Sour Crime Donuts by Ginger Bolton

 

Sour Crime Donuts by Ginger Bolton

Reviewed by Jeanne

Emily Westhill Fyne’s shop Deputy Donut is the place to meet and have a sweet treat.  It draws in all sorts, from the older regulars who meet to gossip every morning to the politicking mayor running for re-election to an enthusiastic young entrepreneur who wants to grow fresh produce year round—not exactly an easy task in rural northern Wisconsin.  Still, Izzy has energy, big plans, and a wad of cash from her grandfather to help her dreams come true.  She even has bought a plot of land already, but a developer claims he owns the property instead.  To muddy the waters further, an environmental group is protesting Izzy’s plans because she will have to cut down some trees to do so.

Izzy isn’t daunted—not even when a dead body turns up on the land. She claims the victim was already dead when she found him, and Emily tends to believe her; but not everyone else is so inclined.

Can Emily and her detective husband solve the case before an innocent person is charged with murder?

While this is the tenth book in the series, the mystery itself is a standalone. Regular characters are given appropriate but brief introductions.  If you are a doughnut and coffee fan, there is much to drool over in the descriptions of Deputy Donut’s offerings, even if some are found at the scene of a crime.  And of course, there is Deputy Donut the cat, the shop’s adorable mascot who keeps a close eye on Emily and helps her look for clues.

I’ll have to admit I was lost in the descriptions of the various backroads in the area, which are described in some detail. Not only do I have no sense of direction, but I seem to have trouble with left and right.  It didn’t bother me in trying to solve the mystery, however. 

Other books in the series are:

Survival of the Fritters

Goodbye Cruller World

Jealousy Filled Donuts

Beyond a Reasonable Donut

Deck the Donuts

Cinnamon Twisted

Double Grudge Donuts

Blame the Beignets

Sour Crime Donuts

Killer Donuts (2026)

Blame the Beignets by Ginger Bolton

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

October brings many customers to Deputy Donut, eager for a sweet fall treat, so owner Emily Westfall is glad to have extra help in the form of Hannah, a younger sister to Emily’s assistant, Olivia.  Hannah may not be the perfect employee but she’s young and willing to learn even though that’s a bit difficult with Olivia watching her every move with a critical eye.  More disruptive as far as Hannah is concerned are the two beaus who are following Hannah around: studious mushroom researcher Zachary and the more adventurous Joshua and his motorcycle, both of whom show up during Hannah’s shift.  At least they are good customers, as both buy Emily’s new beignets.

And they aren’t nearly as annoying as the salesman trying to talk people into buying into his sure-fire, can’t miss, double-your-money investment scheme or the argumentative couple who walk out without paying. Fortunately, another customer picks up the tab out of sheer relief at having dissolved his business partnership with the disagreeable man.

The next day while out on the lake in her kayak, Emily hears a scream from the cliffs above, a scream that ends abruptly even as she catches a glimpse of a dark figure.  Emily is sure someone has fallen, and hopes that it isn’t Hannah or one of her suitors; despite warnings, they had all sounded interested in exploring the dangerous clifftop. She calls 9-1-1, and a body is found, but it’s not one of the young people Emily had feared. It is someone she knows, though,  and the clues left could point to Hannah or one of her boyfriends as the figure she saw just before the victim fell—or was pushed.

This is the ninth in the Deputy Donut series, but newcomers would have no trouble starting with this one.  Emily is a compassionate woman but also a sensible one: she once worked as a police dispatcher and is married to a detective, so she’s not one to take stupid chances as do too many heroines.  She is, however, a tenacious investigator who helps husband Brent on his cases.  The cast of characters includes her cat, also called Deputy Donut, EMT friends, and her partner in the donut shop, a retired police officer. While not a page-turning thriller, this is a fun, pleasant book with descriptions of delicious pastries, likeable characters, and a mystery.  It’s a nice place to spend a few hours.