EVIL ECLAIRS is the fourth installment in Jessica Beck's
Donut Shop Mystery series. Everything is going well for
donut shop owner Suzanne Hart until the local radio DJ
Lester Moorefield trashes her livelihood on the air,
claiming that donuts are unhealthy evil treats and asking
the town's citizens to boycott the store. Suzanne confronts
him, but he refused to retract his statement. Things go from
bad to worse when Lester turns up dead with one of her
pastries shoved down his throat. Who would want to kill
Lester and frame Suzanne for the murder? With the help of
her protective mother, a former cop, her detective
boyfriend, and her best friend, Suzanne sets out to discover
just that. Can she do it before her business takes a hit or
she ends up in jail?
This culinary cozy is an easy, fun read with a plot that is
neither predictable nor convoluted. As with other cozy
mysteries it is engaging and provides entertainment without
the use of sex, profanity, or graphic violence. Suzanne is
the typical unassuming amateur sleuth with a cast of quirky
secondary characters. However, at times she comes off a
little brash and seems to have trouble getting the community
members to talk freely. This varies from the more common
spunky but very like able heroine of most cozies. And
although the story seems to follow the cozy mystery formula
exactly, it lacks depth. That's not to say it isn't
enjoyable, but it's a light read without too many plot
twists. It definitely has its merits though, including a
solid writing style and a sense of realism. I also really
enjoyed the small-town feeling and the donut recipes that
are included throughout the book. Overall I found EASY
ECLAIRS an easy, pleasant read that will be enjoyed by fans
of the sub-genre.
Donut Shop owner Suzanne Hart admits her sweet treats
don't exactly qualify as health food. But does she really
deserve to be labeled a "killer" by local radio jockey
Lester Moorefield? The annoying host is urging citizens to
boycott Suzanne's "deadly dough" factory - until he's
found dead himself, stuffed with one of Suzanne's eclairs.
Everyone in April Springs knows about the feud between
Lester and Suzanne, which makes her the number-one
suspect. She tries to use the donut defense - don't don't
kill people, people kill people - but the cream-filled
eclair at the scene of the crime has the whole town filled
with suspicion. If Suzanne can't figure out who killed the
radio star, she'll soon be filling a prison cell instead
of a pastry.
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