Really enjoyed this. So much do I'm going back to the start of the series. The characters were interesting, the plot intriguing and I lived the setting.

Killing Me Soufflé is the 20th installment of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mystery series and it featured members of the Torte crew embarking on new adventures. Sterling and Steph have ventured out on their own and are reopening the SeaBreeze Bistro and Jules, Carlos and a few others venture to the coast to support them. When they get there the stress of the reopening is high in addition to several others causing problems with management. The manager of the resort, Erik, is rather difficult but when he is found dead at the bottom of the cliff by Jules it leads to more potential suspects than answers when all he was up to begins to come out.

I love following along with long running cozy mystery series because of how invested you become in the characters’s lives. I’m so excited for Jules and Carlos and their pregnancy which is something I’ve been waiting for a long while. I’m excited to see Sterling and Steph take on something new for themselves but sad to see them leaving the Torte crew but know they won’t be far. Also Lance continues to make me smile and I can’t wait to see what he gets up to in the next book.


Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

There is nothing better than a cozy mystery and this one truly hit the spot. I absolutely loved it. It was fun and easy to read and I really enjoyed using this as a quick break from fantasy. Easy to follow and easy to get swept into, Alexander makes this a book you will want to enjoy with an afternoon cuppa and a blanket. Definitely check this out! If you think this one sounds fun, there’s also more where that came from! This whole series is a delight.

It's almost as if Ellie Alexander decided to write a book just for me. After all, I love a good mystery. I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I'm a foodie. The beach is my happy place. I love watching building restorations. In other words, there's just no way I wasn't going to read Killing Me Soufflé.

The premise is fun: Two young chefs, Sterling and Stephanie, having received a stellar training at Torte, a bakery owned by chef Juliet, are spreading their wings and flying off to the Oregon coast to revive a flagging restaurant at a seaside resort. Juliet and her family go along to help out and cheer their friends on in this new venture.

There's plenty of challenges. The fledgling chefs have the jitters. The resort receptionist keeps vanishing. The local seafood supplier isn't thrilled with the state of things either, and the resort manager? An overbearing nightmare! Guests and some quirky locals who live year-round at the resort add to the mayhem. Oh, and as if she doesn't have enough challenges, Juliet is pregnant. With twins.

On the flip side of all that mayhem, there's the setting. Author Ellie Alexander does a wonderful job of describing this breathtaking location on the cliffs above the Oregon coast. It was nice to feel as if I were there once again.

Solving the inevitable murder is fun. The clues are there for sharp eyes to find, and the solution plays out with good pacing. It held my interest to the very end. Oh, and I was amused by the parallel of a death by falling (not going to say who, why, where, you need to read the book!), while chef Stephanie struggles with the fear of a falling... soufflé.

This is the 20th book in the Bakeshop Mystery series, but the first that I've read. It was easy to drop into Juliet's ongoing life and find my footing in the Bakeshop world, though Juliet's pregnancy meant little to me and wasn't an important part of the storyline. But, I'm sure readers who have been following her adventures through 19 previous books have a deeper connection to the personal aspects of her life.

I'd happily read more of the Bakeshop Mystery series, and I recommend you do, too. If you choose to start with Killing Me Soufflé, you'll be just fine. If you're a completionist, why not join me in bouncing back to the first book? I'll be picking up Meet Your Baker quite soon.

My thanks to Ellie Alexander, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

If you are looking for a cozy and delicious read then this series is made for you. With so many mouth-watering descriptions of food and meals, it will make you hungry! Luckily some of the tastiest dishes have recipes in the back so you can enjoy a treat while solving the mystery. This is the type of book that you can sit down to read for a few minutes and find you have finished the book a few hour later as you cheer for the cast of characters. Featuring great sites in Oregon through the series, this book is set on the gorgeous Oregon coast and will have you making plans to visit. Well-written with a lot of details on the setting, characters and meals, it is a delightful afternoon read.

This was another winner in the Bakeshop Mystery series, it had that mystery element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. It had an engaging plot and was hooked with how everything flowed together. The characters had that feel that I enjoyed from previous books by Ellie Alexander. It was written so well and was glad I got to read more from Ellie Alexander.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Minotaur and St. Martin Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Dining out can be a deadly adventure. A fallen soufflé is the least to be concern as someone ends up dead. Its one fallen delight that will keep you entertain. It is a charming addition in this tasty cozy seri es.This is a must to be read.

It’s hard to believe that this is the twentieth installment of The Bakeshop Series! And it keeps getting more interesting.

Sterling and Stephanie have struck out on their own for the cliffs and rocky shores of the Oregon coast. Jules is definitely missing them at Torte! With twins on the way, training new staff Jules is overwhelmed but determined to do it all with the help of hubby, Carlos and bestie, Lance.

The entire crew is headed out to help Stephanie and Sterling launch the new menu. And when they get there they see a lot of chaos. No one seems to know what is going on and the manager is a…well, not nice human.

Opening night comes and it’s all hands on deck and things are going well. Until. A scream. The nasty manager has gone for a deep dive off a cliff. It is not an accident.

Oh my, the messiness going on behind the scenes! I wasn’t sure they weren’t all going off the metaphorical cliff!

Always a pleasure!


NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press February 25, 2025