Lemon Larceny

Donut Shop Mysteries #15

by Jessica Beck

Lemon Larceny, Donut Mystery #15, From New York Times Bestselling Author Jessica Beck. When her Aunt Jean dies suddenly, Suzanne and her mother investigate what at first looks like an accident, but quickly proves to be murder. They never expected to get help from the recently deceased beyond the grave, though. The ladies soon learn that Jean suspected she was a target in someone’s sights, so she has left them clues and hints behind about who might have wanted to see her dead! Praise for the Donut Mysteries by New York Times Bestselling Author Jessica Beck “A delight. Suzanne Hart is a lovable amateur sleuth who has a hilariously protective mother and great donut recipes! Readers will have a blast with this book.” —Diane Mott Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of Fatally Flaky “If you like donuts—and who doesn’t?—you’ll love this mystery. It’s like a trip to your favorite coffee shop, but without the calories!” —Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mysteries New Year’s Eve Murder and Wedding Day Murder “The perfect comfort a delicious murder, a likeable heroine, quirky Southern characters—and donut recipes!” —Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony award–winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries “A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life. With great donut recipes!”—JoAnna Carl, author of The Chocolate Cupid Killings “A yummy new treat in the culinary mystery genre. Skillfully weaving donut recipes throughout a well-plotted story, the author proves that life after divorce can be sweet; all you need are good friends, your own business, and comfort food. Delicious!”—Tamar Myers, author of Death of a Rug Lord and The Cane Mutiny “A cleverly plotted cozy mystery with a wonderful small Southern town…Fatally Frosted is a great follow-up to Glazed Murder. Suzanne is a great heroine, Ms. Beck has a sure-fire winner!”—Fresh Fiction “Along with the hilarious plot, author Jessica Beck treats the readers to a few recipes strategically placed within the novel. Sinister Sprinkles will keep you guessing until the very end.”—The Mystery Librarian “A sugary concoction that provides readers a glimpse through the donut hole of living in a small town.”—Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round Reviews

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Romance, Cozy

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Jessica 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...

Reviews

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the three Donut Shop books that were printed in 2014, this one is the best, and all three books get four stars. I liked the nifty way in which the author changed the usual setting of the murder. Both the heroine's boyfriend and her best friend were out of the picture, and, let's say it, out of harm's way. I missed the best friend, Grace a lot. I missed her spunk and pizzazz. At one point I had thought that this series was doomed, but the author proved me wrong. These books, very quickly read, didn't dally, and I felt that this one deserves more respect and attention than it will get.

[Jenni Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Beck can do no wrong in my eyes. I love these books. The characters are great and the mystery is always wonderful. Onto #16

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story, Suzanne has to leave her donut shop to go with her mother to her aunt's house when the aunt dies suddenly. They find clues that her aunt has suspected someone was trying to murder her, and apparently, finally succeeded. Suzanne and her mother have to find clues and examine several suspects, but they do succeed in solving the murder.

[Deb Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious book!

This book was different from previous books in the series, being in a different location and with Suzanne working with her mother to solve the Murder instead of her friend Grace. I enjoyed the book, I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Ouija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the good news is we're not stuck in the suffocating, cliched hell of April Springs. We are not subjected to the forced quirkiness of characters like the obviously unbalanced young woman who dresses her stuffed cows in festive outfits. Or hearing about Suzanne and her BFF ordering burgers, fries and cokes at the local diner ten times. And best of all, we do not have to suspend disbelief that Suzanne and her "boyfriend" - living under the same roof for months - do not engage in anything beyond a chaste goodnight kiss.

Unfortunately, as with most Donut Mysteries, the killer is always one of four suspicious characters. And the killer's identity is generally telegraphed within the first 4 chapters. I had high hopes Ms. Beck would be able to muster some chills from the setting, but alas...this old house is just another cliche. I won't bother going into the plot...if you've read one Donut Mystery you've read them all...but needless to say our plucky heroine solves the "mystery" and also inherits a tidy sum. (But of course, even though Suzanne is living practically hand-to-mouth on her Donut Shop earnings...she doesn't want the money.)

The best thing about this book is that we only hear Suzanne utter the phrase "Right back atcha!" about 5 times as opposed the 15 or so times when she's in April Springs.

I'm still trying to figure out why it's called Lemon Larceny. I don't rememeber any 'lemony' things in the story, but perhaps I was so swept up by the excitement and dramatic plot twists I missed it.

[Jennifer Oberth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my gosh. The author can't even keep straight that the victim is Suzanne's aunt, not great-aunt. Those are two different things. The quality of this series is fast falling and it wasn't great to begin with.
The book starts with a scene and then we go to 24 hours earlier.
I have no idea who on Earth is informed of a death that occurred that morning, and they take possession of the house that afternoon. Just...no.
That scene the book started with that ended on a cliffhanger because we're 24 hours earlier? Or was it a few hours earlier? Don't remember - point is, it never happened. We never went back to this incident. We never went back to this event and the cliffhanger to see how it ended.
Man, this story was bad even for this series.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lemon Larceny by Jessica Beck is book 15 in the Donut Mysteries series.After her Aunt's death, donut maker Suzanne Hart learns that her aunt suspected that some-one was trying to kill her and in her will asks Suzanne and her mother to investigate her death. An interesting quick book with Suzanne's character the main draw back. Suzanne comes across as a know-it-all who believes her sleuthing is superior to others and she is quite rude to most of her suspects. Otherwise it was a nice mystery.

[Rebecca Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Unsure why they named the title though except one of the main characters ( Suzanne) owns a donut shop. But the story does not take place anywhere near the donut shop.
Suzanne and her mother are investigating her Aunt Jeans death. The sheriff is not happy because him and everyone else in town believes Jeans death was an accident.
But when Suzanne and her mom hear the will reading from Jeans lawyer they know Jean left them hints that not even the lawyer knew. The found Aunt Jeans journal with Aunt Jean talking about her believing someone was trying to kill her and even naming people that she called suspects. Suzanne and her mom aim to find out who killed Aunt Jean. In the meantime Suzanne has to try to stay alive herself.

[Pamela Pirtle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new twist to the series

This time Suzanne travels to another community where her beloved Aunt has died. Her mother is her partner in crime this time. Makes an interesting twist to this series and very enjoyable. Suzanne and her mother are shown in a different light with respect to their relationship. A deeper understanding of these two dynamic characters. As always I enjoy the mystery and following the clues to discover who the killer is.

[Jeanie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had suspense piled up right from page #1.


Suzanne and her Momma learn of Aunt Jean`s passing, but, all is not as straight forward as it sounded in the lawyer`s office.

Momma gets enlisted to apprentice as Suzanne`s assistant in investigating her Aunt Jean`s murder. It doesn`t take Momma long to catch onto Suzanne`s techniques and they are off and running to find out what really happened.

A great story, Momma is truly comical too.

[VICTORIA STEWART · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery for Suzanne and momma to solve? What a great book. Mother and daughter teaming up to take on a family murder mystery. It was great to see these two team up and depend on each other so much. It was fun to travel to a new town and meet a whole new set of suspicious characters. The read paced itself well and things were kept interesting with every chapter. It was an enjoyable new case that felt fresh and new with this duo.

[Alabama Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story, after the first chapters, does not take place in April Springs.
A family member close to Suzanne has died and Suzanne and her mother have been summoned for the reading of the will. The question they face is did the deceased die by accident or by murder?
A special caveat sets a clock in motion to solve the case in 3 days or seriously consequences would occur.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super light read. Nice number of plausible suspects with interesting motives. Takes place in old house in small rural town.
Suzanne is bright, assertive and experienced. Her mom is a bit annoying.
Would try another in the series

[Janice Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t stop reading

I have loved each book I have read from Jessica Beck. There are always so many surprise’s and interesting twists. The interaction between suspects great and mysterious.
I will continue to read these books.

[Sher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m usually a big fan of this series but I found the entire interaction between Suzanne and her mother to be tedious.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has a bit of a different take on it. It was in a different town, since Suzanne's aunt was murdered.
Things heat up fast with Momma helping out with the sleuthing this time!
Enjoy!

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different feeling in this book since the Mother teams up with the donut maker to solve the murder the authorities believe was an accident.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find a quiet spot

As usual, Jessica Beck never disappoints! Take your drink of choice, find a quiet spot, and prepare to be enjoy another adventure

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book a little twist to the previous books but I liked it. It is best to read these in order.

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love this series.

[david breeden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

This was not my favorite Jessica beck book from the donut shop mystery series . I have read some that where much more entertaining and exciting.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite one in the series.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this series, but this book doesn't live up to the others. There were several mistakes in it, and that drives me crazy! On the back of the book, it says that Suzanne's great aunt died, but the dead person was Suzanne's mother's sister, not her aunt, so that makes the dead person Suzanne's aunt, not great aunt. In the story there were some continuity mistakes, which drive me crazy. One example was that it said Suzanne put something in her pocket, but in the next sentence it said that her mother was looking at the thing in Suzanne's hand. There's no excuse in a reputable, published book for those kinds of errors. I also didn't like that most of the characters who are usually in it, either weren't or made a small appearance. Not my favorite book in the series.

[Sara Reber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and exciting

I enjoy the Donut Mysteries by Jessica Beck and Lemon Larceny was another great book. I had fun catching up with Suzanne, Jake, her mom. I missed Grace, George, and Robbie (the police chief).
Suzanne's aunt Jean (her mom's sister) dies and when they hear the will, they both begin to believe that she was murdered. So, as Suzanne typically does, she investigates, and her mom assists her.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a fun and light-hearted mystery. I have read every book in the series and once again I found that I wasn't disappointed. Enjoyed from the first page to the last.

[Eva Lepelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

number 15 wasn't too bad. It was nice to get out of april springs for awhile. Maple Hollow actually sounds like a place that I would love to live in! My only criticism of this book and for all the previous books is if it's either Suzanna, Grace, or her momma, they just seem to be really really rude! I notices it a lot in this book. I almost stopped reading this series a couple of times because they just seem so unbelievably rude! I wold have given higher stars if it wasn't for that reason as i described. I have 5 or 6 more books in this series. I hope they aren't going to be the same as the previous. Im not holding my breath though

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started out a little slow for. Suzanne and her mom find out her mom's sister has died. The aunt leaves clues that she may have been murder. The investigation begins. No Grace to help Suzanne figure it out, only her mom. Sixteen is next, I hope the flair is back. This one still worth reading.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

2014-08-07. Very strange to have Suzanne in a completely different setting as she goes with her mother to settle her aunts estate. Although I missed the usual gang, I enjoyed Suzanne and her mother working on solving her aunts murder. Enjoyable.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacked Grace. Needed Grace. Grace is what balances out the obnoxious and downright irritating ways of Suzanne.

Is it me or is Suzanne becoming kind of know-it-all, I've investigated murders so I know better than everyone, obnoxious?

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so short! I finished it same day. It was good, but a very quick read. I wish the stories continued to be as long as they were when traditionally published.

[Jaimie O'Dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

missed some of the main characters from the other books but it stayed true to the series.