From New York Times Bestselling Author Jessica Beck, Apple Stuffed Alibis, Book 37 in the Donut Mysteries!
When a prominent member of the community is murdered, the list of suspects is longer than the lines during a free donut giveaway. Odd couple Suzanne and her stepfather, Phillip, dig into the case together to unmask the killer, and in the course of their investigation, the two amateur sleuths become embroiled in some of the worst aspects of small town life as they struggle to find the murderer.
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.
My plan was to present the event to the community as a celebration of my anniversary of owning Donut hearts-the shop I ran in our quaint little town of April Springs, North Carolina-but what most folks didn't realize was that there was another, and for me, much more upsetting purpose to the event as well.
Whew! What an opening sentence! I have not been keeping up with the series. How in the world did it get to have 43 books? I'm sure I'm still back in the teens somewhere.
Suzanne and her stepfather Phillip team up to investigate the death of a local defense attorney that is dating the mayor of April Springs. The murder happened outside of Suzanne's shop and she of course has to get involved.
I missed the duo of Grace and Suzanne. Phillip being a former cop was a worthy partner but didn't give the book the girl power vibe.
A lot has transpired since I last visited April Springs but I was able to jump back into the storyline with no trouble. It was nice to learn that Suzanne and Jake are married.
The mystery had a few twists and turns but I did figure it out. This did not distract from the story.
The recipes in the book always make me drool and I believe I will have to try the apple pie.
The donut shop is in dire straits and about to close its doors unless Suzanne can find a way to get more business. Her “staff” is on a rare family vacation, Jake takes a temporary job, Grace is 600 miles away, Suzanne’s mother is on a business trip in the Smokies and a giant fiberglass donut is on the roof of the donut shop.
While the stories all seem to be similar I did enjoy this one. A local is killed by a giant donut falling off a building. Suzanne teams up with her stepfather to crack the case. But as it all boils down there are twist you didn’t see coming.
I always love a good ending for both Suzanne and her store. I cannot wait to see what is in store for her in the next book. You know it will be something good and yummy.
As always, I'm happy to be in the company of the characters of Silver Springs. I did feel something was lacking in this story.....usually when there is a murder, customers flock to Suzanne's donut shop and this time, no one except a couple of business owners/friends. The story itself felt off?!?
Oh. My. Wow. All I can think is maybe, just maybe, Tim Myers is actually a genius. The puns, the horrible jokes, the complete irreverence of this story. I laughed so hard it hurt! Serving coffee and doughnuts to the mayor a few feet away from the murder site...????? Really? The awful things the mayor and Suzanne say to one another - the only thing I can think is they're one-upping each other with comeuppance and puns and stating the most irreverent things they can to one another in the most passive aggressive way possible. This one was hilarious!