The Jig is Up

by Rachael O. Phillips

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

218 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Rachael Phillips, a church music director, began her unplanned writing career when the church secretary demanded newsletter articles, or else. She has written more than 400 articles, newspaper columns, devotions, and stories along with several books. Rachael enjoys speaking at women’s meetings and conducts writing workshops. She and Steve, her high school sweetheart and husband of thirty-eight years, live in Upland, Indiana. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book/series (this is the first in a series, written by different authors) focuses on women who have remained friends despite taking different paths in life. There are no where near enough books that celebrate friendship rather than romance in my opinion. In any case, the mystery part is good, intriguing enough without being too heavy (still a good summer read). The main characters - three middle-age women - are all strong and have interesting backstories, which will probably be further developed as the series goes on. One is married with children and grandchildren; one is widowed with a child, and one is never married and has no children. They dispersed and lived in different cities/parts of the country, with different careers, and are now back living and working in the same small town to live out an old dream of working together.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three former college roommates make a bold career move in their 50’s when they decide to open a bakery in Loch Mallaig, Michigan. They end up remodeling a former funeral home, the only retail space available. They are well on their way to finishing up the remodel when a letter is discovered in the kitchen that hints that the former mayor may not have died from a heart attack. Days later, while they are pondering what to do about that letter, random acts of vandalism occur to their property. The trio decides they have to get involved in solving the maybe-murder or proving it was truly a heart attack that killed the mayor. And they have to do it before anyone else is hurt. It’s an intriguing tale. The characters are likable, and the mystery is interesting. Adding much to the tale is the interaction of the main protagonists as readers get to know these determined women.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read any time of year. This sweet mystery features adult, mature, women who have remained friends for decades. At a time in their lives when the children are grown and they can follow their own passions and dreams, they buy a funeral home. What???
Their dream is to open a bakery and this is an inexpensive property in a toursity area.
At first some locals are not open to their new venture, especially when these three great friends tend to be a bit nosy, but they do make some new great neighborhood friends and soon find themselves investigating a suspicious death.
I loved the characters, the relationships between friends, and the fun setting.
Overall a sweet cozy mystery.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute cozy mystery with three middle-aged ladies opening a new Scottish bakery, Bread on Arrival, in Loch Mallaig, Michigan. Amid remodeling an old funeral parlor and getting ready for opening day, the ladies and their new friends from town work on solving the mysteries of vandalism to their new business, as well as the possible murder of the town’s former mayor. A few false starts with suspects finally leads to one of the ladies being inadvertently in the wrong place at the wrong time. But her friends charge in for her rescue and make the opening of the bakery that much more special.

[Laura Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cozy mystery that revolves around three friends that set up a Scottish bakery in a converted funeral home in a small town in Michigan (Upper Peninsula). During the remodel, a note that implies that the previous mayor was murdered turns up. They inform the police and do some digging themselves, which results in their bakery being vandalized. The town is charming, the people are endearing, the lake is lovely, and the mystery engaging. A very enjoyable cozy read.

[Loraine Nunley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Nice start to a new series. I liked that the mystery was more centered on the mishaps occurring to Molly and her three friends rather than the murder. Since this is the first book in the series, there is a lot of setup, but I can see myself enjoying the development of these characters and the small Scottish town in Michigan. There's a potential romance on the horizon and a fun Scottish terrier. I look forward to reading more adventures in this series.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former college roommates Molly Ferris, Laura Donovan and Carol MacCallan reunite to open a bakery in Loch Mallaig, Michigan. While renovating the building, they discover a note regarding an unsolved murder. Molly proceeds to investigate.

I enjoyed spending time with Molly and the secondary characters. The town sounds charming. The mystery was interesting, and I did not guess the killer right away.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Jig Is Up” is the first book of the Scottish Bakehouse Mystery series. Molly, Carol, and Laura were college roommates and their close friendship has remained strong for decades. They are now in the 50’s and are going into business together, a Scottish bakery. In addition to remodeling the building they purchased, they are sleuthing to find out who killed the mayor.

A cute, fun cozy mystery. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[Beverly Duell-Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three college roommates get together many years Lateran open bakery. The only place the can find to rent is an old funeral parlor. It needs some changes to make it usable. There seems to people that are against them starting a business. There is vandalism on the property. None of them have any idea who is behind it. They don’t know it’s one or several people.
A fun book to read!

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot of story building in the beginning. Real suspense came toward the end. Cozy story.

[Lee Bahcall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery with 3 women with baking experience open bakery in Michigan. Pleasant fast read.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice cozy mystery, and just what I was looking for at the time.

[SeaofBooks3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. 1 of 24 in this series. Couldn't figure out who it was til the very end.

[Ashlea Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery with lots of Scottish influence. I don't think I will read all 24 books in the series, but I am interested in reading the next one.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but not a "grabbing" read. Too many characters with little information describing them.

[Megan McConn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might pick up the next one in the series. I totally understand the whole story line, but the "Three" bakers were a little hard for me to take. I might be too "what are you thinking" inserting yourselves in a police issue, that is what they get paid to do.
I did finish the book, it was a quick read.