Beyond a Reasonable Donut

April 1, 2021
A visit to a carnival lands a donut maker in a deep hole. Emily Westhill has run Deputy Donut with her father-in-law ever since her detective husband was killed in the line of duty. At the carnival she attends with her talented employee, Nina Lapeer, an artist who's just about to get a one-person show, they run into grouchy event manager Marsha Fitchelder, who seems intent on making their lives miserable. Things go from bad to worse: First, someone steals a large bucket of confectioner's sugar; then, a magician and a mime steal from the cash box. The best part of the day is the time Emily spends with Detective Brent Fyne, who was her husband's partner. The two are attracted to each other but are overcome by their shared trauma despite their friends' efforts to foster a romantic relationship. Back at Nina's loft, Emily finds a mime who looks remarkably like Nina with her head buried in a bucket of powdered sugar and more sugar thrown all over Nina's masterpiece. After the mime dies, the police arrest Nina, but Emily's determined to prove her innocent. Nina's locket, which the victim was evidently trying to steal, provides a clue that harkens back to Nina's mysterious past, making her look even guiltier. In the end, Emily and her friends go to a lake resort for a friend's wedding and find far too many people involved in the death already there. Plenty of twists and intriguing characters add up to an enjoyable donut-centric mystery.

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April 12, 2021
Bolton’s gentle fifth mystery featuring widow Emily Westhill, part owner of the Deputy Donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wis. (after 2020’s Boston Scream Murder), finds Emily and her enthusiastic assistant, Nina Lapeer, heading to the Faker’s Dozen Carnival fairgrounds to prepare their fritter stand. The carnival’s theme is Friday the Thirteenth, and there certainly seems to be a good deal of bad luck floating around the Deputy Donut stand: a petty thief makes off with money from the cash box, a manic mime helps the thief escape, and—most peculiarly—a bucket of powdered sugar goes missing. At the end of the day, Emily stops by Nina’s apartment, where she discovers the mime suffocating in the errant bucket of powdered sugar. Nina promptly becomes the prime suspect in the mime’s murder. Series fans will be pleased to attend the wedding of two cast regulars and to try out the easy-to-follow recipes, including one for corny fritters. This undemanding cozy is a treat.