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Donut Shop Mysteries #6
Killer Crullers
WELCOME BACK TO DONUT HEARTS—where the coffee is hot, the donuts are fresh, and the crullers are to die for…
As owner of April Springs's one and only donut shop, Suzanne Hart is privy to the deliciously personal, downright eccentric tastes of her customers. One man is crazy for crullers—heavy on the icing. But when he doesn't pick up his order, a tall dark stranger buys the whole box. Which he tosses, one drippy cruller at a time, at her friend Gabby's storefront next door…
The man claims that stolen family valuables ended up in Gabby's thrift shop. His wild, weird behavior has Suzanne wanting to call the cops. But when he turns up dead—outside of Donut Hearts, no less—the cops come calling for her and Gabby. Can Suzanne prove that their role in the cruller-vandal killing is a cruel, albeit sugar-coated, twist of fate?
As owner of April Springs's one and only donut shop, Suzanne Hart is privy to the deliciously personal, downright eccentric tastes of her customers. One man is crazy for crullers—heavy on the icing. But when he doesn't pick up his order, a tall dark stranger buys the whole box. Which he tosses, one drippy cruller at a time, at her friend Gabby's storefront next door…
The man claims that stolen family valuables ended up in Gabby's thrift shop. His wild, weird behavior has Suzanne wanting to call the cops. But when he turns up dead—outside of Donut Hearts, no less—the cops come calling for her and Gabby. Can Suzanne prove that their role in the cruller-vandal killing is a cruel, albeit sugar-coated, twist of fate?
276 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 3, 2012
40 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Beck
103 books458 followersJessica Beck is a pseudonym used by
Tim Myers.
Jessica Beck is the penname of an author who has been nominated for the Agatha Award and named an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association national bestseller nearly a dozen times.
Jessica Beck loves donuts, and has the figure to prove it. It's amazing what people can convince themselves is all in the name of research! For each recipe featured in the donut mysteries, a dozen more are tried and tested.
When not concocting delicious treats, Beck enjoys the rare snowfalls near her home in the foothills of North Carolina.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jessic...
Tim Myers.
Jessica Beck is the penname of an author who has been nominated for the Agatha Award and named an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association national bestseller nearly a dozen times.
Jessica Beck loves donuts, and has the figure to prove it. It's amazing what people can convince themselves is all in the name of research! For each recipe featured in the donut mysteries, a dozen more are tried and tested.
When not concocting delicious treats, Beck enjoys the rare snowfalls near her home in the foothills of North Carolina.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jessic...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
November 8, 2011
The mystery was hum-drum, but the donuts made me drool. I ended up caving and going to buy donuts this morning!
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur magainze in the January 2012 issue: http://affairedecoeur.com.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur magainze in the January 2012 issue: http://affairedecoeur.com.
October 13, 2022
It was fun being back at Donut Hearts with Suzanne a nd the gang. I do enjoy all the donut recipes included in the book just wish they weren’t throughout the book or that there was a listing included so you could easily find them again. The mystery was enjoyable and I like sleuthing with everyone. The writing style is nice and easy to read which makes these go quick.
February 5, 2012
Not bad, not great, but worth a read if you've read others in this series. I didn't like these books at first, but they've gotten somewhat better. Not as good as the previous one, but I'll read the next one.
April 1, 2012
For some reason, I keep returning to this cozy mystery series featuring doughnut shop owner, Suzanne Hart. Even though I've given 2- 2 1/2 stars (rounded to 3 stars) several times. I think it's because I like culinary mysteries. But, there are a lot of weaknesses in this series. For example, the books tend to be badly paced- the endings seemed very rushed. Leisurely paced for most of the books, then an abrupt unmasking of the killer- like the author just decided she got her 275-ish page count and was done writing. Also, there's just something odd about the relationship between mother and daughter. Even though they are close- they live together- you don't get a real sense of warmth. I think it's just the author is not adept at writing relationships. The same weakness occurs with many of the main character's (Suzanne Hart) relationships- with her boyfriend, friends, etc. There's supposed to be a closeness, but the relationships come off distant on the page. Well, for whatever reason, I continue to read them even though I could never recommend them and if you want to give this series a try I would suggest getting the books from your library. Just not good enough to buy new and this is definitely not a series to read if it's your first foray into cozy mysteries. The books in this series are not the finest- or even good- examples of the genre.
Note on recipes in this book: The author included a malasada recipe. After frying the dough(and the recipe seems odd to me), she says to ice it or coat it in powdered sugar. Yuck, these are meant to be served hot or warm- powdered sugar would just soak in. I've never had them with powdered sugar and would never want to- granulated sugar (with or without cinnamon) is the way to go. I wouldn't recommend trying this recipe. If the concept intrigues you, though, run a google search for "Leonard's malasada recipe". Pick one from someone from Hawaii- I think Food Network has one from a cook who works for Leonard's Bakery. (Leonard's is a required stop for anyone from Hawaii who lives in the "mainland" when they go back to visit Hawaii)
Note on recipes in this book: The author included a malasada recipe. After frying the dough(and the recipe seems odd to me), she says to ice it or coat it in powdered sugar. Yuck, these are meant to be served hot or warm- powdered sugar would just soak in. I've never had them with powdered sugar and would never want to- granulated sugar (with or without cinnamon) is the way to go. I wouldn't recommend trying this recipe. If the concept intrigues you, though, run a google search for "Leonard's malasada recipe". Pick one from someone from Hawaii- I think Food Network has one from a cook who works for Leonard's Bakery. (Leonard's is a required stop for anyone from Hawaii who lives in the "mainland" when they go back to visit Hawaii)
August 3, 2014
For a short while, I had the idea that this series would be decent all the way through. But though these books are mostly awful, I can't stop reading them. Or rather, I can keep reading them. That counts. There are so many respected books that I've tried reading and were unreadable. I don't know how Jessica Beck keeps churning out books that are enticingly readable to most of HIS target demographic.
I'll try to make a few points. Suzanne Hart's big thing in the book was her being alone. Prolonged bouts of loneliness can be a pain, but here the whole tale was wrapped up in a jiffy. The heroine's problems were not problems at all. Consider her dilemma of moving away to her best friend's house, when and if her mother got married. Is that a real problem? Don't think so. Apart from the murderer there was nobody, except maybe Jenny, and Harry, who spoke harsh words against her. Hart never had any sort of ultimatum. So her life never was difficult. Conversely, she showed absolutely no detective skills worth going over. That's not only bland, it shows how the author can't be bothered in racking his brains for once. There are arbitrary statements that make no sense...like Hart's mother declining to join the book club, because that moment should only be Hart's. Doesn't make any sense.
A book of this type of humbleness doesn't have a climax worth discussing. But it had a twist (Hart's ankle) which sets it apart from other showdowns. Why can't cozy mysteries be more upscale? The genre is tailor made for me, but the writers lack so much ambition. Don't read this book. It's full of weird unexplained things that don't get tied together, like Gabby's missing gun turning up. Every single suspect is made of whatever is the opposite of sterner stuff. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I'll try to make a few points. Suzanne Hart's big thing in the book was her being alone. Prolonged bouts of loneliness can be a pain, but here the whole tale was wrapped up in a jiffy. The heroine's problems were not problems at all. Consider her dilemma of moving away to her best friend's house, when and if her mother got married. Is that a real problem? Don't think so. Apart from the murderer there was nobody, except maybe Jenny, and Harry, who spoke harsh words against her. Hart never had any sort of ultimatum. So her life never was difficult. Conversely, she showed absolutely no detective skills worth going over. That's not only bland, it shows how the author can't be bothered in racking his brains for once. There are arbitrary statements that make no sense...like Hart's mother declining to join the book club, because that moment should only be Hart's. Doesn't make any sense.
A book of this type of humbleness doesn't have a climax worth discussing. But it had a twist (Hart's ankle) which sets it apart from other showdowns. Why can't cozy mysteries be more upscale? The genre is tailor made for me, but the writers lack so much ambition. Don't read this book. It's full of weird unexplained things that don't get tied together, like Gabby's missing gun turning up. Every single suspect is made of whatever is the opposite of sterner stuff. Don't say I didn't warn you.
December 3, 2013
It is a pleasure to drop in on Suzanne at Donut Hearts in April Springs, NC. I always imagine a small town in the mountains like Clyde or Bakersville when I read this series. Both are places I like to visit. This installment opens with a stranger buying crullers from Suzanne to throw at Gabby's second hand clothing shop. He accuses Gabby of stealing from his aunt. When he later turns up dead in the alley behind the shops, Gabby is suspect number one. Of course, Suzanne, Grace and George have to get in on the action to try and nab the murderer. Things heat up between Suzanne's mom and the chief of police. I would like for Suzanne's relationship with Jake to heat up a bit as well. The list of suspects gets longer rather than shorter as the story continues. Really like this town and its townspeople. The recipes are good, too. I haven't tried any of them, but always sigh and think about it.
July 24, 2017
There is something about the Donut Shop Mystery series that has me coming back for more.
In the 6th novel in the series, a man buys some crullers from Suzanne however he doesn't plan on eating them. He takes them next door to Gabby's store and throws them at Gabby. He is angry that Gabby stole money and jewellery from his aunt's donated clothes. The next day he is found dead and Gabby is the main suspect.
I don't know what keep drawing me into the series, since there are quite a lot of negatives. The biggest negative is the character relationships. There is something off about the relationship between Suzanne and her boyfriend, as well as Suzanne and her mother. The characters are both kept at a distance, but everything is totally fine when Suzanne sees them once or twice in the novel. I don't understand why there isn't more of a casual relationship.
The mystery was good and I didn't guess the murderer.
In the 6th novel in the series, a man buys some crullers from Suzanne however he doesn't plan on eating them. He takes them next door to Gabby's store and throws them at Gabby. He is angry that Gabby stole money and jewellery from his aunt's donated clothes. The next day he is found dead and Gabby is the main suspect.
I don't know what keep drawing me into the series, since there are quite a lot of negatives. The biggest negative is the character relationships. There is something off about the relationship between Suzanne and her boyfriend, as well as Suzanne and her mother. The characters are both kept at a distance, but everything is totally fine when Suzanne sees them once or twice in the novel. I don't understand why there isn't more of a casual relationship.
The mystery was good and I didn't guess the murderer.
July 9, 2012
this may be my favorite one in the Donut Heart series..I loved that all of Suzanne normal cohorts were busy or away and she was left to "investigate" for the most part on her own..So it wasant the same poeple doing the same thing again thru the whole book.. And ..the killer wasnt so easy to figure out this time in my opinion..( although I did have it figured out.. I dont mind that as it wasnt blatantly obvious from the beginning)
June 10, 2012
I like this series, it's just fun reading.
June 21, 2012
I have read 6 and enjoyed all of them so far! Sounds like a great little town to live in if you aren't murdered. lol Looking forward to moving on to book 7.
October 26, 2019
Good book going to find me a donut.
February 8, 2012
it wasn't bad. this is the first book i read and from the first chapter i kept thinking of joanne fluke's hannah swenson mysteries, which were written first, i had to look that up after reading this. they are to similiar. killer crullers was fine, i will admit i'll most likely ready more, but i do prefer the hannah swenson books. going off the story and comparing the 2 writers the similairites in this book to joanne flukes are: with hannah swenson: she's not married, owns a bakery that she gets up early to get to work, limited employees, 2 boyfrieds-1 who was married and wife died and the other one didn't cheat on her, both live in a small town, both have a mother who is dating, has the best friends that help her on cases, goes on her own and manages to get into a sticky situation but does solve the crime. with jessica beck, at least in this book since its the one i read: small town, 1 boyfriend whose wife and son were killed in a accident, mother who is dating, the best friend who dates, an ex who cheated, dontu shop that she gets up early for, and solves crimes while getting out of situations. like i said, it isn't a bad book, but when you've read all of the hannah swenson books, i just find to many similarities that i didn't enjoy it as much as the hannah swenson books. oh and they both include recipes which might be the main reason i buy the donut shop books.
September 21, 2019
This is a great installment in the series. If you are reading this one, I hope that you have read the previous ones only due to the fact that the bits of romance that have been going on for Suzanne and her mother reach some various climaxes in this #6.
The premise this time is that Suzanne's business neighbor is accused of murder & somehow Suzanne's donuts were used in a fight before the man's murder. It's quite a clever plot starting point.
The ending may have been slightly predictable but I enjoy Suzanne, her friend Grace, and others within the series. It's a great, fun cozy series that I would recommend. I do have the next two within the series on my TBR pile.
The premise this time is that Suzanne's business neighbor is accused of murder & somehow Suzanne's donuts were used in a fight before the man's murder. It's quite a clever plot starting point.
The ending may have been slightly predictable but I enjoy Suzanne, her friend Grace, and others within the series. It's a great, fun cozy series that I would recommend. I do have the next two within the series on my TBR pile.
May 27, 2015
Killer Crullers is a cozy mystery that is book 6 in the Donut Shop Mysteries by Jessica Beck. I have read all the previous books in this series and enjoyed them and this one was no exception. Suzanne investigates the death of a man who had threatened her and Gabby’s stores. Besides the murder, Suzanne is also dealing with a possible competitor for her boyfriend Jake’s attentions and a possible wedding in her mom’s future. All the stories come together in a satisfying conclusion. A good read for cozy mystery fans!
March 8, 2012
I like this series, but I am afraid of 2 things happening. One,the premise of just how the donut shop doughnuts end up connected to a crime will wear thin and get stupid. And 2, the small town murder thing. I mean how many people can die in this town before everyone in dead? It's what I call the Cabot Cove syndrome. All murder mysteries can suffer the Jessica Fletcher syndrome, which is where only one character always finds the bodies.
June 12, 2012
Fantastic novel!
I think that Suzanne is brilliant! She always seems to solve the riddles that no one else seems to be able to see...
I hope that Grace has finally found someone who deserves to be with her, and that Trish finds someone reliable to help her with the Boxcar so that she can get a life...
I think that Suzanne is brilliant! She always seems to solve the riddles that no one else seems to be able to see...
I hope that Grace has finally found someone who deserves to be with her, and that Trish finds someone reliable to help her with the Boxcar so that she can get a life...
April 6, 2012
oOOps I skipped book 5. oh well, I will go back to that one. this was my favorite in the series. It was not as predictable as the rest of the books. Again, light reading. Took 3 hours to read. Fun and easy...
March 5, 2012
Love the characters, the town, doughnuts, and the romance! Another great entry in the series.
January 6, 2018
This mystery set in and around a small-town donut shop left me cold: unappealing characters, uneven pacing, weird motivations. Give me a Berkeley Prime Crime cozy over one of these anytime.
May 2, 2021
When Suzanne Hart, owner of Donut Hearts, sells a dozen crullers to a man she doesn't know, she also doesn't expect him to use them as ammunition. As he's throwing them at the store front window of her neighbor Gabby's store ReNEWed, she steps in to stop him. He starts accusing Gabby of stealing $10,000 and a vintage brooch from his aunt Jean when Jean donated a coat and it was supposedly in the pocket.
After the man leaves, Gabby insists she had nothing to do with the missing money. But when the man is later killed, and Gabby is the main suspect, she begs Suzanne to help clear her name. So Suzanne enlists the help of her best friend Grace, and her retired cop friend George to try and find the killer. But with plenty of suspects, Suzanne may have gotten herself in deeper than she wants, especially with a killer closer than she thinks...
This is the sixth book in the series and I have read every one of them. I have to say that this book is a breath of fresh air. Honestly, it is so nice to read a book that doesn't have an author's personal political views thrown in every which way they can lately. No offense to the authors, but I read a book for entertainment and to escape daily life, not to have you tell me what I should think and do. Perhaps that is why I feel the need to read older books so much. There's no nonsense in them, just pure fun.
And while this book isn't high literature -- it's not meant to be, after all -- it is fun to read. This time out Suzanne is partly on her own with her friends having to unfortunately leave her in the lurch even if they don't want to. It makes for an interesting time watching her handle things mostly by herself, and still manage to keep her business moving along.
We see a different side of the hard-hearted Gabby, as she softens toward Suzanne, and there are a couple of surprising twists as well to keep the story moving along. Because of this, it makes the reader want to finish the book in one sitting, which I did, anyway. When the ending comes and the identity of the killer is revealed, it also brings everything together nicely, and even gives us something to look forward to in the next book. Recommended.
After the man leaves, Gabby insists she had nothing to do with the missing money. But when the man is later killed, and Gabby is the main suspect, she begs Suzanne to help clear her name. So Suzanne enlists the help of her best friend Grace, and her retired cop friend George to try and find the killer. But with plenty of suspects, Suzanne may have gotten herself in deeper than she wants, especially with a killer closer than she thinks...
This is the sixth book in the series and I have read every one of them. I have to say that this book is a breath of fresh air. Honestly, it is so nice to read a book that doesn't have an author's personal political views thrown in every which way they can lately. No offense to the authors, but I read a book for entertainment and to escape daily life, not to have you tell me what I should think and do. Perhaps that is why I feel the need to read older books so much. There's no nonsense in them, just pure fun.
And while this book isn't high literature -- it's not meant to be, after all -- it is fun to read. This time out Suzanne is partly on her own with her friends having to unfortunately leave her in the lurch even if they don't want to. It makes for an interesting time watching her handle things mostly by herself, and still manage to keep her business moving along.
We see a different side of the hard-hearted Gabby, as she softens toward Suzanne, and there are a couple of surprising twists as well to keep the story moving along. Because of this, it makes the reader want to finish the book in one sitting, which I did, anyway. When the ending comes and the identity of the killer is revealed, it also brings everything together nicely, and even gives us something to look forward to in the next book. Recommended.
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May 24, 2019Bland, with flat characters, flat writing, and stilted dialogue. Interactions between the protagonist and her best friends, her mother, her boyfriend, her coworkers, strangers, suspects, people she doesn't get along with ALL READ EXACTLY THE SAME, and are all also boring and unrealistic. And I don't mind, on principle, magically profitable small business enterprises in upbeat genre fic like cozy mysteries or romance novels, but the protagonist is handing out dozens of free donuts left and right for no good reason, refusing to make sales for stupid reasons, and ugh, it's all just pretty awful. I was interested by the opening scene--someone buys a dozen donuts for the purpose of pelting them at the business next door--but the mystery itself turned out to be dull.
I did like spending time thinking about donuts, but I could have done that on my own. The malasada recipe included reads like it's an obvious nope, though. Why turn them into such basic donuts?
In disclosure, I didn't expect to love this book or anything. I bought a bunch of near-random library discard cozy mysteries, and I'm working my way through them as I try to understand and appreciate this subgenre. This book didn't help that task any, unfortunately.
I did like spending time thinking about donuts, but I could have done that on my own. The malasada recipe included reads like it's an obvious nope, though. Why turn them into such basic donuts?
In disclosure, I didn't expect to love this book or anything. I bought a bunch of near-random library discard cozy mysteries, and I'm working my way through them as I try to understand and appreciate this subgenre. This book didn't help that task any, unfortunately.
April 1, 2022
Suzanne Hart finds herself in a dilemma again! First, someone uses her crullers as a weapon (you will have to read the book to figure that one out and no, they were not poisoned)! Then the next morning that same someone's body is found between her donut shop and the store next door. This is a fun mystery series with great characters that you will enjoy getting to know through each new book in the series. There are also recipes included throughout the book. The descriptions of her delectable donuts will have your mouth watering. Suzanne is even more determined than your average amateur sleuth in that she has friends who help her do a pretty full scale investigation. There is mystery, a little romance and some fun mixed into this series!
April 2, 2021
Another fun read. Suzanne once again finds her hip deep in donuts and murder. A day after a man bought some crullers and launched them at Suzanne’s neighbor Gabby, he turns up dead in between the shops. Suzanne begins looking into the case to help out Gabby. I liked how she ended up doing most of the investigating alone without the help of her usual companions. The characters still make an appearance which I enjoy. The subplot with Suzanne’s mother is a fun extra. Despite the occasional death, April Springs seems like it would be an interesting place to visit. Fair warning though, you might find yourself craving donuts, I sure did.
July 29, 2023
This is the 6th book in a very long series. The story revolves around the only Donut shop in April Springs NC. Owner Suzanne Hart investigates after the murder of a very disagreeable guy . The store owner next door Gabby is one of the chief suspects after an argument with the deceased. Suzanne finds that there are several other people in town with motives. There are also donut recipes in the book between chapters. The ending was very satisfying.
June 12, 2017
I enjoyed the characters, the story, and the plot twists while I tried to figure out who and why.
I liked that the characters had flaws and that relationships needed to be worked. Some are resolved and others are to be continued. Looking forward to the others in the series. There are donut recipes throughout this book.
I liked that the characters had flaws and that relationships needed to be worked. Some are resolved and others are to be continued. Looking forward to the others in the series. There are donut recipes throughout this book.
August 24, 2017
I am so addicted to these cozy mystery murders. I don't know why I keep doing it to myself because every time I read one of these I start craving Donuts. Miss Hart is at it again trying to solve the town's newest murder mystery. her mama and the chief are finally getting closer to their happy ending and of course she gets a little bit of hers.
September 2, 2017
The book is a good, quick read, but contains several distracting errors. I don't know whether the writer, editor, or printer is to blame, but the main character has several conversations with herself according to the dialogue tags. The errors weren't so egregious as to confuse the action, but they were definitely distracting.
December 23, 2019
Oh, Suzanne Hart (main character). Bless your soul. You think it's a great idea to leave your cell phone in your jeep and go confront a killer while all your associates are busy doing other things. I don't know how many more books we'll have together since you're obviously determined to die.
Other than that, it was a pretty fun book with the likable characters.
Other than that, it was a pretty fun book with the likable characters.
February 22, 2022
I live in an actual small town. If we had a murder a week like they do in these imaginary cozy-world small towns, I'm pretty sure no one would live here anymore. That said, I enjoy these little mysteries. They are quick and straightforward and the MC isn't a moron. Usually. She did manage to almost get killed again this time, but no one is perfect.
May 25, 2025
Suzanne is back at the top of the chief’s list of suspects…again.
This time she not only has to prove her innocence but also form an alliance with an former adversary.
A simple theft has turned into a murder and the list of suspects is a long one.
How will Suzanne be able to solve the case when all of her backup and helpers leave town one by one?
This time she not only has to prove her innocence but also form an alliance with an former adversary.
A simple theft has turned into a murder and the list of suspects is a long one.
How will Suzanne be able to solve the case when all of her backup and helpers leave town one by one?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews