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Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery #2
A Cookie Before Dying
On a stormy night, Olivia Greyson and her Yorkie discover the body of a man stabbed to death-which looks suspiciously like the intruder seen fleeing the local health food store The Vegetable Plate. Charlene Critch, owner of The Vegetable Plate, has a grudge against Olivia's cookie cutter shop, but could Charlene be hiding a secret serious enough to kill for?
295 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
August 29, 2015
A very good second book, A Cookie Before Dying was a very strong book with very minor problems. In this book Livie's dog, Spunky, becomes extremely agitated one night and wants to go out. When he won't take no for an answer, Livie takes him outside and, much to her surprise, she finds a dead man. With the help of Maddie, Livie's best friend, and, of course, Spunky Livie must find the killer before the killer puts one of her loved ones behind bars forever.
I love the characters in this book. Livie, Del, Maddie, and all of their friends and family are well thought out, possibly a little bit eccentric, yet wonderful. In the first book I found Maddie slightly annoying, but, I'm pleased to say that I didn't find her annoying at all in this book. However, the one major character that annoyed me was Livie's brother, Jason. He was seriously ignorant and I feel like the entire book would have improved without him.
The mystery was very good, a lot of false clues and valid suspects were present and the ending wasn't extremely shocking, but yet it was a pleasant surprise.
Overall a very good book with only one bad character. A Cookie Before Dying gets 4/5 stars. I'll read the next one!
I love the characters in this book. Livie, Del, Maddie, and all of their friends and family are well thought out, possibly a little bit eccentric, yet wonderful. In the first book I found Maddie slightly annoying, but, I'm pleased to say that I didn't find her annoying at all in this book. However, the one major character that annoyed me was Livie's brother, Jason. He was seriously ignorant and I feel like the entire book would have improved without him.
The mystery was very good, a lot of false clues and valid suspects were present and the ending wasn't extremely shocking, but yet it was a pleasant surprise.
Overall a very good book with only one bad character. A Cookie Before Dying gets 4/5 stars. I'll read the next one!
August 19, 2022
COOKIE CUTTERS! Such a fun idea!! I really loved this book. If you have a sweet tooth, take time to dive into this series. I had no idea that collecting cookie cutters was even a thing. Olivia and her Yorkie are on the case again. I feel like I can relate to Maddie and I enjoyed some of the snarky shenanigans that she did. 🍪
December 14, 2019
Needs better editing!
November 11, 2015
3.5 but I rounded up
I felt the plot dragged a bit, up until they mentioned the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, so I rounded up simply for that because go Canada.
I felt the plot dragged a bit, up until they mentioned the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, so I rounded up simply for that because go Canada.
January 20, 2023
Will make you want cookies
This was a lot of fun. It’s been a while since I’ve read the first book but this was easy to get back into. I enjoy all the cookies and baking. The characters are likeable and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to them in the future. #readforkimberly
This was a lot of fun. It’s been a while since I’ve read the first book but this was easy to get back into. I enjoy all the cookies and baking. The characters are likeable and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to them in the future. #readforkimberly
November 7, 2014
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
January 5, 2015
It's possible that I had such a hard time enjoying this book because I did not read the first in the series; maybe all the intrigue and character development was in that title. As it was, I thought the characters were shallow and cliche, and I couldn't come to terms with a store devoted entirely to cookie cutters - just doesn't seem financally sound. The murder itself was uninteresting - there seemed to be no good reason for Olivia to want to solve this murder, her personal connection to the case didn't seem to be enough for any sane person to become so invested.
Also, the continual complaint about the heat was obnoxious. It's a hot place, we get it. Suck it up or get Central Air already.
Also, the continual complaint about the heat was obnoxious. It's a hot place, we get it. Suck it up or get Central Air already.
February 24, 2012
Second book, and still not grabbing me. The characters are flat and I have no sympathy with them or desire to see them do well. Will not be wasting any more time with this series.
August 3, 2015
Loved this book, everything a cozy should be! Only downfall? No cookie recipe :(
March 7, 2019
A rivalry with the neighboring vegetarian shop leads to murder.
What I enjoyed:
* I like Livy and her friends
* Good mystery with lots of suspects
What could have been better:
* Jason is an idiot.
* I worry about the business. Livy lets Maddie throw a special event to "get even" which interferes with an actual cookie order. Plus she doesn't seem to spend much time there and gives away cookies like crazy. And can you really make that much of a profit selling cookie cutters?
What I enjoyed:
* I like Livy and her friends
* Good mystery with lots of suspects
What could have been better:
* Jason is an idiot.
* I worry about the business. Livy lets Maddie throw a special event to "get even" which interferes with an actual cookie order. Plus she doesn't seem to spend much time there and gives away cookies like crazy. And can you really make that much of a profit selling cookie cutters?
August 11, 2015
Livie is annoyed to wake up on a sultry morning to find her lawn littered with pamphlets proclaiming the evils of sugar. She's certain the culprit is her neighbor, Charlene Critch, who runs a health food store. When Livie goes over to complain, she sees the store has been trashed and man running away. Charlene claims to know nothing about the pamphlet litter but she does seem to know something about the man. Who could he be and what is he doing in The Vegetable Patch? Local gossip claims Charlene has an ex-husband though the police can't find a record of the match. When the man is found dead, Livie's brother Jason turns himself in. Livie knows her brother is being an idiot and trying to protect Charlene. Jason won't talk and though Livie doesn't care for Charlene, she knows her baby brother is innocent and is determined to prove it. The case doesn't look good for Jason, but Livie is determined to solve the mystery and save her brother before it's too late. She's also set on solving the mystery of what is making Maddie and Lucas so miserable. There's also a mystery about Del's feelings for her and what she should do about that.
This story gets off to a slow start. There's a lot of information dumped on the reader that seems trivial and unimportant. A lot happened in the few months between books and has to be explained. There are new characters to introduce before the murder happens. The mystery of the pamphlets and mysterious break-in at the Vegetable Patch are enough of a mystery but the murder complicates things. It's obvious Jason is innocent and I didn't figure out who did it until just before Livie did. Then there was a surprising twist at the end. The romantic plots still barely get off the ground and are pretty much pointless.
My favorite character is Spunky. He drives much of the action in the mystery. His friend Buddy is also delightful and I hope we hear more from him in the future. I liked Livie a little less in this book than the first one. She does some stupid things in this book that cozy mystery heroines usually do. I hate it when they do that and she was so intelligent in the first book. I did like how she deals with her ex. Maddie annoyed the heck out of me. She's so crazy and lives in her owl world. She doesn't seem to like any of her peers except Livie for no good reason. She apparently has issues related to her parents' deaths which is completely randomly tossed in to the story but it doesn't make me like her more. I don't like Livie's mother Ellie all that much. She's more charming than Maddie though but I hate nosy gossips.
New characters are Charlene Critch who is way too uptight. She's crazy! Actually she's misinformed and it's made her crazy. She needs to go hang out with Ellie and do some yoga or something. She's also extremely secretive and when all is revealed, it made me like her even less because she withheld information from the police both in her past and present. She could have eliminated the entire mystery by revealing the truth earlier. Raoul, the sexy dance instructor, seems pointless. He's good looking but other than that he doesn't have much personality. Ida, a waitress, is a cooky character but I kind of liked her, at first, until she revealed she withheld information from the police. There are a few other new characters who seem to overpopulate the story but all comes together at the end. There's only one who is memorable and I found her touching and my heart went out to her.
This story gets off to a slow start. There's a lot of information dumped on the reader that seems trivial and unimportant. A lot happened in the few months between books and has to be explained. There are new characters to introduce before the murder happens. The mystery of the pamphlets and mysterious break-in at the Vegetable Patch are enough of a mystery but the murder complicates things. It's obvious Jason is innocent and I didn't figure out who did it until just before Livie did. Then there was a surprising twist at the end. The romantic plots still barely get off the ground and are pretty much pointless.
My favorite character is Spunky. He drives much of the action in the mystery. His friend Buddy is also delightful and I hope we hear more from him in the future. I liked Livie a little less in this book than the first one. She does some stupid things in this book that cozy mystery heroines usually do. I hate it when they do that and she was so intelligent in the first book. I did like how she deals with her ex. Maddie annoyed the heck out of me. She's so crazy and lives in her owl world. She doesn't seem to like any of her peers except Livie for no good reason. She apparently has issues related to her parents' deaths which is completely randomly tossed in to the story but it doesn't make me like her more. I don't like Livie's mother Ellie all that much. She's more charming than Maddie though but I hate nosy gossips.
New characters are Charlene Critch who is way too uptight. She's crazy! Actually she's misinformed and it's made her crazy. She needs to go hang out with Ellie and do some yoga or something. She's also extremely secretive and when all is revealed, it made me like her even less because she withheld information from the police both in her past and present. She could have eliminated the entire mystery by revealing the truth earlier. Raoul, the sexy dance instructor, seems pointless. He's good looking but other than that he doesn't have much personality. Ida, a waitress, is a cooky character but I kind of liked her, at first, until she revealed she withheld information from the police. There are a few other new characters who seem to overpopulate the story but all comes together at the end. There's only one who is memorable and I found her touching and my heart went out to her.
October 28, 2013
Another great book from Virginia Lowell. Every time I read a book in this series I want a sugar cookie!
Olivia , how does she keep finding bodies. But she does, and this time it hits close to her business and her family. Can she help her brother out of some trouble with a girl? Will her brother and this girl get together in the next book?
Del, poor Del, he is always coming to the rescue of Olivia. I wonder what he needs to talk to her about? Is it their relationship or his past relationship?
Are we going to see more of Cody? I hope so, all we see him is just here and there.
Who knew that cookie cutters would be valuable item? If a cookie cutter is made of tin, why couldn't they pull finger prints off of it?
Olivia , how does she keep finding bodies. But she does, and this time it hits close to her business and her family. Can she help her brother out of some trouble with a girl? Will her brother and this girl get together in the next book?
Del, poor Del, he is always coming to the rescue of Olivia. I wonder what he needs to talk to her about? Is it their relationship or his past relationship?
Are we going to see more of Cody? I hope so, all we see him is just here and there.
Who knew that cookie cutters would be valuable item? If a cookie cutter is made of tin, why couldn't they pull finger prints off of it?
May 3, 2012
In the second book of the series, there's a lot more going on than the first book. Unfortunately, a lot of that activity is a bit disjointed and flat. The rivalry between Olivia's cookie and cookie cutter store and the local vegetarian restaurant could've been interesting, but several of the characters were just too extreme. The mystery itself and how she goes about "helping" to solve it while breaking several laws, well, it was totally unbelievable.
April 1, 2012
Second offering from V. Lowell of her cozy mystery series about Olyvia Grayson, owner of the Gingerbread House, a cookie cutter shop. Filled with the typical characters, relationships, and so on, as well as a bonafide mystery to solve! Some more twists and turns in this novel than the first, a wholly delightful read.
August 3, 2015
A fun new series to read
This is the second book in this series, I really enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. The characters are interesting , I loved the ending :)
This is the second book in this series, I really enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. The characters are interesting , I loved the ending :)
May 27, 2015
Delightful! Olivia and her best friend Maddie really make the story special. At times, the mystery doesn't seem to be the main focus but it works with this series. Cozy mystery fans will warm up to this one.
July 10, 2012
Love this series it made me start a cookie cutter collection. And the bantering between the sisters is true to life. Waiting for the next book!
January 16, 2015
Loving this series!! This book is just as good as the first. Now on to the next!
December 28, 2018
In Virginia Lowell's A Cookie Before Dying, the second installment in the Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery series, this would leave you bewildered for a twisted tale. It all started for Olivia Greyson and Maddie Briggs, that someone littered newspapers on their lawn, and had broken into the Vegetable Plate store next door. When Livie wanted to find out what they found out what it was all about, she eavesdropped into the conversation between Charlene Critch and an unknown man arguing out loud. During the storm, that same man had wound up dead by a knife wound of some sort. And Livie's brother, Jason, was the prime suspect, who confessed for the murder. But Livie didn't believe him and did some snooping around to clear his name. It seemed that everyone in Chatterley Heights had a bone to pick with him. Also during the same storm, they saw someone dancing like a ballerina. As Maddie and Olivia tried to pick up the pieces between stolen cookie cutters and what's Charlene's big secret. In attempts to smoke out the killer after hours at her store, things get heated when she connects the dots to solve the mystery on whodunit and why.
October 22, 2019
In this second book of the Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery Series by Virginia Lowell, we are once again accompanying sleuth Olivia Greyson and her best friend / business partner Maddie as they try to uncover who vandalized their neighboring business 'The Vegetable Plate' and later, things become complicated when Olivia's brother confesses to a murder that he may or may not have committed...
Author Virginia Lowell really found her stride in this second book and she develops the personalities of the main sleuths even more, making the story twice as cozy and the mystery more complicated. We're introduced to a whole new slew of suspects and I was unsure who the murderer was right up until the end. There are a lot of red herrings and complicated relationships, creating more of that typical small town vibe where everyone knows everyone and no one's past is really in their past.
More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Olivia Greyson (age 31)
Business: Cookie Shop owner
Pet: Spunky, a yorkie dog
Best-Friend: Maddie (age 31)
Love Interest: Del, a cop (age 34?)
Family: Mother, Step-Father, younger brother
Author Virginia Lowell really found her stride in this second book and she develops the personalities of the main sleuths even more, making the story twice as cozy and the mystery more complicated. We're introduced to a whole new slew of suspects and I was unsure who the murderer was right up until the end. There are a lot of red herrings and complicated relationships, creating more of that typical small town vibe where everyone knows everyone and no one's past is really in their past.
More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Olivia Greyson (age 31)
Business: Cookie Shop owner
Pet: Spunky, a yorkie dog
Best-Friend: Maddie (age 31)
Love Interest: Del, a cop (age 34?)
Family: Mother, Step-Father, younger brother
March 13, 2018
Olivia Greyson owns and operates a cookie cutter shop with her best friend Maddie. Olivia, who lives over the store, wakes one morning to her yard littered with waded up flyers from the health food store nextdoor. It isn’t long before Olivia finds herself in the middle of a crime. She finds her neighbors store being burglarized. This leads to murder and unfortunately, someone close to Olivia is suspect number one.
I liked this series. The characters are interesting and realistic. The setting is typical for a cozy. In this case the small town is in Maryland. This story moved slowly at times. It didn’t challenge my enjoyment, but it was noticeable. There was no shortage of suspects in this book. In the end, I was a little surprised at the real culprit. I recommend this series. I realize this book could stand alone, but I think it would be better to begin with book one.
I liked this series. The characters are interesting and realistic. The setting is typical for a cozy. In this case the small town is in Maryland. This story moved slowly at times. It didn’t challenge my enjoyment, but it was noticeable. There was no shortage of suspects in this book. In the end, I was a little surprised at the real culprit. I recommend this series. I realize this book could stand alone, but I think it would be better to begin with book one.
May 14, 2022
Olivia Greyson owns the The Gingerbread House a hop that specializes in selling all things to do with cookies including antique cookie cutters. Olivia is in partnership with her best friend Maddie who specializes in baking and decorating cookies. Olivia looks out onto her lawn and finds it decorated with white balls of paper and these turn out to be flyers reading SUGAR KILLS. Olivia presumes these have been put there by the uptight owner of The Vegetable Plate who has a campaign against sugar but on investigating Olivia finds this place has been trashed and a strange man running away. Out for a walk in the evening Olivia and her dog Spunky find a mans body - someone has been stabbed to death. Olivia's brother confesses to doing this but he is not the murderer and its up to Olivia to find out who is.
March 19, 2022
(3.5 stars) This is the second book in the series. Olivia is having some issues with her neighbor, Charlene, who runs The Vegetable Plate and accuses them of pushing sugar. But when an intruder breaks in, Olivia spots the man before he escapes and later runs across his dead body while taking her dog out. When Olivia’s brother, who has been dating Charlene, takes the blame for the killing, Olivia’s mother asks her to find out the truth. She and Maddie begin to dig into the past to find out who else might be involved and there are a host of suspects. A stolen cookie cutter may be a key clue to solving the case.
July 16, 2019
The Gingerbread House is a cookie shop and the shop next door is The Vegetable Plate, when Livie's lawn is covered in paper that states "sugar kills" she believes it is the work of Charlene the owner of the Vegetable Plate. Livie discovers the Vegetable Plate has been trashed and each believe the other is responsible. Then a man is discovered dead and Livie's brother is arrested.
November 28, 2019
I read the first book in this series and have now followed up the the second installment. There are things I both like and dislike about the writing/story line in this series. These are simply not books that grab me or that motivate me to move on with the series. Having said that, I believe that their is an element that will appeal to other readers.
June 29, 2020
I see I have read books 3 through 6 in this six book series. This is book 2.
Making a living, and having employees, selling mostly just cookie cutters, while giving away tons of cookies, seems as unlikely as having said cookie cutters play key roles in various murders.
Nevertheless, the author did an enjoyable job.
Making a living, and having employees, selling mostly just cookie cutters, while giving away tons of cookies, seems as unlikely as having said cookie cutters play key roles in various murders.
Nevertheless, the author did an enjoyable job.
August 4, 2018
These are fun books to read. Just the right amount of mystery and character development. I am enjoying this series. I like stand alone books, but I also enjoy reading about the developing relationships in this series.
February 12, 2021
I’ve read my fair share of of cozy mysteries and this was one of the worst. The stories don’t connect at all, there’s no real closure, and random stories popped up only to not be fulfilled or drawn out any longer. This only gets 2 instead of 1 stars because the best friends name is Maddie.
November 9, 2021
A Cookie Before Dying is the second book in this series. Olivia Grayson has found herself in another mystery. It starts off with Charlene, the woman that owns the health food store, trying to ruin Olivia's business. Then Charlene's ex-husband being found dead in her health food store. The rest of it is great as far as a cozy mystery.
February 5, 2018
Really enjoyed this book! Good characters and plot. Looking forward to more in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews