excited and anxious to have her step son’s (Romiro) family coming to visit. She has plenty lined up to keep them entertained. A death occurs while they are on the mountain on an evening outing.

Jules becomes involved in trying to resolve who killed the pushy, egotistical young man.
There are plenty of mis-directions and twists to keep the reader flipping the pages to the end.

I look forward to the next installment. There were no recipes for me to rave about in the Advanced Readers’ Copy (ARC).

I was given and ARC by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

In A Smoking Bun, Juliet and Carlos are excited to have his family from Spain come for a holiday visit. Juliet has lots of activities planned, including a nighttime snowshoe tour on Mt. Ashland. That begins the complications when a rogue guide takes two skiers out of bounds and the group needs rescued. When the guide dies the next day, there are a multitude of suspects, as he was disliked by everyone. Juliet and Lance become involved in the mystery, but are more on the periphery this time. The story is as much about family and life changes as it is about solving the mystery. There is a climate activist, a mysterious woman doing ‘assessments’, various ski patrol members and guides and a ski lodge that is going broke.
This was an enjoyable cozy mystery, set in the beautiful town of Ashland and on Mt. A.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Smoking Bun was a great winter read. Jules and family are entertaining extended family from Spain for New Years and have special outings planned. Many occur at Mount A ski lodge-including the dummy race where someone is murdered. Jules and Lance step in to help the Professor solve the crime. Can’t wait for the next installment!

This is the 18th installment in the Bakeshop Mystery series but the first one I have ever read. I am a big fan of cozies, especially if they have recipes - even though I have yet to make a single one I found in a book, but the potential is always there) - and I think I found a new series to add to my list. Even though it is a long, ongoing series, I did not feel lost or that I was missing a lot so I feel like it could be read as a stand-alone. I am sure there would be more depth of understanding of the characters had I been reading all along but this hit all the cozy buttons that I needed for a winter, mystery read. I plan to pick up book one soon and make my way through the series. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Jules Capshaw is excited for the holiday visit of her step-son's mother, step-father and sister. She plans to show them all the great things about her home town, but didn't plan on murder. Their peaceful evening snowshoe trek is interrupted by the new obnoxious "guide" on the mountain with two unpleasant ladies. Their excursion is cut short when the call comes to their guide the other party had gone off trail and needed rescue.
At another event, the "guide" is killed in an apparent accident, but with no shortage of motives, the police rule it a homicide.
Jules and company keep finding out clues which are passed on the the chief, also her step-father. It all comes to a head at the lodge on Mount A and the murderer is unmasked.
I really enjoy this series. The character development is great and I can't wait to see how they all grow and mature.
The staff at Torte, Jule's family bakeshop are diverse and fun to see them get better at their jobs and make new relationships.
I highly recommend, not just this book, but the whole series.

I love Ellie Alexander and installment number 18 in the Bakeshop Mysteries did not disappoint! We have all of our favorite characters set in beautiful Ashland with a great mystery…what more can you ask for?!

baker, bakery, recipes, small-business, small-town, amateur-sleuth, family, family-dynamics, friendship, oregon, relatives, relationships, competition, secrets, lies, amateur-theatre, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, ski-season, ski-patrol, cozy-mystery, foodie, unpleasant-victims

#18 in this very popular Bakeshop Mysteries series!
Jules and Carlos will be hosting the family of Carlos' friends are visiting from Spain.
She is not only the owner of a popular bakery, but is an amateur sleuth who has her work cut out for her when a very unpleasant member of the community is apparently murdered in front of a crowd.
The sleuthing is well done and the plot is as twisty as a slalom run! Great read!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

Rating: 4.5

When’s a dummy, not a dummy? When it commits murder…
Coming in at book 18 in the series I wasn’t sure who was who and the backstory on past sleuthing activities. A third of the way in, it didn’t matter as much. I still plan to go back to the beginning because I am intrigued about Lance, Arlo, Jules, and the Professor.

I love how the baking ingredients and methods were baked into the story. I got so many ideas for baked treats I was a little distracted from the mystery. LOL

The Torte bakeshop family, Jules’ family, and more were very relatable. They truly are a family in the way they support each other.

So, the mystery…

From the moment Fritz entered the scene, I didn’t care for his character. I knew instantly that everyone would want him out of the picture for all kinds of reasons, mostly for just being himself. I will admit knowing pretty early on who the alleged perpetrator was but I had no clue as to a motive. It was not one of the ones floating around. I didn’t know how they would get to the truth either with so many motives.

There are some good intensions followed by bad actions that get in the way. There are some subtle themes running through that were very well done as to not offend or lecture but inform.

I want more of Jules, Lance, Arlo, the Professor and the rest of the Torte bakeshop family!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.
Happy Reading!

Jules is excited to be hosting her husband's ex wife and famiily from Spain. All is going well until a
fatality occurs during the downhill dummy ski race. The dead man turns out to be Fitz, a person who
had antagonized the ski patrol and ski guides with his actions. When a friend of one of Jules'
employees is the main suspect, Jules agrees to investigate the murder. Interesting information
uncovered about the suspects and a twist ending.
#ASmokingBun #NetGalley

3.75 stars

This long-running cozy series is set in a bakery in Ashland, Oregon and features Juliet Capshaw, Ashland native and former chef aboard a huge cruise ship. Jules' husband chef Carlos is a main character as well as Jules' mom and stepdad, who just happens to be the shining light of the local police department.

The details of Jules' family business, Torte, and delectable descriptions of the pastries and food they serve are appealing. Her staff is a great ensemble and Jules is a great boss. The series seems to be getting a bit more introspective as time goes on.

In this entry, Carlos' ex-wife and husband are visiting. The two couples appreciate each other and their role in son Ramiro's life and all are excited about their shared time. Jules and Carlos have many outings planned and there is no shortage of things to do in Ashland at Christmastime.

But during a night ski outing, they have an unpleasant run-in with a boorish "guide" who has to have his clients rescued. The next day, during a local celebration on the ski hill, the guide is killed under suspicious circumstances. The main suspect is a good friend of one of Jules' employees and she is soon in the midst of the investigation while still running her business and trying to entertain her company.

These are always reliably entertaining reads with characters that we feel we know. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Smoking Bun title is a nice play on words. This Ellie Alexander cozy mystery is the 18th novel in the Bakeshop Mysteries. I love the cooking and the discussion of recipes, although I wish there were some actual recipes included at the end of the novel, as is true of other cooking novels I have read. This 18th novel, The Smoking Bun, can be read as a stand-alone novel. I have read the last 4-5 novels in this series but not the initial books and have had no problems keeping up with characters. I really enjoy the Ashland setting, since I grew up in Oregon and have visited the area that Alexander describes.

What matters most in any novel are plot and characters. I easily predicted both the victim and how he would die. There were ample clues that made these predictions easy. The usual characters in town and working in the bakeshop are familiar and comfortable. Newer characters who are visiting, especially some family members, have so little character development they barely exist. It was strange that having family visit from Spain meant that our heroine, Jules, spent very little time with them. The real problem with this novel is at the end. The end of the novel is a distraction of unbelievable events. Bomb threats, fake guns, hidden wills, etc. It was as if Alexander needed to end the book and threw so much into the end that she hoped something would eventually stick. Jules and friends are not required to risk their lives for a novel to succeed. I like this series and these novels and was disappointed in this newest book. The Smoking Bun is a good book but not a great book in this series.

I want to thank the author, publisher, St. Martin's Paperbacks, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. I try for my reviews to focus on strengths and reading enjoyment. I think Bakeshop fans will enjoy The Smoking Bun.

A Smoking Bun is a delightful holiday cozy mystery. It is the 18th installment in this series and is just as great as all of the rest. I absolutely love Ashland as the setting with the Shakespeare references, the charming shops and cafes, and the wine country. The characters in this series are all fantastic in their own way - each has their own fun quirks. In A Smoking Bun, Jules is just finishing with the Christmas season and preparing for Ramiro's family to visit for the New Year. Jules has all sorts of fun activities planned: midnight snowshoe tour, skiing/snowboarding, and, of course, the Downhill Dummy. Unfortunately, that last event does not go as planned and someone is killed during the contest. As Jules helps to solve the case, she uncovers loads of secrets surrounding the local ski lodge and its employees.

If you're looking for a fun, charming cozy mystery series, this is the series for you. Also, it is FILLED with delicious foods and plenty of cooking/baking tips. I literally wrote some of the tips down in my cooking notebook for next time I'm in the kitchen. I can't recommend this series enough.

I enjoyed the book. It is nice to meet the rest of Ramiro’s family although they’re not featured much, not much character development, especially Sophia’s husband or their daughter. The mystery is interesting, with lots of suspects. I did have an inkling of who the killer is but didn’t expect some of the other developments. I’m pretty sure what the last bit of the story is alluding to is about. It’ll be interesting in the future. The title is a hidden double allusion. #ASmokingBun #NetGalley

The 18th installment of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mysteries, A Smoking Bun, finds Juliet Capshaw entertaining Ramiro’s family from Spain. Jules has made reservations for a snowshoe excursion on the mountain ski resort, called Mount A by those living in Ashland, Oregon, and while there they meet Fitz Baskin, a very unlikeable and devious tour guide who puts two guests in danger and ends up having to be rescued. He ends up being murdered the next day during the beloved annual Downhill Dummy race. Jules is not only the owner of Torte, a popular bakery, but is an amateur sleuth and gets herself involved in the investigation.

Jules, the protagonist is very likeable, and the supporting characters are likewise. Alexander does an excellent job of developing these characters and they have evolved through the previous installments. Alexander also has a talent for storytelling and the stories flow, building suspense as they go and always ending with a surprise at the dénouement. This one is no exception, and Jules and other characters end up in danger from time to time while readers are on the edge.

The one drawback to this series is that the novels feature mouthwatering food, but no recipes. Most of us who read culinary mysteries want to duplicate the dishes and especially the baked goods (like the chai cookies and curry buns) at home.

All told, fans of culinary mysteries and those loving to read about food will want to read this latest installment as well as the previous novels.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Being a bit of a klutz, I found myself approaching this book from an odd angle. Let's just say, I clicked the wrong button on my reader and found myself way ahead on a page where the sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is announcing who the killer is. Oops. That said, oddly enough, maybe made it more fun for me to go through the book properly and take note of all the clues pointing that way and at others. Ellie Alexander did an excellent job keeping my interest despite me knowing whodunit from the start. That's talent.

Before you start reading, be sure to have some tasty goodies on hand. If you aren't hungry going into the book, you will be soon. Lots of food talk, including basically how Jules and the crew at Torte prepare their tasty treats. You're sure to find yourself liking them all and marvel at her mother's organizational skills. We get to meet Ramiro's other family this go-round, which might have been stressful given Ramiro is Jules' husband's child. But, it isn't. Again, nicely handled and I'm betting it's setting up future events. Nope, not telling what I'm guessing. You'll just have to read the book.

As for the murder, the murder weapon is unique. I don't think I'm going to suggest to my area ski resorts that they set up a Downhill Dummy competition. While it sounds like a blast to watch on the surface, oh, my, it's dangerous. How dangerous? Dangerous enough that it is the murder weapon, so to speak. True, no one seemed to like rogue tour guy Fitz much, but he surely didn't deserve to die. What had he been up to the night before out on the trail? Why did his group need rescuing? How will the death at the competition impact the lodge? Who is that mystery woman who never seems far from her clipboard? Who is January and what is her connection to the lodge, heck, the whole mess? Why is Jules snooping around in the lodge? Is Hero a, well, hero or villain? How about Shawn? Will all this blow up in Jules' face?

Who was....oh, enough teasers. You need to read this book. It's well written, keeps you wondering who did it (I even was second-guessing my inadvertent insight at times, thinking I'd surely misread), and have you reaching for a tasty goodie as you read. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress - #Minotaur for inviting me to the fun events. Ellie Alexander has definitely proven once again what an excellent writer she is.

"𝑩𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇...𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆...𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒔. 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒔 𝒖𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕, 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔. 𝑺𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐."

The 18th book in this series that I hope continues indefinitely! I never recommend reading a book from a series that is this well established on its own, so even though it could be read as a standalone, you will completely miss out on all the little nuances that make this series so magical.

Jules, the owner of the bakeshop Torte, is looking forward to the holidays. She and Carlos will be hosting the family of Carlos' son Ramiro. Jules instantly hits it off with his family, and it seems like the blended family is in for a wonderful time in the quaint town of Ashland, Oregon. But when the crew is at the ski lodge, the fun comes to an end when a death occurs, and that death was no accident.

I really loved that this book was of course a mystery, but the family angle really seemed to take precedence. The intimate conversation that Jules and Sophia, Ramiro's mother, shared was truly heartwarming and maybe hinted at the direction that the next book will take.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the early copy. This title will publish February 20, 2024.

This is the 18th book in this beloved cozy series. Thank you to the publisher, the author and Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.
I have read the entire series and always enjoy returning to Ashland and the remarkable bakery with Jules and crew. This has fantastic new holiday baking , a fun sleuth with a exciting ending and growth between Jules , Romerio and his family. With a snowy wintertime setting this is the perfect holiday read.