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Seaside French Patisserie #1
Death and Dacquoise
Retirement isn’t nearly as relaxing when people keep dying.
Retired sisters, Jo and Dottie Darby, never expected to find themselves taking over their sister’s tacky souvenir store-slash-bakery in the small coastal town of Starlight Ridge. But after her untimely death and the reading of the will, here they were.
There were two problems with this.
One- The souvenir store was in a state that would give hoarders nightmares.
Two- Neither Jo nor Dottie knew how to bake.
It was a miracle that brought Autumn Davis into their lives, a young woman who had spent time learning to bake in Paris, France, but was now home due to an existential crisis. She was the answer to all their problems. Unfortunately, on the evening of their grand opening, a woman turns up dead on the beach, and all evidence points to Autumn and the dacquoise the woman had purchased earlier that evening.
Now, the Darby sisters need to clear Autumn's name, both for the sake of Autumn's future and the future of their seaside French patisserie.
Death and Dacquoise is the first book of the Seaside French Patisserie Mystery series. If you like small coastal towns, humorous retirees, and of course, murder, you’ll love this cozy mystery series.
Pick up Death and Dacquoise and start this laugh-out-loud series today!
Retired sisters, Jo and Dottie Darby, never expected to find themselves taking over their sister’s tacky souvenir store-slash-bakery in the small coastal town of Starlight Ridge. But after her untimely death and the reading of the will, here they were.
There were two problems with this.
One- The souvenir store was in a state that would give hoarders nightmares.
Two- Neither Jo nor Dottie knew how to bake.
It was a miracle that brought Autumn Davis into their lives, a young woman who had spent time learning to bake in Paris, France, but was now home due to an existential crisis. She was the answer to all their problems. Unfortunately, on the evening of their grand opening, a woman turns up dead on the beach, and all evidence points to Autumn and the dacquoise the woman had purchased earlier that evening.
Now, the Darby sisters need to clear Autumn's name, both for the sake of Autumn's future and the future of their seaside French patisserie.
Death and Dacquoise is the first book of the Seaside French Patisserie Mystery series. If you like small coastal towns, humorous retirees, and of course, murder, you’ll love this cozy mystery series.
Pick up Death and Dacquoise and start this laugh-out-loud series today!
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2024
282 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 29, 2024
This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the first book in A Seaside French Patisserie Mystery Series. The two main characters (Darby sisters) of this series are sisters that are upper in age, and they are so funny. I really loved the characters in this book. I laughed so many times while reading this book, and the poor police officer did not know what to do with these old women. They ran the poor office around it was so cute and funny. Loved it. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
April 23, 2024
This is a wonderful small town cozy centered on a bakery owned by two mature sisters. They inherited the storefront from their eldest sister after she died and decided to give the bakery a go. Unfortunately on their opening night a rather cantankerous woman is murdered and on of their pastries is the weapon. Now Dottie and Jo are investigating because all signs lead to Jo and the truth must come out before she’s sent to the big house for good.
This is fun, funny and wonderfully quirky. The two sisters are expertly portrayed and perfect foils to each other. There is that lovely small town charm as background for this sinister deed. The mystery is clever and keeps you guessing throughout the book. Definitely recommend!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is fun, funny and wonderfully quirky. The two sisters are expertly portrayed and perfect foils to each other. There is that lovely small town charm as background for this sinister deed. The mystery is clever and keeps you guessing throughout the book. Definitely recommend!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 7, 2024
The Darby sisters decide they need to prove the innocence of the baker at their French patisserie because they don't trust the local police to do more than arrest the first logical suspect.
The story played out well. It was interesting from start to finish and I can't wait for more in this series.
This is my voluntary review of a copy I received from BookSprout.
The story played out well. It was interesting from start to finish and I can't wait for more in this series.
This is my voluntary review of a copy I received from BookSprout.
July 10, 2025
I am unsure why I chose to read a book that is aimed at a different demographic, but I did. Probably I wanted a light read, and I certainly found one. This is a cosy mystery and a quick read. The characters are two seventy ish ladies who have opened a bakery in a US seaside small town. A murder of an elderly resident is linked back to their bakery and the poisoning of their cakes.
Kat Bellemore is a successful and prolific author, but I can only assume this is not up to her usual standard. The preoccupation with baked delicacies is unnatural, the behaviour of the protagonists stretches credibility to breaking point and the investigative skills of the police officer are beyond negligent and believable. Added to this is dialogue that is not convincing and stilted.
There are and will be many who will enjoy this, for what it is: a light flight of fancy, but unfortunately, I wasn't one.
Kat Bellemore is a successful and prolific author, but I can only assume this is not up to her usual standard. The preoccupation with baked delicacies is unnatural, the behaviour of the protagonists stretches credibility to breaking point and the investigative skills of the police officer are beyond negligent and believable. Added to this is dialogue that is not convincing and stilted.
There are and will be many who will enjoy this, for what it is: a light flight of fancy, but unfortunately, I wasn't one.
April 29, 2024
After inheriting their sister’s souvenir shop in Starlight Ridge, Jo & Dottie decide to open a pastry shop. Not they know anything about running a business or how to bake. Luckily their sister’s former employee, Autumn, trained as a patisserie in France. Their grand opening coincides with Dottie’s 70th birthday and the whole town is invited. Unfortunately that includes the unpleasant Florence who of course criticizes Autumn. When Florence is found dead the next morning, first Autumn then Jo are considered the prime suspects. While Jo thinks a night in jail might be amusing, she certainly doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life there. But when her little problem causes her to remove evidence, she better hope she can prove who really did it.
Death and Dacquoise is a fun cozy mystery featuring the Darby sisters, sleuths of a certain age. Small town Starlight Ridge might seem like an idyllic coastal town, but secrets and petty jealousies lie under the surface, and being the bingo caller is highly prestigious. Be prepared to laugh out loud as Jo tries Parkour and to be charmed by her interactions with the sheriff & deputy. I also highly recommend joining Ms. Bellemore’s mailing list to read the free prequel story, Murder in the Sandcastle Shop, to see what brought Jo & Dottie to Starlight Ridge.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Death and Dacquoise is a fun cozy mystery featuring the Darby sisters, sleuths of a certain age. Small town Starlight Ridge might seem like an idyllic coastal town, but secrets and petty jealousies lie under the surface, and being the bingo caller is highly prestigious. Be prepared to laugh out loud as Jo tries Parkour and to be charmed by her interactions with the sheriff & deputy. I also highly recommend joining Ms. Bellemore’s mailing list to read the free prequel story, Murder in the Sandcastle Shop, to see what brought Jo & Dottie to Starlight Ridge.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 11, 2024
One thing reading cozies has taught me is the retiring and opening a bakery can be hazardous to both your physical and mental health. Kat Bellemore is doing a good job reinforcing that statement. Her heroines, Jo and Dottie Darby, have opened a bakery in their late sister’s shop. Oh, yes, their sister, Beatrice, had been murdered. Now neither Jo nor Dottie bake, so they’ve hired French trained pastry chef, Autumn, as their baker. They’re all settling into the quiet small town of Starlight Ridge for a peaceful and calm retirement. Yah, right, this is a cozy, remember. Kat gives us a sincere, honest, sheriff, who has no idea how to investigate the sudden death of one of the town’s leading matrons. We are sent scurrying around, following clues, investigating residents for suspects and generally getting nowhere. I think you’ll be as surprised as the sheriff when you learn where the clues lead. I can’t wait to see what happens in this “quiet” town. Oh, yes, if you don’t know already, you’ll learn what dacquoise is.
June 30, 2025
Very enjoyable.
Jo and Dottie are sisters who are just getting to know each other again in their "older" years. Dottie is 70 and Jo is 68 (?) and they are the proud but nervous owners of a French bakery. On the evening of their grand opening slash birthday party for Dottie, the town "mean girl/old woman is poisoned by French pastry. Their pastry baker is accused of the murder. Without their baker, Jo and Dottie don't have a business anymore. They set out to solve the murder and Jo ends up in all kinds of trouble. I enjoyed this book. I especially had to laugh at Jo. Contrary to her efforts to find the killer, she manages to make the sheriff believe that she's the killer. I liked the characters of Jo and Dottie. I even liked the sheriff who was in over his head, trying to solve a murder in his small town. Things never seem to go the way you'd expect in this book, possibly because Jo never seems to do what an old lady is expected to do. I enjoyed this book so much that I'll definitely read the next book.
Jo and Dottie are sisters who are just getting to know each other again in their "older" years. Dottie is 70 and Jo is 68 (?) and they are the proud but nervous owners of a French bakery. On the evening of their grand opening slash birthday party for Dottie, the town "mean girl/old woman is poisoned by French pastry. Their pastry baker is accused of the murder. Without their baker, Jo and Dottie don't have a business anymore. They set out to solve the murder and Jo ends up in all kinds of trouble. I enjoyed this book. I especially had to laugh at Jo. Contrary to her efforts to find the killer, she manages to make the sheriff believe that she's the killer. I liked the characters of Jo and Dottie. I even liked the sheriff who was in over his head, trying to solve a murder in his small town. Things never seem to go the way you'd expect in this book, possibly because Jo never seems to do what an old lady is expected to do. I enjoyed this book so much that I'll definitely read the next book.
April 25, 2024
A good start to the series!
Their bakery is ready for its grand opening. It never would have happened if Jo and Dottie Darby hadn’t found Autumn Davis. They don’t know how to bake at all but Autumn trained in Paris and bakes the most marvelous creations. Their new-found baking success may come to an end when a woman is found dead on the beach the morning after their opening celebration and the evidence points to Autumn. The sisters decide that they will need to solve the murder if they are going to convince the new sheriff.
It’s nice reading a cozy where the main characters are middle-aged or seniors. Jo and Dottie have opposite personalities but there is no doubt about their affection for each other. Using Starlight Ridge as the location also pulls in the characters from other series which adds to the plot depth. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary.
Their bakery is ready for its grand opening. It never would have happened if Jo and Dottie Darby hadn’t found Autumn Davis. They don’t know how to bake at all but Autumn trained in Paris and bakes the most marvelous creations. Their new-found baking success may come to an end when a woman is found dead on the beach the morning after their opening celebration and the evidence points to Autumn. The sisters decide that they will need to solve the murder if they are going to convince the new sheriff.
It’s nice reading a cozy where the main characters are middle-aged or seniors. Jo and Dottie have opposite personalities but there is no doubt about their affection for each other. Using Starlight Ridge as the location also pulls in the characters from other series which adds to the plot depth. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary.
April 25, 2024
Jo and Dottie, both retirees have moved to Starlight Ridge after coming to visit their sister there. Unfortunately, their sister had been killed just before they arrived. Now it's almost a year later and they love the quirky town. They've transformed their sister's gift shop back into a patisserie and their new, young friend Amber is an accomplished French baker.
One of the town's nasty residents shows up dead the morning after the open house for the patisserie's open house. When each of the women comes under suspicion by the small town sheriff, they work together, to find the real murder.
For people who have read Kat Bellemore's romance series that takes place in Starlight Ridge, they will be pleased that many of the town's people, who they've come to love, are still living there and they are part of this story.
This is a fun, quick reading cozy mystery.
One of the town's nasty residents shows up dead the morning after the open house for the patisserie's open house. When each of the women comes under suspicion by the small town sheriff, they work together, to find the real murder.
For people who have read Kat Bellemore's romance series that takes place in Starlight Ridge, they will be pleased that many of the town's people, who they've come to love, are still living there and they are part of this story.
This is a fun, quick reading cozy mystery.
October 8, 2025
Jo and Dottie Darby inherit a souvenir/bakery shop in the town of Starlight Ridge from sister that died, Beatrice;
Turned souvenir shop into Sandcastle Bakery;
Hired Autumn Davis to bake, who trained in Paris;
Skittles, cat;
Jessie - bakes tarts;
Florence Whitlock - MURDERED (poisoned with Dacquoise, a French pastery;
Parkour, a discipline of movement originating in France;
Sheriff Hart, Randy, found the bottle;
Bottle of cyanide found on Clarissa's lazy Susan, Jo put it in her pocket;
Florence was babysitting Peter's brother when he drowned; he slipped the cyanide in Florence's pastry box in the bakery to get back at her;
Florence was made the town's official bingo caller instead of Clarissa, Peter's mom;
Peter was the KILLER, also asst parkour coach;
David, head coach;
Turned souvenir shop into Sandcastle Bakery;
Hired Autumn Davis to bake, who trained in Paris;
Skittles, cat;
Jessie - bakes tarts;
Florence Whitlock - MURDERED (poisoned with Dacquoise, a French pastery;
Parkour, a discipline of movement originating in France;
Sheriff Hart, Randy, found the bottle;
Bottle of cyanide found on Clarissa's lazy Susan, Jo put it in her pocket;
Florence was babysitting Peter's brother when he drowned; he slipped the cyanide in Florence's pastry box in the bakery to get back at her;
Florence was made the town's official bingo caller instead of Clarissa, Peter's mom;
Peter was the KILLER, also asst parkour coach;
David, head coach;
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2024
Jo and Dottie are fairly new to town and have a lot to learn about the inhabitants of Starlight Ridge. When a cantankerous woman is found on the shores the entire town is on the suspect list including Jo, Dottie and their baker, Autumn. A sheriff from the next town over has his work cut out for him to whittle down the clues and the more the sisters try to clear Autumn from the suspects list, the more guilty they begin to look. There is a lot of fun in this series and I am looking forward to more in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 16, 2024
This was a fun read. The two main characters, sisters, started mattering to me from the beginning, probably because they were closer to my age. I like their baker, too, despite all the trouble she seemed to be in. The real fact is any one of us could be pushed, pulled, and even tricked into committing the ultimate sin of murder, whether we want to admit to it or not. That is not an easy truth to live with. The plot is straightforward, the premise is finding out who really killed the obnoxious and sad woman and why. The answers were all difficult and heart rending, as those answers usually are. I do recommend this book.
July 10, 2025
For me, the best thing about Death and Dacquoise is the age of the main characters! Retired senior citizen sisters Jo and Dottie Darby move to Starlight Ridge, California after their sister Beatrice dies. They inherited her souvenir store/bakery. Deciding to concentrate on running the space as the Sandcastle Bakery, they hire Autumn Davis to bake French pastries. After their grand opening/70th birthday party for Dottie, one of the town's citizens is found dead on the beach. Soon they are hot on the trail of the killer. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I like the beachy town location and the small town atmosphere. I look forward to reading future books in the series.
April 12, 2024
I love Jo and Dorothy! They are amazing bosses and their Patisserie sounds fabulous! They are also great additions to Starlight Ridge, even though their coming has brought not just one, but two murders (it's really not them). This is such a great book. I truly had no idea who did it. I love all of the twists and turns and how clever Jo is. Dorothy is great in her own right. For any who have read other books in set in Starlight Ridge, you'll recognize some other characters from pervious Kat Bellemore books.
April 30, 2024
This is a great cozy mystery about two retired sisters who moved to town to take over their murdered sister’s bakery. Unfortunately, their grand opening, didn’t go as planned when one of the customers was murdered and one of their pastries was found to be the murder weapon. This story had a lot of funny moments, as well as, making you laugh. To add to the humor, the police that was in charge is now dealing with his first murder. A great story that you can’t help but enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 26, 2024
Death and Dacquoise by Kat Bellemore is a delightful, quick cozy mystery that keeps it short and sweet—perfect at under 200 pages. The sister duo, Jo and Dottie, bring humor and warmth with their witty banter as they work to clear their baker’s name after a town resident turns up dead. The small-town charm of Starlight Ridge and the lively personalities make this an engaging read without unnecessary filler. It’s a refreshing mystery featuring older characters and real laughs—a fun pick for fans of fast-paced cozies!
November 15, 2025
Patisserie and murder
Two retired sisters Jo and Dottie move to Starlight Ridge where their other sister lived and took over her shop after she passed and transformed it into a patisserie. A mean woman that no one liked was killed and it was determined she was poisoned by the items from their bakery. Jo is accused of murder so she and her sister do some investigating. Love the characters in the story. I liked that the main characters are older women that are still active. I enjoyed the book, looking forward to reading more from the author.
Two retired sisters Jo and Dottie move to Starlight Ridge where their other sister lived and took over her shop after she passed and transformed it into a patisserie. A mean woman that no one liked was killed and it was determined she was poisoned by the items from their bakery. Jo is accused of murder so she and her sister do some investigating. Love the characters in the story. I liked that the main characters are older women that are still active. I enjoyed the book, looking forward to reading more from the author.
April 17, 2024
Two sisters are opening a bakery but then their pastry chef becomes a murder suspect. They start sleuthing. This is a great beginning of a new series. I just loved this book. It"s entertaining and easy to read and has nice characters. Jo is such a fun and adventurous person. I look forward to more stories about the sisters.
I received an advance review copy for free via Booksprout and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.
I received an advance review copy for free via Booksprout and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.
April 27, 2024
Death and Dacquoise made me hungry for French pastries! I love watching Jo and Dottie, both retirees, work together to solve the mystery. Who added the poison to Autumn’s delicious dacquoise? Will anyone buy from the bakery with this stigma? Unfortunately, the deceased was the most disliked resident of Starlight Ridge so there are plenty of suspects and several possible motives. I could not put the book down.
April 29, 2024
There is a murder and Autumn is the suspect. But as Joe and Dottie investigate, another person becomes the suspect. There are comedic situations in this story that made me laugh out loud. It's a fun mystery. The person I thought was the culprit I later discounted. There is the adage, however, stick with your first impression so I was correct with my first suspect. I received a free copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving this review.
April 30, 2024
From the blurb of this book, I just had to see how all that craziness could be pulled off, it just seemed too outrageous. Boy, am I glad that I went ahead and read this. It was delightful. The author did an amazing job of keeping me, not only entertained, but invested in this story. I am so glad that this is the first of a series because I have to hear more about our ladies and their shenanigans! Hats off to the author for a well written, fabulous book.
May 19, 2024
These two sisters are just awesome! I read the prequel first and knew for sure I wanted to borrow and read this first book. I’m really eager for the next book to release because the ending teased a hint of what was gonna happen in it. I loved how Jo and Dottie planned but didn’t plan the showdown. They just went with it and fortunately there wasn’t any danger now to them. Skittles the cat deserves some credit for helping in this mystery too, lol.
July 5, 2025
Will I ever learn not to read a book just because it's free? Also, that today's cozy mysteries are fairly trivial? Sorry: this one was tepid on so many levels. The protagonists did little but mudlde around interfering with the admittedly more or less incomptetent official investigation, and the mystery was only solved by a blackmail threat which flushed out the wrong person. Not at all satisfactory.
August 26, 2025
Cute cozy mystery. The amateur detectives are two elderly sisters which were fun to follow. Cozies usually step outside realistic investigating and require suspending disbelief a little but this one really pushed it with the sheriff [light spoilers!] holding Jo in custody on suspicion of murder but allowing her to leave her cell and accompany him on his investigation. Overall though a cute story and a fun, light read.
April 20, 2024
Good start to a new series. The story flows nicely with great, mostly loveable and realistic characters. Never thought opening a bakery could kill someone. Good read with some funny moments. Only problem is this seems to be the second in series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 30, 2025
An entertaining tory
Two elderly sisters who are spunky and very stubborn get involved in the murder of an unpopular town resident. Opening night of their bakery was full of drama. This book was funny and thrilling in turn. The characters were well crafted and I enjoyed their interactions.
Two elderly sisters who are spunky and very stubborn get involved in the murder of an unpopular town resident. Opening night of their bakery was full of drama. This book was funny and thrilling in turn. The characters were well crafted and I enjoyed their interactions.
November 11, 2025
Reading about so senior citizens solving murder mysteries makes me smile.
This group of books is a sweet and gentle cozy mystery series. The two sisters complement each other, and the county sheriff needs all the help he can get. This isn’t the greatest mystery series I’ve read, but it’s one of the sweetest.
This group of books is a sweet and gentle cozy mystery series. The two sisters complement each other, and the county sheriff needs all the help he can get. This isn’t the greatest mystery series I’ve read, but it’s one of the sweetest.
April 26, 2024
A wonderful series starter with uniquely entertaining characters (I love Jo, Dottie, and Skittles) and a cleverly constructed plot.
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
May 3, 2024
Jo and her Sister Dorothy run a bakery that specializes in French pastries. At their opening the whole town supports them when a Woman insults the pastry chef in front of everyone. The Woman is found dead on the beach and Jo is suspected of the murder. This was a fun story and I recommend it.
June 28, 2025
What a cosy mystery should be
An amazing combination of setting, background, intrigue, great characters and much more. Thoroughly recommend this wonderful series starter, can't wait to read more
An amazing combination of setting, background, intrigue, great characters and much more. Thoroughly recommend this wonderful series starter, can't wait to read more
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews