Baked in Loyalty

Egret Isle #1

by Patti Benning

A beyond the grave request…
Can be murder.
Filled with mixed feelings and inner conflict, Claudia Fletcher returns to Egret Island, Maine for the first time in twenty years for her estranged father’s funeral. During the reading of his will, she learns that he bequeathed his house and the famous Fletcher’s Pride Bakery to her… under the condition that she live in the house and run the bakery for at least a year before making the decision to keep or sell them.

While trying to figure a way out of her father’s posthumous requests, she begins to realize something doesn’t seem quite right about his death. Quite a few people had a motive to kill him, and although he had a cancer diagnosis that she hadn’t been aware of, everyone, including his doctor, said he’d been doing well.

Claudia had been estranged from her father, but she still loved him and is determined to get to the bottom of his death in the name of justice. In the meantime, she has some decisions to make and a ton of hard work to do if she’s going to live up to the provisions in the will.

Can she crack the case and find closure? Will she be able to handle living in her old hometown and running a bakery for a year? Find out in this exciting Culinary Cozy Mystery!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Cozy

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2025

About the author

https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Bennin...

When Cozy Mystery author, Patti Benning, isn’t busy plotting the deaths of multiple fictitious characters, she loves to spend time hiking with her rescue dog, Max, who is her bestest writing buddy.

​Patti loves to cook and the food in her books has been tried and tested in her very own kitchen. She’s technologically shy, and stays away from social media a great deal, because it makes her feel more awkward and introverted than meeting someone face to face.

​Writing is the perfect job for her because in her books, she gets to explore all the topics she loves, food, animals, crafts and reading. She loves her readers dearly, and is thankful for the opportunity to share with them through her work.

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining family listening 😏🐕

This kindle ebook novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 1 of 9 more to come?

Claudia has returned to the island for her dads funeral and reading of the will. She inherits the family bakery and must stay one year! She is making plans when she is poisoned and learns that her father was murdered!

I would recommend this series and author to readers of romantic family and friends relationship adventure mystery novels 🌜😯 2025 👒🎊

[Valorie Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!!

I really love the start of this series, Patti does it again with a great series!!!!
Claudia is notified that her estranged father has passed away and her brother Chris is wanting her to come back home for the funeral. It's been twenty years since she has had anything to do with Egret Island.
She loves the place, but not the bad memories of the town, as she comes across on the ferry, she has always been sea sick, loves to look at water on dry land, but not on the water.
She gets to her fathers house to get settled and finds a lovable dog Leo a lanky yellow lab, but her father never wanted pets. Claudia never knew her dad was sick, until she got there.
At the funeral Claudia and Chris talked to her father's Doctor Garvey to find out he was poisoned!!
She had been trapped by Mayor Goodwin, asking about expanding the bakery Fletcher's Bakery, but her father kept saying no!!!!!
Now you have to get this book to find all the answers!!!!!

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot and at first, I liked the supporting characters way more than I did Claudia. Once I heard more of her story though I could see why she felt the way she did and was angry/distant with her dad for twenty years. But she ended up inheriting his bakery and started wondering eventually if his death might not be so natural after all.

That got her in the crosshairs of a killer, but she made it out alive thanks to a good friend who intervened. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next book!

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good start to a new series. Claudia and her father had a falling out 20 years ago and she hasn't stepped foot on Egret Isle since but now she is back for her father's funeral only to find out he was murdered.

I really enjoyed meeting Claudia and she makes a good main character. Her brother the easy going not quite responsible younger brother is also a good character that I want to see more of. The story line was well written and even though I guessed early on who the murderer was the plot was entertaining.
I will definetly return to Egret Isle.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An estranged daughter returns home after decades for her father’s funeral. She learns that he left her the family bakery and house under the condition she must stay there for at least year before she can sell or keep them. While sorting through stuff she gets suspicious about how her father dies as she begins to investigate things. Who want her father dead and why? It is another new cozy series to get hooked on.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the new Egret Isle cozy mystery series. Claudia Fletcher comes home after her estranged father’s death. She is conflicted over the requests he made in his will. Should she stay or leave? Before finally deciding what to do, she finds out that her father was murdered. Can she figure out who did it and why? And will she decide to stay and run the family bakery? Great start to a new series.

[Connie P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I didn't care for Claudia. She seemed pretty sullen and crabby through the whole book, so it was hard to have any sympathy for her. None of the characters were really *"fleshed out" so it wasn't possible to get a picture of who they are. This is the first book in the series and I'm hoping the next book will be better, so I will give it a chance.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent new series by Patti. I have been a fan of her books for many years. This new series is so fun. I was completely surprised when the killer was revealed. I was expecting it to be someone else. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Egret Island mystery

This is the first in a series. Claudia a young woman who left the island returns to attend the funeral of her father. Having left the island many years ago. She finds out that her father left her his bakery with the stipulation she stay for one year. Her father did not pass away from natural causes.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

New/ Old Beginnings

Claudia left her home 20 years ago because father hid her acceptance to Harvard to keep her on her island home. She only went back 20 later for her father’s funeral. This is the first book in a Series. Enjoy.

[Dennise Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining new series for me. Great characters, I am looking forward to seeing how they progress during the series. Storyline kept my interest. Great series to read while traveling. Transports your mind to Egret Isle. I enjoyed reading this book and excited to start book 2.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a new series set on a small island

Claudia returns home to the island for the first time in 20 years for her fathers funeral. A lot of the first story is spent settling up the various characters. Looking forward to the next book.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Great start to a new series. I really liked the characters and setting. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[Suzanne L. Amitrano]

I totally enjoyed this book and will definitely read more in the series.

[Sally Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was in that cup?

She came back to Egret Isle and then her life really changed. This was just the first of many difficult things to deal with. But what was in that coffee?