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Holly Holmes #2

Mord und Schokoladenkuchen: Mordfall, Dorfgeheimnisse und süße Versuchungen aus England (Ein Kulinarischer Holly Holmes Krimi 2)

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Nicht alles auf der (Lebensmittel-) Messe macht Spaß!

Eine Leiche auf dem prestigeträchtigen jährlichen Lebensmittelmarkt von Audley Castle zu finden, ist das Letzte, was ich erwartet habe, als ich mich melde, um an dem Informationsstand der Burg zu helfen.

Ich konzentriere mich auf meinen Beitrag für den Backwettbewerb, aber durch meine neugierige Natur kann ich einfach nicht widerstehen, mich zu fragen, wie das Kuchenmesser in den Rücken des Mannes gelangt ist!

Während ich mich zum Leben (und Tod) des Opfers schlau mache, erfahre ich mehr über seine zwielichtigen Geschäfte. Können sie der Grund dafür sein, dass er getötet wurde? Oder hat die Anwesenheit einer Exfreundin etwas damit zu tun?

Begleitet mich, wenn ich backe, herumschnüffle, Ziegen-Yoga ausprobiere und mir Mühe gebe, nicht in zu viele Schwierigkeiten zu geraten, während ich versuche, diesen Mord zu lösen.

***
Mord und Schokoladenkuchen ist das zweite Buch einer neunteiligen Reihe, in der Mord und süße Leckereien im malerischen englischen Paradies Audley St. Mary Hand in Hand gehen.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2023

192 people are currently reading
124 people want to read

About the author

K.E. O'Connor

177 books193 followers
K.E. O’Connor is the author of the Witch Haven mystery series, the Crypt Witch cozy mysteries, the Lorna Shadow ghost mysteries, the Holly Holmes baking mysteries, the Zee Town paranormal cozy series, and the Old Sarum mystery series, along with other titles available if you cast the right spell. She can imagine dragons, taste cookies when they aren’t even there, and hear the crack of a witch’s broom at a hundred paces.

K.E. (the K stands for Karen) lives in the United Kingdom (it isn’t very united, but that’s a mystery for another time) among the mystical stones and fairy creatures of Somerset. She graduated from the Universities of Southampton and Reading, where she received degrees in Archaeology and Cognitive Evolution (both highly entertaining to take part in, but with the career options of a ground witch’s toe bone.)

If you’re of the curious persuasion and want to know more, visit her website at www.keoconnor.com for enlightening knowledge on all things cozy mystery, book news, and a peek into the magical world of a writer who believes animals talk and magic is just a finger click away.

To contact her, visit her Facebook page – www.facebook/keoconnorauthor, join her email list, or dust off that haunted mirror in your cellar and speak the ancient magical words to transport yourself into her lounge. There may be tea and cookies waiting, or there may be giants – it depends on her mood.

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5 stars
221 (57%)
4 stars
107 (28%)
3 stars
45 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Linniegayl.
1,366 reviews32 followers
June 8, 2024
Cute book but again need to suspend disbelief regarding the royals. I enjoy the series and take it for a fun escapist read
Profile Image for QNPoohBear.
3,586 reviews1,564 followers
March 2, 2023
3.25 stars - 2 stars for the mystery plot, 3 stars for the setting, 4 stars for the characters and 5 stars for the baking

Holly Holmes, baker for the Audley Castle inn, is pressured into entering the Food Fair contest held on castle grounds every year. She fears her crusty boss won't let her take time off to enter but he is no match for her friend, Princess Alice! Alice's grandmother, Lady Philippa, announces she's dreamed of pigs, wigs and figs and that means someone is going to die! Holly is concerned but tries not to worry. When a pie maker at the Food Fair turns up dead with a knife in his back, Holly fears Lady Philippa's prediction has come true again. She tries to stay out of the investigation but as she discovered the body and she was there at the fair talking to the other participants... When Campbell Milligan, head of castle security, has to leave with most of his team, he puts Holly in charge of the murder investigation with his silent second-in-command, Saracen, to help. As Holly whips up sponge cake and dreams up ideas for unique sweets, she also tries to come up with an idea of who could have committed murder. Then Lady Philippa dreams of Holly's death! Can Holly discover the killer before the killer finds her?

As a mystery this wasn't very good. I knew right away who the murderer was through simple process of elimination. I wasn't 100% sure and it seemed like Holly had solved the mystery but it was only 69% in so I knew that was wrong! As a sweets lover, this book was the stuff of my dreams. I drooled a lot over Holly's delectable creations! A Neapolitan layer cake with chocolate chip cannoli cream frosting? Um YES PLEASE! This book needs recipes and needs them NOW!

I like Holly. She's kind and thoughtful, a hard worker; she notices things others don't and she's the one reluctant to get involved with Lord Rupert. A village woman and former friend drops a bombshell on Holly which would make her extra reluctant to get involved. Holly needs to learn to take care of herself, however, and not rely on anyone to come rescue her in time. Meatball, her adorable Corgi X, plays a big role in the story. Poor Meatball has been bullied by the Castle Corgis but now he's found a friend, mean Campbell wants to separate them! Poor Meatball! I take it his new companion is not spayed? I hope he's neutered because I don't think the snooty Castle Corgis would appreciate a mixed breed in their midst.

Campbell Milligan is crazy tough. He doesn't like Holly and Meatball in the family quarters in the castle. Holly has never even been there which is crazy. Campbell doesn't even want Meatball to associate with Lady Audley's purebred pampered pooches. They sound spoiled and not trained very well. In past books Campbell accuses Holly of wrongdoing but in this one, he does a 180 and trusts her enough to do a police officer's job. Um what? This series is HIGHLY improbable so I just went with it. It's a good way to get Holly involved. Plus she has a trained Special Ops security guard helping her. I'm not sure I like Campbell yet though. I think he will grow on me as he softens towards Holly. Saracen is a hoot though. He's the strong, silent type when he's working for Campbell but he's friendly enough with Holly. She gets him to open up and share some minor secrets about Campbell's background. Saracen has a huge sweet tooth and is happy to help Holly in the kitchen. I think he should get credit for being a co-baker!

Duke Henry and Duchess Isabella Audley are the elder generation. He thinks he's still living in the 19th-century. While Holly loves history as much as I do and seems to appreciate the Duke's love for the past, I don't like his snobby attitudes. He willingly forgets they don't have "boys" and "servants" to do everything for them. His wife seems lovely but kind of scatterbrained. I don't know how their children turned out so well. Alice can not possibly be a Princess unless her father is a Royal Duke, the son of the monarch. Why is she a Princess and Rupert not a Prince? Ignoring that, Alice is a fun character. She's lively, mischievous and more shrewd than she lets on. She schemes, wheedles and threatens to get what she wants which makes her sound immature but as the story progresses, Holly learns a few new things about her friend that make Alice far more self-aware and mature than she comes across. Lord Rupert is a dear. He's socially awkward and clearly has a thing for Holly but doesn't quite know how to express himself. His gift to her is thoughtful and sweet but also totally weird. He is a nice young man but needs to do a lot more maturing and then wait for his parents to die before he can do what he wants. Poor guy!

The murder victim, Pete "the Pie Man" Saunders is certainly the pig Lady P dreamt about. He's sleazy and his comments to Holly are sexist and unprofessional. I'm certain he's up to no good in business as well. There has to be a reason why his pies are so cheap! I wasn't surprised or upset that he was murdered. He was the obvious victim. Multiple people wanted him out of the way for various reasons that didn't surprise me. He lied about other people and lied to other people and seemed to have been in league with a shady character. Which one did the deed?

Let's start with Maisie, Pete's catering assistant. Either she had a big crush on him or she hated him, depending on who you ask. I get the impression Pete may have been sexually harassing her as well as cheating her out of money. I think she has a strong motive for murder but she said herself, if she can stick it out a little while longer, she'll have enough work experience to strike out on her own or find something else. Unless she's lying because her alibi is about as strong as a newborn kitten. As in, she doesn't have one. Who is Ricky? He sounds like a suspicious character to me. Leather is usually code for "sleazy guy up to no good." He fits the profile for sure. I'm not sure his motive was strong for murder though but maybe he hired someone to rough up Pete and they went too far?

Dennis Lambeth is a third generation pie shop owner. He makes quality homemade pies from an old family recipe, yet, his business is suffering because he refuses to compromise quality and craftsmanship to earn the profits Pete gets for his pies. I'm with Dennis. I'd rather have one of his pies. I don't know what's in Pete's pies but if Meatball wouldn't touch it, I would be very worried. Meatball seems to like the smell of Dennis's pies. Dennis seems like kind of a snob though and fussy. He isn't very likable even though I can sympathize. He also seems to have a bit of a temper. Did he argue with Pete and literally stab Pete in the back? I can easily see Pete taunting Dennis and threatening to smash the competition, etc. etc. There's only so much more a drama llama like Dennis can take. Finally, there's Jessica Donovan, the ex. Pete claims she was getting too clingy so he ditched her. She claims he was unfaithful and unwilling to commit so she ditched him! Yet she was at the fair, she was in the right place at the right time, maybe she had the motive too. Perhaps Pete was telling the truth and Jessica is lying. Perhaps he flaunted his other women and perhaps he laughed and sneered, told her he was going to make millions more and she'd never get a cent even if they were married. I can see her snapping and stabbing him in the back.

The only person who liked Pete was Colin Cheeseman, a nut cheese maker who is trying to make it big with his line of alternative cheeses. Um OK. I'm not much of a cheese person but nut cheese sounds even worse. I hate nuts more than I hate cheese. Apparently it's not as weird as it sounds and Holly kind of likes it. She even wants to buy some for the inn. Colin seems like a nice young man, on the brink of success. I'm not sure why he liked Pete but I would advise Colin NOT to model his business on Pete's and maybe team up with Dennis for some pie and cheese pairings and then find a winery to pair some wines with the nut cheeses and package them as meals to go. THAT I can see being a big thing in Waitrose or Fortnum & Mason. That's his clientele, not food fair attendees.

This is a nice, fluffy series that is improbable but perfect if you want to dream of delectable baked goods and naughty Corgis all night long. It won't tax your brain before going to sleep or make you stay up late. That was exactly what I wanted last night so that's A-OK in my book.
2,006 reviews
May 1, 2020
That's it. I'm over it. I quit reading at 26%

This type of plot is grossly overused. The heroine/new witch/baker/candlestick maker or whatever finds a dead body and decides to do their own investigation, against all the advice of law enforcement and basic common sense. Of course, they endanger themselves and others and interfere with withe official investigation. Yes, they find a few clues the officers don't find, but at what cost.

It's unfortunate as I liked many of the characters in this book. This is the third in the series, using that same plot device and I just don't want to read any more of it or any more books in this series.

Mic drop.
Profile Image for Angela Griffin.
1,679 reviews5 followers
July 28, 2020
Life's good in Audley St. Mary!

Pastry chef extraordinaire Holly has certainly landed on her feet after her business disappointment. A pity circumstances conspire to interfere with her love of baking, but enigmatic Campbell has conscripted Holly into murder-solving service in his absence. Holly is a delight, as are the eccentric aristocrats; there's even the opportunity to see a hidden side to previously gruff characters. Of course, when looking for a killer it's important to note wolves hiding as sheep...or pigs hidden under wigs...! Such a charming read!
2,289 reviews5 followers
June 4, 2020
2-1/2 stars

I liked the murder mystery of the plot. I liked some of the characters. The biggest problem I had was there were too many characters. Too many characters slowed down the color for me in this story
Profile Image for gary c lehn.
1,724 reviews7 followers
February 16, 2021
Great Series......

I've been enjoying reading this story of the adventures of the ,Chocolate Swirls and Murder. The characters in this story of mayhem and murder have a fun filled romp in this story.
Profile Image for Naticia.
812 reviews17 followers
May 21, 2021
This is escapist fiction at its cozy mystery best. Who doesn't want to be best friends with royalty (and even better, have royalty have a crush on you!), bake delicious cakes, hang out with super cool secret agents, and have an adorable dog? The plots are on the lighter side, but I am very much enjoying this series.
106 reviews1 follower
June 24, 2021
My Summer is filled with cakes and murder

Another cute one. Since these are quick reads I plan on finishing the series this summer. I also recommended the series to my 13 year old niece. She loves them as well!
Profile Image for Jennifer Cagle.
778 reviews1 follower
November 2, 2021
Very good cozy mystery!

There is a food fair at Audrey castle and a murder is committed so Holly gets involved in solving this and enters a baking competition. A sweet reading experience.
3 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2022
Loved it!

I really like this series so far! I love the characters and of course the delicious treats! Reading it always keeps me engaged. I can't want to start the next book! I wonder what delicious treats Holly whips up next ans who gets murdered.
210 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2022
Food Trucks

Another great book. I truly enjoy trying to figure out who killed whom. You can't go to the end of the chapter because you will miss out on such a great read leading up to who done it. On to the next great read.
Profile Image for Toni.
1,570 reviews64 followers
July 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this

Holly is at it again. Going behind Campbell's back and investigating on her own. There was one plot point that made me sad and hurry through the rest of the book. But it is definitely worth the read.
Profile Image for Celest.
716 reviews9 followers
October 4, 2025
Book 3 by K.E. O'Connor is Also a Great Mystery

Another example of a great mystery that was impossible for me to put down. I am loving these books in this series . Can't wait to read the next book in the series. They are so much fun, I just love all of the characters.
431 reviews2 followers
April 12, 2020
Great Book!

I have just finished the 2nd in this series and they are really good and funny! But read them in order to really get the picture!
40 reviews1 follower
February 14, 2021
In book two the relationships between the characters becomes more established. The suspects are colorful and all over the place. Kept me guessing. Can't wait for the next one.
4,417 reviews43 followers
June 7, 2022
Who killed Pete and why??? And what is up with Saracen??? Now the lovely cake!!! I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.
Profile Image for Ruth Lym.
72 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2024
Another easy and fun cozy murder mystery. I would give it 3.5 stars.
Profile Image for Stacy Pahl- Tichy.
95 reviews1 follower
April 20, 2024
The second book of the Holly Holmes Cozy Mystery. Quick, easy enjoyable read. Holly of course solves the mystery… with help from Alice, Lady Philippa and Saracen. Plenty of delicious cakes along the way…
Profile Image for Emily Shaw.
210 reviews12 followers
February 8, 2023
Holly is entering the pie contest at the castle she works at and prior to the contest judging taking place she talks to others at the fair. Conveniently so it ends up being that she spoke to all of the suspects once one of them winds up dead.

I was very mixed with this read as I felt like the culprit didn't have a fully solid motive and instead they went with a more unlikely person so that the reader wasn't guessing straight away. We receive a clue but that ended up being utterly unhelpful until the very end.
559 reviews12 followers
August 9, 2019
Book two is another wonderful read with these quirky characters. A food fair and a dead body turns up. Holly can't help but wanting to solve this murder in between baking and other kitchen duties. Then you add dogs and goats, enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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