What do you think?
Rate this book
Apple Orchard #1.5
A Knead to Kill
Book 1.5 in the Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery Series.
Chelsea and Miss May take a vacation to unwind after their first murder.
A nice trip to the Great Vermont Bake-off should be fun, right?
Maybe.
'Til a dead body shows up. And they've got a whole new murder to solve.
Get it now.
Chelsea and Miss May take a vacation to unwind after their first murder.
A nice trip to the Great Vermont Bake-off should be fun, right?
Maybe.
'Til a dead body shows up. And they've got a whole new murder to solve.
Get it now.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2019
642 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Thomas
56 books807 followersEveryone loves a secret.
So here's a good one...
...Chelsea Thomas is technically two people, married writing team Chelsea and Matthew Thomas.
Matt and Chelsea write cozy mysteries set on an apple orchard in upstate New York. They also write television and film. As screenwriters, they have worked with several studios, including Nickelodeon, SONY and CBS.
Chelsea and Matt are graduates of Duke University and they are members of the Writers Guild of America. And they are USA Today Bestselling authors.
Chelsea enjoys spending time with animals and practicing yoga. Matt loves playing music. They both enjoy spending time near the water.
Want a free novella PLUS a free cozy mystery cookbook?
Join the Chelsea Thomas Reader Club at www.chelseathomasauthor.com.
So here's a good one...
...Chelsea Thomas is technically two people, married writing team Chelsea and Matthew Thomas.
Matt and Chelsea write cozy mysteries set on an apple orchard in upstate New York. They also write television and film. As screenwriters, they have worked with several studios, including Nickelodeon, SONY and CBS.
Chelsea and Matt are graduates of Duke University and they are members of the Writers Guild of America. And they are USA Today Bestselling authors.
Chelsea enjoys spending time with animals and practicing yoga. Matt loves playing music. They both enjoy spending time near the water.
Want a free novella PLUS a free cozy mystery cookbook?
Join the Chelsea Thomas Reader Club at www.chelseathomasauthor.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 4, 2024
Free on Amazon. Just got this one solely for the title. This book is so dumb, those amateur sleuths take suspects for their words and the criminal just confess to them, because they are not police, so why care! I didn't like the writing either. It was an okay read.
August 1, 2020
Cute and funny
I love this mystery
It was a great light read with just amount of suspense and humor .
Can't waits to read more of the series.
I love this mystery
It was a great light read with just amount of suspense and humor .
Can't waits to read more of the series.
August 22, 2021
I picked up this book solely because of the title. I should've stopped there. You should, too.
This book tries to be cute, but is instead seriously dumb. The main characters try to solve the murder by interviewing people and the suspects give out expositions and the sleuths just take them at their word. They are lead from one suspect to the next via convenient, far-fetched deus ex machinas. Then the murderer just confesses, literally because "I suppose I can tell you because you're not real cops and you don't matter."
This book also tries to be funny. It failed.
This book tries to be cute, but is instead seriously dumb. The main characters try to solve the murder by interviewing people and the suspects give out expositions and the sleuths just take them at their word. They are lead from one suspect to the next via convenient, far-fetched deus ex machinas. Then the murderer just confesses, literally because "I suppose I can tell you because you're not real cops and you don't matter."
This book also tries to be funny. It failed.
January 18, 2020
This novella was better than book 1 so I'm hoping the series would gain momentum and become more interesting. Short, simple, and fun to read, this book takes less than an hour from start to finish.
July 27, 2022
Chelsea and Miss May enter a baking contest in Vermont. When Chelsea finds the judge floating dead in the lake she is of course the prime suspect. A cute novella.
November 28, 2019
Free download from Amazon
After the stress of finding a dead body in their orchard and solving the crime, Chelsea and Miss May need a vacation. They head off to Vermont for the Great Vermont Bake Off. Right away they discover that all is not as it seems in the idyllic Vermont countryside. The celebrity judge hired to judge the competition is in a nasty mood judging bakers before they begin baking. Apparently he's always like that and not just for TV. Chelsea feels refreshed and energized swimming in the lake until she swims into a dead body- the dead body of the celebrity judge. It seems someone was angry enough at his harsh words to kill, but which competitor? The local police jump right to Chelsea and don't seem to have any other leads. Chelsea and Miss May don't have a choice but to investigate- again.
This mystery is pretty simple. It's short and fluffy. The new characters are all suspects in the murder. There's obviously a contestant with a past link to the judge. What is she hiding and why? Then there's the bake-off organizer, a weird homeless dude and a personal assistant. The killer's motive was really bizarre and didn't make much sense.
Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny bumble around as usual until they find the answer.
I enjoyed this novella but not as much as the longer novels. I miss Pine Grove and the bakeshop.
After the stress of finding a dead body in their orchard and solving the crime, Chelsea and Miss May need a vacation. They head off to Vermont for the Great Vermont Bake Off. Right away they discover that all is not as it seems in the idyllic Vermont countryside. The celebrity judge hired to judge the competition is in a nasty mood judging bakers before they begin baking. Apparently he's always like that and not just for TV. Chelsea feels refreshed and energized swimming in the lake until she swims into a dead body- the dead body of the celebrity judge. It seems someone was angry enough at his harsh words to kill, but which competitor? The local police jump right to Chelsea and don't seem to have any other leads. Chelsea and Miss May don't have a choice but to investigate- again.
This mystery is pretty simple. It's short and fluffy. The new characters are all suspects in the murder. There's obviously a contestant with a past link to the judge. What is she hiding and why? Then there's the bake-off organizer, a weird homeless dude and a personal assistant. The killer's motive was really bizarre and didn't make much sense.
Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny bumble around as usual until they find the answer.
I enjoyed this novella but not as much as the longer novels. I miss Pine Grove and the bakeshop.
June 5, 2020
I had never read a cozy mystery before and had no idea what to expect. I am so glad that I tried this one, a new door has opened in my reading genres. The three central characters are so believable. I'm sure most people will know similar characters in their real lives. What really makes this work is their interaction. Three quite different characters but they blend so well when on the hunt for a killer. The story begins on the journey to a baking competition, a gentle beginning, unless you are one of those who hate losing. However the judge is murdered just before it all takes off. Chelsea, one of those three main characters is the one who finds his body, as a result she becomes a suspect. The three ladies decide they need to investigate. There seem to be a number of suspects, the judge was not well liked despite his fame. Who killed him and why? Will they discover the truth?
Get cozy and let yourself be drawn into this recipe for the proof of the pudding.
Get cozy and let yourself be drawn into this recipe for the proof of the pudding.
February 19, 2021
Nope
I could not make it past the first 2 chapters. Elementary writing and Every few paragraphs, the author speaks to the reader. Makes it hard to get into the plot. Not for me.
I could not make it past the first 2 chapters. Elementary writing and Every few paragraphs, the author speaks to the reader. Makes it hard to get into the plot. Not for me.
October 17, 2021
So glad I picked this novella rather than an full book from the series....made it easy to determine to ignore any others.
November 2, 2024
Great Novella
This was a great quick read. I’m hooked on this series!!! Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny are hilarious!!! I love all of Teeny’s incorrect sayings. Just so fun!
This was a great quick read. I’m hooked on this series!!! Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny are hilarious!!! I love all of Teeny’s incorrect sayings. Just so fun!
July 4, 2023
A Knead to Kill is a short story in the Apple Orchard cozy mystery series. The title fits perfectly because the story has to do with the events at the Big Vermont Bake-Off. In this story, Chelsea Thomas, Miss May, and Teeny leave Pine Grove after solving their first murder. They drive to Chester, Vermont where British t.v. personality (from the food channel), George Rivers, is the celebrity judge for the bake-off. Once they arrive, Chelsea decides to go swimming in the lake and she finds Rivers' dead body! So once again sleuthing begins because Chelsea is the number one suspect. This is a quick read, but the characters still have their quirks and charm, and it is entertaining. I enjoyed it.
July 6, 2020
Light Reading
The story line is simplistic with a very few uninteresting characters. My preference for introduction to an author is having characters who I want to follow in subsequent novels. There is a vagueness regarding who
the detective is. I usually stop reading at the point where my interest has declined. I read this book to the end which I found to be anticipated. There are some parts of the story I would have liked to have seen expanded like the baking competition and the town scenes.
The story line is simplistic with a very few uninteresting characters. My preference for introduction to an author is having characters who I want to follow in subsequent novels. There is a vagueness regarding who
the detective is. I usually stop reading at the point where my interest has declined. I read this book to the end which I found to be anticipated. There are some parts of the story I would have liked to have seen expanded like the baking competition and the town scenes.
Read
July 23, 2020I received this book as an arc reader. As usual I loved this cozy mystery series. The main characters, Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny fell into a murder investigation. This one happens while they are on a much needed vacation to Vermont. They thought they were going to enjoy a baking competition, but turns out one of the judges was murdered, he was found by Chelsea! As usual the three ladies are giving it all they got, and then some! The book is fun, fast paced and keeps you guessing until the end!
September 10, 2020
After solving a murder at the farm, the ladies (Chelsea, Aunt May and Teeny) travel to Vermont for a bread bake off festival. They're only there a few hours when Chelsea finds the dead body of the festival judge. Being the one to find the body, she is now suspect #1, and the chase is on to find the real murderer.
This is a short novel and quick reading. My only disappointment is that Chelsea is still acting too ditzy, when we all know she is intelligent. Then again, being dumped at the altar is a traumatic experience, like murder.
This is a short novel and quick reading. My only disappointment is that Chelsea is still acting too ditzy, when we all know she is intelligent. Then again, being dumped at the altar is a traumatic experience, like murder.
May 2, 2020
A bake-off to die for!
Chelsea, Teeny, and Aunt May are in Vermont for the annual Big Vermont Bake-off hoping to win first place. It went should be a nice break after what they had to go through when the murder occurred in their family orchard. Instead of finding peace and tranquility, Chelsea finds another body and she is the main suspect.
I enjoy the twists and turns as Chelsea Thomas unfolds the clues. Anyone who likes cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.
Chelsea, Teeny, and Aunt May are in Vermont for the annual Big Vermont Bake-off hoping to win first place. It went should be a nice break after what they had to go through when the murder occurred in their family orchard. Instead of finding peace and tranquility, Chelsea finds another body and she is the main suspect.
I enjoy the twists and turns as Chelsea Thomas unfolds the clues. Anyone who likes cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.
September 1, 2020
This is not a book, this is a collection of snippets bound by forced threads in a book cover. The characters have zero development at all and without any real backstory. Just saying "we solved a mystery in the past." doesn't give you any insights into the type of person they are. There was no build-up or tension at all in the book, and this felt honestly like a poorly attempt to copy a Nancy Drew book. It seemed like there was a lot of back fill statements to cover for the lack of build-up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2021
A baking contest is about to become deadly when one of the judges is murdered. Now there is a race against time to find who did it and why. It could mean the end of the contest for the year and it may never return. Can the murderer be found? Can they be stopped before more are killed? Follow the plot to see who did it
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.
February 12, 2021
I received this book as an ARC reader. The story was funny and entertaining. Chelsea, Teeny, and Aunt May are on vacation in Vermont for the annual Big Vermont Bake-off hoping to win first place. Unfortunately, a judge is murdered and Chelsea becomes the prime suspect. As a result, the girls must find who killed the judge and why.
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.
July 11, 2023
You Knead to Know the Truth !
What I liked about this story is that Chelsea, amiss May ,and Teeny all are there for each other when something happens. This book was a funny book to read and I will tell you I would recommend this whole series to anyone who likes a cozy light food mystery. I gave a 5 star review because the way it was written, it pulled you in starting with the first page of chapter one and holds you until the every end.
What I liked about this story is that Chelsea, amiss May ,and Teeny all are there for each other when something happens. This book was a funny book to read and I will tell you I would recommend this whole series to anyone who likes a cozy light food mystery. I gave a 5 star review because the way it was written, it pulled you in starting with the first page of chapter one and holds you until the every end.
August 9, 2020
Gee whiz, I see all the great reviews for this book, and wonder why I disliked it so much. The characters were one-dimensional & I didn't like them. The writing was OK, but there was no detail, very simplistic. The only reason I finished the book / short story, was that it was so short that I wasn't wasting too much time on it. Sorry, no more reading this author's work for me.
December 6, 2020
Be prepared to laugh alot
Really short but good. I really am confused about a couple of things though. How do they NOT get into anymore trouble with Miss Teeny with them? And how on earth does Miss May carry pies in her purse without damaging them? I am glad I finally started reading this series, it makes me laugh so much. 😉
Really short but good. I really am confused about a couple of things though. How do they NOT get into anymore trouble with Miss Teeny with them? And how on earth does Miss May carry pies in her purse without damaging them? I am glad I finally started reading this series, it makes me laugh so much. 😉
May 23, 2021
Miss May rocks!
For a murder mystery this was the sweetest story. Miss May, Chelsea and Teeny are lovely characters, warm and friendly. I’d love to visit! What a horrid murder victim. And the murder is a bit crazy, I think. For me it’s an ideal lunch break read. Get it, it’s so worth it!
For a murder mystery this was the sweetest story. Miss May, Chelsea and Teeny are lovely characters, warm and friendly. I’d love to visit! What a horrid murder victim. And the murder is a bit crazy, I think. For me it’s an ideal lunch break read. Get it, it’s so worth it!
November 10, 2023
What a fun short story Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny are going to a bake off where a Famous Star is hosting. Chelsea goes for a swim and finds the body in the lake so she is suspected of the murder. While at the bake off she witnessed the star yelling at a contestant it seems he was not well liked so there are a lot of suspects. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it.
February 11, 2024
murder again
These girls can’t even go to a bake off without getting involved in a murder. Great short story packed with grief, love, and laughter. I feel I know these girls and wished I lived in a small town like they do, filled with family and friends. Chelsea (the author) never runs out of clever ways and situations to bring the characters all together.
These girls can’t even go to a bake off without getting involved in a murder. Great short story packed with grief, love, and laughter. I feel I know these girls and wished I lived in a small town like they do, filled with family and friends. Chelsea (the author) never runs out of clever ways and situations to bring the characters all together.
October 5, 2024
Fun addition to the series
Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny head to Vermont to compete in a bread bake-off. Of course, there's a dead body, and of course, Chelsea is, through no fault of her own, the prime suspect. As with the rest of this series, the book is a light-hearted cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. The ending was definitely a surprise. Enjoy!
Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny head to Vermont to compete in a bread bake-off. Of course, there's a dead body, and of course, Chelsea is, through no fault of her own, the prime suspect. As with the rest of this series, the book is a light-hearted cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. The ending was definitely a surprise. Enjoy!
April 22, 2020
Excellent
No matter where they go trouble finds them. And I read until the end because I am so entertained. They are funny, entertaining, and hold your interest from the first word until the last. You will not be sorry keep up with the Cozy Mystery Books.
No matter where they go trouble finds them. And I read until the end because I am so entertained. They are funny, entertaining, and hold your interest from the first word until the last. You will not be sorry keep up with the Cozy Mystery Books.
April 26, 2020
A bake-off in Vermont, what could be more relaxing? WRONG. This story is jambed with murder and many suspects. Can Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny discover the killer before the handsome Detective Luke James arrests Chelsea for the crime?
July 10, 2020
This was a FUN story
I loved getting to know Chelsea and Miss May along with Teeny. The humor of each character created many laughs. Even though it's short the plot is great and easy to follow.
I loved getting to know Chelsea and Miss May along with Teeny. The humor of each character created many laughs. Even though it's short the plot is great and easy to follow.
November 4, 2020
Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny are back in action. The clues were tight to the chest so it was rather difficult to identify the culprit before the big reveal. Overall a good cozy mystery.
Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Scary. Tragic. Twisted. Wonderful characters.
Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Scary. Tragic. Twisted. Wonderful characters.
December 6, 2020
Cute novella
This novella was part of a free book promotion. I'm not certain if it was part of a larger sweepstakes or just a weekly newsletter sent by another author. Anyway, I liked it. There were no errors , unlike some of the other Kindle books I've read lately.Recommended.
This novella was part of a free book promotion. I'm not certain if it was part of a larger sweepstakes or just a weekly newsletter sent by another author. Anyway, I liked it. There were no errors , unlike some of the other Kindle books I've read lately.Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews