Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin by Sarah Graves has Ellie bringing Jake to an investigation.

Will Ellie and Jake solve Hank Rafferty's death?

Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree
Jake is the point-of-view character and one of the two sleuths in this series. She lives in an old house with four generations living under one roof. I honestly have no clue how she deals with all of that. Jake co-owns the Chocolate Moose bakery in Eastport with Ellie. When these two aren't on a sleuth mission, they can be found there. Jake seems like a good character.

I had a hard time connecting to Jake.

The Mystery
Ellie accepts a job without talking it over with Jake about delivering some baked goods to Hank Rafferty's house for a party he's hosting. Jake is already unsure about it since Stone House, Hank's house, is supposedly haunted. Ellie wants to investigate to help clear Ellie's daughter's friend's name, and then it spirals down. I had a feeling about who did it and why, and I was right. Didn't expect the accomplices, though.

Three Stars
My rating for Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin by Sarah Graves is three stars. Reading this book without having read any of the others put me at a disadvantage. I think that this series needs to be read in order to get everything in all of the books.

Ms. Graves has a recipe at the back of the book for Glazed Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin by Sarah Graves.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

Jake Tiptree and her best friend Ellie White aren't starstruck by the arrival of celebrity handyman Hank Rafferty, though the same can't be said of the other residents of their remote town of Eastport, Maine. Hank has recently inherited Stone House, a manor long thought derelict, if not outright haunted. He’s determined to rehabilitate the place into his dream home, never mind the antipathy of his nearest and dearest.

As part of his housewarming celebrations, he asks Jake and Ellie to bake up some treats for his guests. With winter – the slowest season for their bakery – on the horizon, the partners are in no position to decline. Hank surprises them by insisting on paying Los Angeles prices for their goods, which goes a long way to burnishing his reputation with them.

His home, on the other hand, with its ridiculous driveway and unevenly renovated interiors, is a challenge to love. Jake and Ellie just want to do their jobs and go home, but when the maintenance shed burns down and a body is found inside, they know that it won’t be at all easy for them to walk away from Stone House and its mysteries. The women don’t have a reputation for being the town busybodies for nothing, after all. Even police chief Lizzie Snow relies on their help when her department is overstretched… which it definitely becomes when Hank himself plummets from the balcony of Stone House to his death.

Starstruck teenager Arlene Cunningham – a close friend of Ellie’s daughter – becomes prime suspect. When she disappears, the general assumption is that she's run away, perhaps out of guilt, perhaps out of an inability to deal with the pressure. Jake and Ellie, however, think that something far more sinister is afoot. Arlene is a bit of a wild child, but she’s still a scared kid who needs both help and protection, which the women are determined to give her. Will they be able to find her and get to the bottom of the deaths before anybody else gets hurt?

I highly recommend the Death By Chocolate mystery series for readers who love seeing their cozy heroines narrowly escape death-defying situations, as Jake and Ellie brave several houses they absolutely should not be running into during the course of their investigations. Of course, they always go in under the – fortuitously correct – assumption that someone inside needs their help: it’s just a lot more risk-taking than I’m used to from the genre!

There was one recipe included here, for the title treat:

QUOTE
Glazed Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

⅔ cup pumpkin puree
⅔ cup sugar
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put paper muffin tin liners in a twelve-hole muffin tin or two six-hole tins.

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together very thoroughly. Beat the eggs. Then in another bowl mix all the wet ingredients including the eggs together thoroughly and add the result to the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean

For the glaze:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon boiling water

Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Stir in the sugar. Stir in the boiling water a few drops at a time until the glaze is the thickness you want.

Drizzle the glaze in thin lines over the cooled muffins.
END QUOTE

I cannot even begin to tell you how pleased I was that this actually made twelve muffins instead of a ludicrous amount more! I did find that the chocolate flavor was a lot stronger than any trace of pumpkin, though I did very much appreciate how the pumpkin makes this treat that much healthier. I probably should have removed the muffins from the tin shortly after baking though, as I think they got a little tough from steaming in the pan while I was making the glaze. Overall, it was a very tasty baked good, and one I wouldn’t mind trying to make again.

Next week, we travel south to my neck of the woods to bake up a savory dish perfect for any meal of the day, while investigating a death and disappearance. Do join me!

This was another delicious cozy mystery, and honestly, it’s a treat in more ways than one. The baked goods described throughout the book were so mouthwatering—I could practically smell them!

The mystery itself kept me on my toes, with twists that made it impossible to put down. But what really makes this book shine is the humour. Graves balances the darker, creepier moments with lighthearted writing that keeps things fun. And Jake? Her messy, chaotic family life makes her feel so real—like someone you’d actually know.

Thank you Kensington for the arc. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

Fall flavors, small-town charm, and a dash of danger—Sarah Graves whips up a cozy mystery that’s as delicious as it sounds. When a Halloween-season murder hits close to home, bakery owners (and amateur sleuths) Jake and Ellie must uncover the truth behind the pumpkin-spiced chaos.
Warm, witty, and full of autumn vibes, this mystery is the perfect treat for cozy fans.

#DeathbyChocolatePumpkinMuffin #NetGalley

There have been times when reading this series when I rolled my eyes because the two heroines often did some pretty dumb stuff that one would hope grown women would know not to do. While they still get into some tight squeezes, I am happy to report their adventures were exciting and suspenseful but not worthy of membership in the Darwin Society.

They are hired to provide the titular treats for a celebrity who has just taken ownership of a mansion that has seen better days and is rumoured to be haunted. It certainly is the centre of some very suspicious activities including a fire and a murder. It turns out the killer is someone I suspected but not for the reason that it turned out to be. Between the murder and the reveal, there are a lot of shenanigans perpetrated by one of Ellie’s daughter’s friends. Jake and Ellie would have been drawn into investigating on that alone but when a second suspect turns out to be a friend too, there is no stopping them. They have some very scary moments that will keep you flipping forward and the conspiracy behind the murder is far more complex than the reader might think at first. It made for an enjoyable read that will have me returning for more.

Four purrs and two paws up.

Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin is the eighth cozy mystery in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series. It’s Halloween time in Eastport, Maine and The Chocolate Mousse is set to cater a party in Hank Browne’s mansion. He is a local celebrity and in the process of restoring his home back to what it used to be, but when he winds up falling to his death from the widow’s walk there is suspicion surrounding his death. No matter what she tries to do Jake is always pulled into murder investigations in the town, whether she wants to be or not, with her co-owner and best friend, Ellie, by her side. Together they are going to stop at nothing to solve the mysteries surrounding the death, but will the killer get to them first?

I have enjoyed this series since I started it and am always excited when I see a new mystery coming out. This one didn’t disappoint and I was quickly pulled into the mystery. Through the twists and the turns of the mystery I was left guessing until the end at whodunnit. I love Jake and Ellie together and the supporting characters are great as well. This is a fast paced, engaging mystery that was hard to put down. I enjoyed this from start to finish and can’t wait to see if something else comes for the characters in this series!

A classic cozy mystery is an excellent way to relax and having fun while reading a solid mystery. This is a good one and I enjoyed it
Well done.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White have one more catering job before winter comes to Eastport. Local celebrity Hank Rafferty has purchased the thought-to-be-haunted waterfront mansion, Stone House. He has invited people associated with his home repair TV show to show it off and hired the Chocolate Mouse owners to cater a decadent dessert. They arrive to find the host’s body on the driveway. He appears to have fallen from the turret’s balcony.

Surprisingly, Hank Rafferty had quite a few people who could have reason to want him dead and could have facilitated his fall. The jealous, volatile boyfriend of the chief of police, Lizzie Snow, appears to be the prime suspect. Jake and Ellie have other more likely suspects, including Hank’s very unhappy wife.

Who sent Hank for the tragic fall? A ghost or maybe a ghost from his past? Or was it his wife? Jake and Ellie are steadfast in their quest to find the killer, but the killer may have other deadly plans.

It’s always hectic at Jake’s house. The addition to the house is complete for the oldest generation, but the littlest generation likes it too. Jake is unable to spend much time there between the Chocolate Moose and trying to solve a murder with her BFF and business partner, Ellie. I love the chaos at Jake’s house. It is just like our house when the kids and grandkids come to visit. Ours have their own homes, so our chaos ends where Jake is blessed with her tribe 24/7. That is why I love Ms. Graves’ core characters. They are genuinely true to life.

The mystery grabbed my attention, although there was some repetition as Jake and Ellie followed clues. That being said, the girls really get themselves in trouble trying to make a rescue. It evolved into a shocking takedown. A takedown that was not explained exactly truthfully to the authorities. The whole thing turned out to be much more than was imagined. Following the explanation of all the loose ends, something sweet happens, and another important question is answered.

Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin is filled with fantastic characters, a fine mystery, a spooky setting with a crazy driveway, all set against the background of Eastport, Maine, in the late fall. The takedown will freeze you for a moment or two. Exciting and entertaining, this book was A Perfect Escape.

Sarah Graves continues her Death by Chocolate mysteries in Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin. Ellie White's bakery Chocolate Moose is invited to supply food to Hank Rafferty, a film idol, who has moved into an old heritage house. Stone House. Rafferty is found dead in the house an a young teenage fan girl is suspected. Ghosts may be involved. Rafferty's wife and other guests may be involved. The plot keeps getting more convoluted until it starts unwinding in a most unsavoury way. Read and enjoy.

I liked Jake’s sense of humor and that she always finds herself in a pickle. It keeps things lighthearted when things get serious. At times the writing got choppy and I felt I was missing part of the story. However, the ending was exciting and the best part of the book. The book includes a recipe for Glazed Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins. Yumm!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sarah Graves for providing me with a complimentary digital audiobook ARC for Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin coming out April 29, 2925. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read another book in this series. I definitely need to read all of them. I really love cozy mysteries. I think the characters were really fun in the story. I love the chocolate theme. I think there were some great developments. I’m excited to see what happens next. I would definitely read more books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

A home renovation celebrity shows up in Eastport to restore his family’s old mansion. While Hank was dead, set on, restoring the home to the original glory, what he wasn’t on was being dead. But yet he falls to his death from a balcony in the house.

With the police chief’s boyfriend at the prime suspect, Jake and Ellie find themselves not only catering the party and the wake, but also trying to solve a murder and clear their friend. Can the lady solve it without becoming the next one’s being served up dead?

Well, I love the mysteries in the series, I really like Jake and Ellie. They’re so good together. Those are the kind of friends that we all need to have the have each other‘s back, whether it running the business, taking care of their families, we’re solving a murder, they’re always there for each other. And boy, did the murder should get out of hand in some of the stories. Each and every entry has me looking for the next one as soon as I turn that last page.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin is the eighth book in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series. In this book, Jake and Ellie cater a party for a home repair television show celebrity, Hank. During the event, Hank ends up dead. Jake and Ellie investigate, as they do not think the number one suspect is guilty, and there are many people who were less than happy with Hank.

Once again, we return with great delight to Eastport and The Chocolate Moose. Jake and Ellie are an awesome investigation team (and excellent bakers). Jake's family is also very present, which makes the book relatable. I love that the storyline is not only focused on the murder, but on daily aspects of life as well. The writing is excellent, with characters that are complex and surprising at times. Ms. Graves expertly creates a variety of atmospheres throughout the book, which makes it greatly enjoyable. This series is absolutely wonderful, it is a must-read.

This is the 8th book in the Death by Chocolate Mysteries. I've read several and they're always nice, feel good stories.

Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White own and operate the Chocolate Moose, a charming bakery in Eastport, Maine. The bakery is beloved by the locals, but needs the seasonal tourists to keep it afloat financially. For that reason only Jake & Ellie agreed to cater a party at the HAUNTED Stone House.

A TV show celebrity recently inherited Stone House and decided to bring it back to its a former glory. Local legend has it that nothing good ever happens in that home and the locals stay away, but the Chocolate Mousse needs the money.

Jake & Ellie arrive at Stone House just in time to see the new owner fall to his death from an upstairs balcony. There are plenty of suspects, but the police are looking at the wrong person. It's up to Jake & Ellie to identify the killer.

Was it cute? Yes. Was it cozy? Also yes. But for whatever reason, I STRUGGLED to connect with the story. I kept reading HOPING to enjoy it because I love the premise and enjoy a good murder mystery but it just wasn't for me. That said- Sarah Graves is an excellent writer and this story would be an amazing beach day read if you like cozy murder mysteries.

Jake and Ellie are busy preparing for fall and the slow down of the tourist season. But there’s a new man in town who has moved into one of the older homes in the area. He is a tv handyman who really doesn’t fix anything but just hosts the show. The home was cursed by the original owner. Whoever made changes to the house would face consequences. But the new homeowner wants to take things back to how they were. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to keep the house as is. Join Jake and Ellie as they solve another murder. Loved this story! #Netgalley

Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin is book #8 in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series by Sarah Graves.

My one regret in this book is that I didn’t jump to the end to get the recipe for the chocolate pumpkin muffins so that I could make a batch and eat them while I was reading. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White’s bakery, the Chocolate Moose, is catering dessert for a local celebrity’s party, but unfortunately there’s a death which puts a damper on things. The victim was not well liked, so there were plenty of people who had motives to kill him. Jake and Ellie get in on the investigation. As much as I enjoyed the mystery and following along with the investigation, my favorite part is the characters - especially when a series has been going on longer like this one has. You get to see the characters develop along with their relationships and and that’s what keeps me coming back!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Halloween is over and local home repair star Hank Rafferty is having a party at his mansion known as Stone House. Jake and Ellie have been tasked with bringing the desserts and when they arrive get a huge shock. Hank falls to his death right as they get there. The man had a ton of enemies so the police are looking at his death as a homicide. The main suspect is the chief of police's boyfriend. No matter how hot headed the man can get the chief doesn't believe he had anything to do with it and neither do Jake or Ellie. The two want to help the chief clear his name so they dive into their investigation. Hank had more than enough enemies its just figuring out which one hated him the most. Can they figure out who the killer is before an innocent man ends up behind bars.

Every adventure of Jake and her pal Ellie’s seems to be even more intense and full of mystery than the previous one. This book definitely fit that bill and had me on the edge of the seat at times and laughing at other times. Jake’s first person narrative is always good for some giggles along the way. That woman’s life is seriously chaotic at home but I don’t think she’d have it any other way.

The most epic adventure of this book came toward the end and was definitely nail-biting as Jake (who even rescued a dog in the process), Ellie and Dylan fought for their lives and a teen friend of Lee’s. Of course the good guys came out the winners and the baddies were dealt with. At the end, some friends had a fun thing happen for them, something that surprised everyone. Life’s sure never dull around Jake and Ellie!

I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley , and my opinions are my own.

Series #8 in the Death by Chocolate Mystery, a most excellent collection! Wish there was a shop like the Chocolate Moose in my town. Nothing better than delicious desserts. Jacobia 'Jake' Tiptree and Ellie White run the store but are often on the hunt solving mysteries. When a person who had many enemies falls to his death there are many who could be the culprit. Lots of suspects. Great character development. Good story plot. Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensingtin for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.