Fried Again

Sienna Monroe #8

by Stella Dorn

Sienna needs a complete break, not just from assisting her local police department solve crime, but even from running her own prospering boutique bakery…

But duty calls loudly, as do her heartstrings because of two budding relationships (a stray puppy and a fellow bakery owner in her Town Square) and her long enduring passion as an amateur sleuth.

The loudest call of duty was because Sienna’s crime-solving abilities were urgently needed in a missing person’s case related to a fellow baker.

A person’s life, another’s wedding, and restored order in her new Tennessee hometown were all desperately relying on Sienna’s rusty sleuthing skills resurging quickly, or else…

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2024

Reviews

[Monica Gellman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried really hard to like this book. This is my first Sienna Monroe mystery so maybe if I had read previous ones, I would be accustomed to the author's style, but the dialogue was just really stilted and unnatural. It often took me out of the plot because it was either super formal or it kept telling the reader things they had already been told. It just did not read like real people talk, given that this is a contemporary story. The mystery, itself, was not bad but the interaction with the police was just so unbelievable. I am a true fan of the amateur-sleuth-helps-local-cops trope (starting with my love of Murder She Wrote) but the extent to which the cops let Sienna, a civilian, get involved just really challenged my ability to suspend disbelief. I feel awful writing such a critical review but this book had some serious flaws.
Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first Siena Monroe book. I had a hard time reading the book because the dialogue felt unnatural and the narrative repeated information. The mystery part was well thought out and interesting. I could see how a retired detective or law enforcement officer might be called in to consult on a case but not sure they would do so with Siena.

A free ARC was provided to me for an honest review.

[Sandy Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fried Again: A Sienna Monroe Mystery (Sienna Monroe Cozy Mysteries Book 9)” by Stella Dorn.
I received a free copy before publishing as a member of the author’s ARC Team of, “Fried Again: A Sienna Monroe Mystery (Sienna Monroe Cozy Mysteries Book 9) by Stella Dorn. I am writing a completely voluntary and honest review of this book.
In this last book of the series, Sienna Monroe has reached burnout from running her bakery and being a volunteer sleuth to help the police solve crimes. But she gets pulled back when the sister of one of her boyfriend’s employees is kidnapped and her sister refuses to go through with her wedding until the sister is released. Can Sienna save the day and rescue the sister in tie to still hold the wedding? What is Sienna going to do to solve her burnout problem?
This book was very different than other Sienna Monroe mysteries. They held more clean romance with Sienna and her boyfriend and community people were part of the story. This is still a 5-star book but it feels like it had a different writer. It really is a great, page -turner, and if you read this as a stand alone you would not notice changes.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Stella Dorn has done it again! This book is the 9th book in a series that you really grabs you with each addition to the series. The main character, Sienna Monroe owns her own boutique bakery that runs like clockwork and on the side she's an amateur sleuth. She has helped the police solve a few crimes, with the support from Pierre owner of another bakery and her boyfriend. She had so much going that she took an R & R and has now come home and finds she has been drawn into helping the police in another case - the disappearance of Stephanie Newhaven. So once her plate is full since her sister who is friends with the missing girl postponed her wedding until the case is solved. So Stella has her hands full with the abduction, ransom, drugs and sketchy people. This is a page turner with many red-herrings and twists and turns until the very end. I can't wait to see what Sienna gets into next and to see the progression of Sienna and Pierre's relationship. I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[MsBitsyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owning your own bakery business, & all the many facets that entails & the tune “…working for a living” by Huey Lewis & the News plays in my head. 🎶🎵

Sienna never stops, even when on a short vacation, her mind is always whirling. Think of it: the sacrifice of time, managing, scheduling; but really think of it: doing what you have a passion for, items that are made personally to make people feel good, friends old & new that keep coming back for your product, your customer service! Wow!

On top of all that, Sienna has earned respect in the community, to include the local police department, which occasionally seeks her assistance with an occasional case. Sienna holds under belt years of service working at police precinct, as well as in a forensics lab. In this adventure, she is assisting with a missing persons case. This is a well written, keep you on the edge of your seat, story just like a modern day Columbo!

Thanks for another great adventure. Which is also a clean read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery with a bit more at stake than normal.

In this, the 9th Sienna Monroe Mystery, Sienna is drawn into a kidnapping when the police ask her to check over their investigation so far. This includes looking over the case file and re-searching the missing woman's room in the house she shares with her sister. Of course, our ex-crime lab expert/now baker finds two things that the police missed that are crucial to the case.

Then when the kidnapper discovers Sienna is in on the case he insists that Sienna become even more involved, which puts both Sienna's and the kidnapped woman's lives at risk.

This is slightly dark for a cosy mystery, and follows police procedures more closely than most, but has all the other tropes aficionardos of the genre love. Recommended.

I received an early copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

[Dave Measner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Search for a missing person.
In this outing Sienna Monroe, Baker and helper to the police, is just returning from a few days off when the police come to her with a missing person case. The sister of Pierre's main employee, Priscilla, is missing just before Priscilla's wedding. Time is always cucial in a missing person case so investigating is done at high speed and hopefully high efficiency. When Sienna finds Seraphina's phone in a hidden room in her house a suspect is found in her text messages. When said suspect shows up at Sienna's home bleeding badly from a stab wound the investigation veers into a new direction. A fast paced mystery that is intricately woven and shows smart investigating is very much as important as fancy technical wizardy
Disclaimer
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sienna is trying to wind down from her assistance to the local police department in solving local crimes by concentrating all her efforts on her bakery.
But old habits die hard and she feels the tug of a new case is pulling her as she is requested to help in a missing persons case, a local woman's sister, Seraphina has been kidnapped and held to ransom by a local drug lord and they HER to deliver the requested ransom.
What could go wrong?
Sienna is in deep and her life and the life of Seraphina is at stake because these kind of people play for keeps.
This was an exciting, cosy mystery.
I really enjoyed this, the plot was engaging and Sienna was a great character.
Definitely a good read for mystery fans.

[Brenda Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sienna returns to her bakery after her vacation finds Sapphire and Zane already there. After making sure everything was running smoothly, she started to frost the cupcakes for the day. Officer Hamilton comes into the bakery and requested to speak to Sienna in private. The visit is twofold. First, he needs reassurance that he is doing a good job and second requesting her help with a case. Sienna assures him that he is doing a good job, and of course, she would assist with the case. Sienna is also a consultant to the police. Another good read. Stella Dorn makes her characters come to life and immerse you in the story. Ready for Sienna's next adventure.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Sienna returning from a weeklong mental health break, the local police immediately pulled her into one of her darkest mysteries, centered around kidnapping, extortion, and drugs. It consumes so much of her attention that her role as a baker and bakery owner seems to take a backseat which made this one not my favorite.

This didn't feel as much as a cozy as her others in the series due to its heart pounding nature of certain scenes like the ransom drop. After this, I feel like the poor girl needs another vacation.

I received a complimentary ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Sophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like crime or mystery books this is a cute little story that has both. It follows Sienna who owns a bakery and also helps out the police on cases. This was the first Stella Dorn book that I have read and even though it is a series it can be read as a stand alone as you don't really need to know what happened in past books to really understand what's going on.

My favorite character in this story was definitely Zane, as he is always up to help Sienna with whatever she might need help with.

Will definitely be reading Stellas other books! Can't wait to see what other mysteries there are to uncover.

[Robin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sienna Monroe returns to the bakery after a short vacation, and is immediately pulled into a missing persons case. I like the characters and the mysteries are interesting, usually with an unexpected twist, but this book was really dark. In this mystery Sienna is nearly completely consumed by the case, which includes abduction, extortion, and drugs. Part of the story includes a severely injured man who shows up at Sienna’s house, and that segment of the story was just bizarre. I liked the other books in the series better.
I received an ARC from the author, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Wanda Siesicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. When Priscilla's sister, Sepharina, goes missing, Sienna Monroe is asked to help with the case. There appeared to be twist and turns to the story that were really nonexistent. The culprit was named almost from the beginning but I kept thinking that because he was named that there had to be another culprit. I was picking apart all the clues and waiting with baited breath for another clue that would tell me something about the other culprit. Did I figure out who the real culprit was, or was the original culprit the one that did the kidnapping?

I volunteered a honest review as I received an ARC copy of the book.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that has two bakerys, bad guys, and a kidnapping wrapped into it. Sienna is just back from a vacation to help with burnout due to trying to do too much. Run her bakery, help the police, and now trying to have a relationship with Philip and she's not doing it all well. Time to get an assistant manager at the bakery so she doesn't feel like she isn't taking care of business. Then the sister of her friend is kidnapped and a wedding is put on hold and she right in the middle of it all. It ends up working out for everyone in the end.

[HEATHER · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series. I definitely enjoyed this book. I liked that Sienna actually had a vacation after all the crimes she has helped solved. This time she is helping Pierre's worker Pricilla find her Sister Seraphine. I also loved that we got to enjoy more time with Zane. I had a good time with this quick read and can't wait for the next book in this series. I would definitely recommend this book and series!

Thank you Stella Dorn for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion!!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little stilted to me, it just didn't flow quite right. The interaction between the main character, Sienna and the police was just so farfetched. I like books where the police and the amateur investigator work together but not the ones where the police basically hand over the investigation to the amateur investigator. There were just too many ins and outs in this story - made it hard to track. I really liked the other books in this series and will continue to read any new books in the series, but I was disappointed in this particular book.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another page turning mystery in the Sienna Monroe Cozy Mysteries. Each book can be read as a standalone, but for those of us familiar with the series, we were hoping that the much needed break Sienna took could recharge her batteries enough to tackle more crimes. No sooner did she return to town and she was back at it again. Luckily she has the sleuthing skills and good friends to assist. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the way the titles of these Sienna Monroe books tie together something from Sienna’s life, and also whatever baked goods she’s working to perfect during the case. In this instance, it’s cronuts and an electrocution attempt. I am so glad that Sienna finally adopted the adorable little Cocker Spaniel that was living behind her bakery and “Blondie” has a good home now. The Sienna Monroe series are all well written, quick paced and engaging reads and I highly recommend them.

[Don Lentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fried Again by Stella Dorn. Wow another great book. And I can’t wait for the next book. There is twists turns mystery and of coarse Sienna and detective skill at finding bad guys. Sienna is busy in her bakery I solving case and getting the bad guys. I rate this book a 5 star rating and I recommend everybody to get this book it keeps you guess at what’s going to happen next. Awesome book go out and get it.

Written by
Edith L

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sienna Monroe is in the bakery when officer Hamilton comes to her with a new case file that of the disappearance of Seraphina Newhaven who was the sister of Priscilla. Her friend and Baker Pierre Delacroix who was Priscilla ‘s boss was encouraging her to go for it too. This takes Sienna on a strange journey
A very exciting read with a nail biting finish. I am on the ARC team and leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sienna is in need of another vacation. Her help is urgently needed in this darker than the usual crimes she assists with. A missing person and ransom , demands her time or else…. In other news her heart is kept full by her budding relationship with Pierre as well as the puppy….. I love this whole series and this one is no exception, it’s great writing and compelling reading . Good narratives and apt descriptors.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duty calls loudly, as do her heartstrings because of two budding relationships (a stray puppy and a fellow bakery owner in her Town Square) and her long enduring passion as an amateur sleuth.
A kidnapping and possible murder is the catalyst for the crime.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery in the series. This time though Sienna is asked to investigate by the Police and is only too happy to help as it involves her friend Priscilla and her sister. I love the characters, they're all well-rounded and believeable, but especially Zane, he's lovely. Well written and plenty to keep you thinking and guessing.

[Kellys.bookcorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book it was a cozy mystery read. Good story and it flowed well.

Sienna is a bakery owner with a passion for solving crimes.

This was actually the first book I had read in this series it worked well as a stand alone I didn’t feel like I was missing chunks from not having read the others first.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kidnapped?

An entertaining story as Sienna investigates the disappearance of a young lady, Sera. Sienna finds herself in danger and is innovative in staying a step ahead of those that want to harm her. I enjoyed this book.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team and am providing my honest opinion.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story as usual. All the characters are great and interactions are believable. This crime story is different from Sienna's usual mysteries but she is pulled into it to help a friend. It seemed to be concluded in what felt like a rush compared to the rest of the story but I definitely recommend it. I received this book as an ARC team member and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sienna solves a kidnapping.

The title was appropriate. Cronuts play a small part in the story. I liked the pacing, the information gathering, and how the story ended. We meet a few new characters, see how Sienna deals with burn out, and flesh out more side characters stories. I have enjoyed this series and look forward to more from the author.

[Doreen Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the cozy mysteries I've ever read, this one is, hands down, the best. It's easy to read, innovative, interesting, and, amazingly, seems technically accurate. Read the earlier books in the series first, if you want to fully understand the interactions between the characters. They're all excellent. I highly recommend the entire series, but especially Fried Again.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew that owning a bakery could be so exciting. Sienna is determined to use her skills in forensics and police procedures to help the local police and friends with cases. This time it is finding the sister of a friend and employee of her fellow baker, Pierre. Stella Dorn is very good at keeping you involved with her story and trying to guess what has happened. I have enjoyed all of her books, and I can’t wait to see what she gets involved with next.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another excellent written book with lot of twist and turn for Sienna Monroe to try and figure out who was guilty. I love the way Sienna goes about trying to solve the problems and I love how it is going with the other Baker Pierre. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mytery.