Baking Bad

Beaufort Scales Mystery #1

by Kim M. Watt

A tranquil village.

A poisoned cupcake.

A murdered vicar.

A simple case - or it should be. But all clues point to the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about to discover there’s much more to the W.I. than bake sales and jam making.

Alice Martin, RAF Wing Commander (Ret.), and current chair of the W.I., knows the ladies of the Women’s Institute are not guilty. But she has a bigger problem. Toot Hansell has a dragonish secret, and she needs to keep the police well away from it. And she’d really rather not be arrested for murder. Again.

Meanwhile, Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly dragons and survivor of the days of knights and dragon hunts, knows even better than Alice that the modern dragon only survives as long as no one knows they exist. But he also knows friends don’t let friends face murder inquiries alone. Beaufort fully intends to Get Involved.

This investigation is about to take on dragonish proportions.

Best put the kettle on.

A funny cozy mystery (with dragons), for anyone that likes their mysteries gentle and well-stocked with cake, tea, and friendship. And dragons, obviously.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Dragons, Fiction, Cozy Fantasy

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2018

About the author

Hello lovely people!

I’m Kim (as you may have guessed, given that you're on the author page for Kim). I write funny fantasies and off-beat cosy (or cozy, depending where you're from) mysteries set in a world not so dissimilar to ours - and in fact sharing many locations.

And in this not-dissimilar world you'll find mystery-solving dragons with a strong affection for barbecues and scones, and snarky feline PIs with human sidekicks. You'll run across baking-obsessed reapers running petting cafes stocked with baby ghouls, Apocalyptic riders on Vespas, and women of a certain age Getting Things Done. There may even be the odd born-again troll redefining troll-ness for the modern age about the place.

You'll find myth and reality clashing in small and spectacular ways, and discover the healing magic of tea and a really good lemon drizzle cake.

But, most of all, there will be friendship, and loyalty, and people of all species looking out for one another. Because these, above all things, are magic.

And you can find me rambling on about all this (and more) over on my website, or join me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for bad puns and many, many cat memes. Many.

Come join me!

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star fun read

In times like these, we still need, perhaps more than ever, to escape sometimes, perhaps into a cheerful world with friendly dragons. Baking Bad is just such an escape, taking us to a charming (and beautifully described) village in the Yorkshire Dales, where the local W.I. bake perfect cakes ... except for Jasmine's ... and are also friends with the said dragons. Here we shall find characters that will live in our hearts; Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly Dragons, inquisitive, optimistic, and determined to move dragons into the 21st century; his young assistant Mortimer, who isn't quite so sure about that; Alice the superbly efficient chair of the W.I., and her friend Miriam the slightly hippyish herbalist. And not forgetting the redoubtable Detective Inspector Adams, who is unwillingly dragged into the affairs of Toot Hansell when the vicar is murdered ... What follows is a fun and very funny romp and a deliciously surreal mystery, as dragons, village ladies and police alike try to find the murderer. It's a story about baking, about trying to fit into a changing world, and, above all, about friendship. I can't wait for the next installment.

[Iona Sharma]

Lots of fun, and I particularly liked Detective Inspector Adams, who is doing her best to investigate a murder though surrounded by Women's Institute lunatics who can't make decent coffee. The dragons are also very good. The mystery itself is so sketched in it's barely there, but who cares about that.

[Robin Mccormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gifted me with Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt at Christmas; a different kind of mystery she said. It certainly is. It's a cozy mystery with a twist set in a little fictional town called Toot Hansell in England somewhere between Shipton and Leeds. The vicar is poisoned and the ladies of the women's guild, the Women's Institute take it upon themselves to investigate with the help of special friends, the High Lord of the Cloverly Dragons, Beaufort Scales, and his sidekick Mortimer. Yep, dragons.

The story is told from multiple points of view including the two dragons. The ladies and dragons get themselves into all kinds of trouble when Detective Inspector Adams arrives to investigate. She can't exactly see the dragons but keeps seeing something strange that makes her vision wonky and reminds her of a past experience she'd rather forget. There's plenty of mayhem and misdirection before the mystery of the murder is finally solved. Baking Bad is humorous and sweet as well as mysterious and well worth reading. I'm looking forward to reading more in the Beaufort Scales Mystery series.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murder mystery with interesting twists, given dragons are involved. Of course, if you do not believe in dragons you can't see them. Do not be alarmed about these scaly creatures. These dragons are about the size of a large stuffed cutie you might receive if you win big at a carnival game. Being English, they do like their scones, cakes and tea. Yes they have sharp talons, wings and the occasional wisp of smoke may come from their nostrils. Very old they are, but are doing their best to become modern and "with the times." The dames in the Women's Institute of a small village are the source of the baked goods, as well as the wit, humor and in between the line meanings that Kim M. Watt is so good at.

You cannot be serious about Watt's books, but you can be delightfully entertained.

From Watt's copyright page: "... book thieves will be fed to dragons."

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful alternative type of cozy

What a great read - a wonderful mix of mayhem and capers that will have you chuckling. I'd love to live in that village where dragons and the WI mix. Great characters filled with life, variety and banter. Some of the visualisations caused by the scene descriptions are classic! A wonderful read.
The discussions about the upcoming Fete have turned serious and the poor vicar was looking under pressure. When his body is found later the WI immediately come under suspicion. With the detective from Leeds making it clear to all. Alice and Miriam know that something has to be done to find the truth. They however didn't expect the local dragons (okay they're like big dogs - but still dragons) to want to help. Watch as they run rings around the police, get into a lot of scrapes and generally cause mayhem as they investigate. Will they actually find the culprit? Why does the detective get headaches and have funny vision around the dragons?

[Winter Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely charming. Kim has a fabulous voice—clear and clean, yet wonderfully evocative in terms of place and spirit. But my favorite aspect of Baking Bad is the way Watt respects her characters. There's a tendency sometimes in cozies for the characters to become caricatures, but Watt is very careful to keep them real—both human and dragonish. And the dragons... Without giving anything away, this is such a fantastically imagined treatment of dragons. They are sympathetic, complex, intensely funny, and... occasionally profound. The last was most surprising and perfectly executed. Dragons... contemplating the nature of life, friendship, and their future existence. A fabulous book. Five flamethrowing stars.

Victoria sponge 4 evah!!
Old lady friendship goals!
Team Mortimer!

[Anuradha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this purely because of the name of the book so imagine my surprise when I found out it had dragons? Amazing, sometimes ignoring the blurb can be a good thing.

The mystery isn't all that complicated or interesting but I love books with wise murder-solving women and books about dragons, even when the dragons are more like talking dogs. This had both.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and cozy murder mystery. I do feel like some parts were a big dragged out and that the end was a little predictable. But enjoyable nonetheless.

[Jacqueline Rohrbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beaufort is High Lord of tea parties and baubles, not of burning down villages and eating sheep. He’s a modern dragon. Well, not too modern, but he’s trying. Although people have hunted his kind in the past, he’s trying to move forward by cultivating new friendships with the locals of Toot Hansell, especially the kind women of the Women’s Institute. So, when one of their own is murdered, High Lord Beaufort of the Cloverly Dragons is naturally obligated to help, especially when two of his dearest friends— Miriam and Alice—are targeted as suspects.

However, not all dragons are keen on joining humanity. Some remember, not too fondly, the times of being hunted down and killed for their scales, teeth, and hearts. These dragons have passed down the horror stories to the younger generation. Mortimer, who is one of the High Lord’s closest friends and who is helping the dragons thrive in the modern age, has heard these tales. Although Mortimer enjoys the women of the W.I., he fears exposing dragon kind to humans in general. He’d rather remain as a blur in their vision, something they can’t quite see or touch but still part of their world.

The book has quite a bit of lovely description and subtle humor, and Kim Watt has a true talent for making the scenery of the village come to life.

I especially enjoyed the back-and-forth between Beaufort and Mortimer. While Mortimer enjoys more of the trappings of modern society—economy, gadgets, technology, etc.—Beaufort is arguably more of a modern thinker who wants to leave the past behind and help dragon kind find their niche in today’s society. I enjoyed the High Lord’s spunky attitude and poor Mortimer’s fear of being tazered by police for breaking and entering. Which, well, isn’t an unfounded fear. Police can be a bit zap happy.

I also enjoyed DI Adams, who refuses to shout. Unless, of course, the ladies of the Toot Hansell W.I. won’t leave her crime scene alone, the other officers alone, the baker alone, or really anyone or anything alone. I could almost see her pulling out her hair in frustration as she struggled not to yell at the town’s collection of aunties and grandmas. I also found her whole rabbit situation very amusing.

Overall, Baking Bad is a wonderful story of friendship and finding the courage to help those in need. Recommended for people who enjoy whimsical cozy mysteries with dragons, smart dialogue, charming scenery, and a dash of snark. Not recommended for people who want blood and guts and lots of angst in their mystery novels.

Also, it has a collection of recipes at the end that I plan on trying!

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This self-described "cosy" mystery was suggested to me by a friend who knows my low tolerance for grimdark as an antidote to that. And she wasn't wrong! The vicar has been murdered (poisoned by a cupcake, no less), and signs point to the local WI ladies as being the prime suspects. They have to clear their own names, while also hiding the fact that they've made friends with a group of nearby dragons. Dragons who, it turns out, like tea and cake as much as the WI does.

There is definitely a strong element of farce to this, to a degree that would even make PG Wodehouse mutter "steady on". I struggled with this to start with, and with the degree of all-round bumbling by just about all concerned. From the RAF Wing Commander (retired) who leads the WI, to the local hippie, and the investigating police office, DI Adams.

The police didn't seem to be hugely competent, as they ran around, accepting cake and sandwiches from possible suspects, not securing crime scenes and general ditziness. The Folly these guys ain't. Mind you, Nightingale (or Peter, or even Abigail) would have clocked the chief dragon, Beaufort (who's just trying to help out his human pals) on the first encounter and had a stern word. But DI Adams is just a normal police officer trying to do a job in trying circumstances, albeit with the obligatory Mysterious Past.

The dragons are almost the least interesting things about the book. They're mostly invisible to people who don't know they're there and are mostly interested in tea and cake. Beaufort, after whom the series is named, is the chief of the tribe and is supposedly this ancient dragon, who remembers a time when knights would hunt and kill dragons. But he mostly just feels like a jolly uncle who encourages kids to get into mischief. There's an interesting section part-way through when there's hints that not all dragons like the idea of interacting with humans, and some would rather they just went away, but this, or indeed any other aspect of dragon society, isn't really explored (something to hold back for later books?).

It's a fun enough book, and the characters are likeable but you're not given enough hints to solve the mystery yourself. You're basically following along as both the police and the WI work things out. There's a free collection of short stories in the universe that I'll pick up, but I don't know if I'll pay for any more in the series.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first instinct was to avoid this author, because her work did not seem to be something, I would enjoy. But the good reviews kept on coming, so I thought, I should at least give her the benefit of the doubt. So, I started with Baking Bad the first of the Beaufort Scales series. That’s the one with dragons, which seemed more to my taste than cats. Main problem? These dragons were rather playful, talking dogs than smoky, fire-spitting, magical creatures. Moreover, the mystery was very poorly written – for example the main plot only worked because the murdered vicar had his e-mail only on his tablet. Ever heard of an e-mail server? The old ladies were somewhat charming, but overall, I will definitively keep my distance from now on. Just not my cup of tea… (of which there was a lot!)

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was quite charming. High enough stakes to keep me interested, low enough stakes to keep it fun. Plus a cake advisory, and a great closing line. 3.5 stars.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quiet little village of Toot Hansell is a place where the rest of the world doesn't intrude. The locals are mainly concerned with bake sales, the summer fete and debating what to do about the garish new gastropub that's opened a few miles away. However, the murder of the local vicar results in the arrival of Detective Inspector Adams and her formidable analytical powers, which seem stymied by the local activities of the Women's Institute, formidably led by RAF Wing Commander Alice Martin (Ret.), who has her own ideas on how to handle the investigation. Oh, and there's also dragons hanging around.

I must confess to a weakness for a good pun and a high concept, and Baking Bad certainly employs both features; the sequel titles splendidly continue the theme through Yule Be Sorry, A Manor of Life and Death and Game of Scones. The concept here is that a quaint little English village is about to become Murder Central (hopefully taking the pressure off Midsomer), with all the clever bits of misdirection, multiple suspects and conflicting motives that you'd expect, with the added complication that the last extant dragons in England are living in caves nearby.

These aren't exactly Smaug and Balerion the Black Dread, though. It turns out that dragons are the size of very large dogs - maybe small ponies - and are somewhat less able to breathe torrents of fire than advertised. As the dragons note, Sir George exaggerated their size and formidability a tad after being embarrassed about killing the equivalent of a flying donkey. They are, however, sentient creatures capable of reason and speech, and also capable of projecting an illusion that - imperfectly - masks their presence. Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly Dragons, and his assistant/squire Mortimer are known to the Women's Institute and are keen to help investigate the murder, despite their lack of knowledge about modern human life. Thus, much of the tension in the book arises from both the knowledge that the murderer might strike again and that mythical flying creatures are helping track them down, at the risk of discovery at any moment.

The book adopts a rotating POV structure between DI Adams, Wing Commander Martin (Ret.), Women's Institute member and walking human mess Miriam, and the young dragon (and almost as hot a mess) Mortimer. Adams and Martin are hyper-capable, rational women with formidable analytical skills who can keep their head in a crisis, whilst Miriam has a tendency to fly to pieces if someone looks at her funny and Mortimer's useful features (like aerial recon and stealth) are curtailed by his inability to use phones or computers, a tendency to leave rather obvious signs of his passage (like claw-marks on pavements and carpets) and him being very easily distracted by food.

Ah, food. Once you have read Baking Bad, you will never, ever complain about one of George R.R. Martin's feast descriptions again. The book is positively awash in scones, biscuits and flapjacks. Tense moments of putting clues together happen as the character exerts equal attention on their banana bread. Moments of existential terror as the dragons risk discovery and possible destruction whilst also pondering the greatness of the Victoria sponge. Moments of high drama take place over the distribution of lemon drizzle. The food descriptions in the book are accomplished and, frankly, obscene. I heavily advise against reading this book within temporal proximity of a trip to the supermarket or an English cafe because there is a nontrivial chance of putting on ten pounds per chapter.

The book is relatively short (at 280 pages in paperback, though with a lengthy appendix featuring baking recipes) and a fast read. The characterisation is fine, and the author canny enough to leave room for more development on the table (Alice Martin gets a background mystery that I'm assuming will be developed in later books in the series, although this is very much a stand-alone volume). The worldbuilding about the dragons is a bit lacking - considering they're a key selling point of the book, the dragons are lower-key than you'd expect - and the prose can get a bit other enthusiastic, especially at the start of the novel where scenes and moments are exactingly over-described. After about fifty pages, though the prose calms down and the rest of the novel is more accomplished. As a short, focused novel it's a fast read, albeit one littered with baked good descriptions like cholesterol landmines, which some readers might find annoying and others find actively dangerous.

If you've ever wanted to read a mash-up of Hot Fuzz, The Great British Bake-Off, Midsomer Murders, and freaking dragons, this will hit that weirdly specific spot. The literary equivalent of cotton candy - or, more appropriately, chocolate sponge cake - the book is a fun, disposable read, but one that poses a definitive threat to your waistline. Tread carefully. Baking Bad: A Beaufort Scales Mystery (***½) is available now in the UK and USA.

[Siv30 · Rating 2 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/baki...

[C. Richter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Strange Book. Adding Dragons didn't Help.

This is a strange book. I wasn't sure if I even liked it very much; the pacing just seemed so plodding & slow ... and the story was pretty boring, to be honest. It relied heavily on "quirky" characters that weren't very interesting or fun. Definitely not funny. Had a good bit of unnecessary cursing in it, too.

"But there were dragons?!" Yes, there were dragons. Very human acting dragons that liked tea & cake, could read English, hang out with batty old ladies, growl every now & then, and understood technology far better than I do. But it wasn't a cool or clever thing that they acted so human & un-dragonlike. They seemed more like talking dogs. I was pretty disappointed.

I think the book summary's emphasis on "dragons" & the book being "funny" left me expecting a very different book from the one I read. I expected something lighter, more fanciful & clever. In my opinion, it missed the mark. I gave it 2 stars.

[Shatterlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such fun, it’s not really about the mystery it’s about the characters and their friendship. And there’s lots of tea and cake which is always a bonus.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute and introduces a fun community of people and dragons. I kinda wish there were more dragons. Sometimes a bit too frenetic, but I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 1 in the "Beaufort Scales Mystery" There is a village and baked goods and a vicar and women of a certain age and hapless police officers and also dragons. This was my first time reading this author I loved her description of the village and the people in it. The story started in the middle of the relationship between the dragons and the Women's Institute. This was a funny cozy mystery with Dragon shifters. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Lucy Grassick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WISH I could give this a 4.7 or something because it's nearly perfect, drags on a teeeeeeeny bit but omfg this is such a cute cosy read 😭 dragons, baking, murder and a cute little village, you really don't need anymore than that. Gives very much Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking vibes but more cosy.

[Elspeth Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a charming read. Lively, sharply observed, and it has recipes!

[OldBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part cosy mystery, part fantasy, all good old fashion Great British Bake Off fun. As a fantasy reader, I didn't find this quite as established as I'd normally look for, but if you are a fan of the slower sleuthing novels and don't mind a dash of the unreal, there's plenty here to love.

In this first outing we meet Beaufort Scales, Lord of the Clovery Dragons, and his nervous partner in all things human, Mortimer. They used to live a quiet, isolated life with their enclave in the Yorkshire Dales until they decided to Get Involved with the outside world. Luckily, the humans they first met are the Women's Institute of Toots Hansell, and they're much more interested in feeding them freshly baked scones than screaming and waving pitchforks. Sort-of psychic Miriam and WI leader Alice are their friends, and all is well... Until the vicar is killed with a poisoned cupcake. DI Adams, the not quite hard bitten but getting there police detective, can't help but suspect that there's something fishy going on with the WI ladies. I mean, who else goes around giving out baked goods? Worried that their friend will get the blame, Beaufort and co. get to work to find out just who would want the vicar dead and the WI top of the list of suspects.

This is a cute, slightly humorous story which mashes up the usual cosy mystery formula (the Ladies of a Certain Age plus Baking variant) with some comedy-fantasy dragons that occasionally reminded me of Terry Pratchett characters. There are knowing social and pop culture references and little winks to the reader that can prompt a wry smile or two. It might be solving a murder case, but I loved the irreverence of it all. It's also more of a rural fantasy rather than an urban fantasy; a much slower pace of life is set in the fictional Yorkshire Dales village.

What was missing for me were a few things that I often come across as absent from cosy mysteries: descriptions, world building/history, and "the big reveal". There are quite a few characters, both human and draconic, and for most of the early part of the book I had no way of visualising them. The WI ladies in particular, being so many, remained just names until much later on. I wasn't 100% sure what dragons looked like in the world either until later when they're described as being able to change colour at will (well, mostly). The other quibble was with the whole setup of the ladies being friends with the dragons. We don't get that little history of how the situation came to be or why the WI know of and are fine with there being dog-sized dragons around. I'd have loved a little prologue of "When Miriam Met Mortimer" (an occasion of much screaming on both parts is my guess!) in more detail than the brief recap we got, plus a little more background on the dragons themselves and how they fit into the world. I felt like I was missing something even though I'd read the short story prequels, like I was being thrown into an existing series rather than starting afresh. Lastly, that big reveal moment. It didn't quite hit the mark for me because we didn't even know the restaurant guy existed beyond a throwaway comment from early on, so without knowing about the fete situation beforehand there wasn't any of that "aha!" satisfaction of having been able to put the puzzle together ourselves. Though, sorry, it was obvious it was the "BestBakerBoy" because why would an old dodgy associate kill via a cake? I didn't get why they spent so long looking at the others and insisting it couldn't be him just because.

But the characters we do get, if you cast aside those niggles, are fluffy and wholesome fun. Basically in my head Beaufort has the voice of Sir Patrick Stewart (well spoken, touch of Yorkshire) and his escapades with the anxiety inducing Mortimer were stupidly fun. Miriam... Well, her scatterbrained habits could get a tiny bit frustrating and I didn't always get a handle on her character. My favourite POVs were Alice and DI Adams because I preferred their semi-serious tone and all those little hints at their respective pasts.

It's a satisfying little story full of quirky British humour and unusual fantasy elements that come together well in the end. While it wraps up nicely, there are character-related threads left hanging to lure you further into the countryside capers that are sure to come. I may whine as a fantasy fan about little things not quite gelling for me, but if you're fine with it being as light and bubbly as a well aerated scone (with lashings of cream, of course) then it's a fun little world that's been created and one that'll leave you hungry for more.

(And cake. But there's a recipe section at the end to help out there!)

[Tani Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a book of this sort; that is to say a book involving an English village and dragons both. I've read plenty of the former (Agatha Christie, Austen, etc.) and the latter (Tolkien, Martin, etc.), but never both together, you know? As far as the first, there were definite shades of Miss Marple and St. Mary Mead, but the dragons were definitely more like cute and clever talking dogs, clumsy and loyal, devoted and hyper aware of the auras and atmospheric energy that lingers around objects, people and locations.
The author has a deft touch with descriptive prose, and the English countryside comes to life with her words and colorful vocabulary. In addition, her knowledge of all things culinary with regard to baking and baked goods shone through loud and clear with her mouth-watering descriptions of cakes, cookies (biscuits), scones, and the like.
What I liked: The setting, the personalities of the characters, the vignettes, the dialogue, the interactions. The set up of the dragons was very clever, and the world the author created in which both humans and dragons existed was very believable. It made sense that those who believed could, and those who didn't merely had watery eyes and "allergies." A scratch from a dragon claw looked like a knife slice, a fallen dragon claw looked like a particularly beautiful guitar pick, get it?
The way the gardens were written gave insight to the owners of said gardens, and made you feel like you were there, snagging your clothes on the thorns, crushing the mint underfoot, smelling the lavender, it was a lovely mental voyage, every time.
Things I wish were different: The depth of the plot, the development of the characters, the introduction of the characters. I've listed a few things, but they're all indicative of the same thing, I think. Starting from the beginning, I felt like too many characters were introduced too quickly, and I was confused for a bit trying to keep them straight; too many old ladies all at once, you know? I got them straight eventually. And they all seemed interesting, but I didn't get enough about them, even by the end of the book. And just when I thought the plot would go deeper re the mystery, everything was resolved and the book was over. It was like I was going down some fun and interesting stairs into a spooky space, and just when it was getting really fun and dark and spooky and I thought I was going to the most interesting part of the stairs, I tripped up and came to the bottom. I thought there would be more. And part of this could also be because I was reading on a Kindle, so I was looking at the percent read thingy, and I had so much left, but there was a huge recipe section, which had nothing to do with the story. I mean, that's fine and really fun, but a bit disappointing if you're expecting more plot. If I'd been reading a paperback, I would've seen this and known what to expect. So this was my fault, perhaps.
In conclusion: I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for something fun and fluffy to curl up with on a cold evening with a cup of tea and a scone, fire roaring, dogs (and dragons) next to you on the hearth, for a bit of escapism to the beautiful countryside of England. It won't scare you or anything, but it will make you laugh, and it might make you want to bake a lemon drizzle cake.

[Manjari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute delight of a charming and silly (in the best way) English countryside murder mystery (with dragons and many wonderful women of a certain age)! I will admit, it took a little while longer than I’d hoped for it to really grab hold of me, but eventually it certainly did so, and I was completely riveted by the time we started building towards the wildly entertaining climax. The mystery itself wasn’t terribly mysterious, and I found it was pretty obvious from extremely early on, but the journey along with these hilarious and wonderful characters through any number of mishaps and hysterics to get to the conclusion is so fabulous that it doesn’t even matter if you already know whodunnit (which really is a testament to how great and fun the writing is). I’m very excited to jump into the next one!

[Daydreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baking bad:
An atmospheric read for everyone who loves dragons, mystery and cake.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4,5/5 stars

Synopsis:
Toot Hansell is a tranquil village, until the vicar is murdered. Two women from the Women’s Institute try to find out what happened, since they do not trust the Detective. And since their friends could be in danger, it’s the duty of the dragons, Beaufort and Mortimer, to help them.

My thoughts:
The story is lovely and entertaining. Some scenes are truly chaotic, others more predictable. The ending doesn’t come in such a big twist, but then again, I’m not here for an awful lot of suspense and thriller vibes. I wanted to read on and see what happens next, which kind of disasters would be brought upon the women by the dragons this time. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The dragons are wonderful. Slightly clueless when it comes to human interactions, but so adorable! They both have distinct personalities and love cake and tea. How could one dislike that?
Miriam and Alice are both entertaining as well, though I would have liked to know more about Alice’s husband and Miriam family. I mean, she has to have some?
And the detective is lovely as well. I was so happy to see the end, which entailed exactly what I wished for!

I love the quarrel between the dragons and between the detective and the ladies.
Toot Hansell is shown in such a lovely way that I just wanted to pack my bag and go there for vacation. Seriously, it sounds like a tiny paradise.

I could imagine the village so well, as if I’m walking through it. I love the descriptions and how tranquil it sounds. I was drawn into the story and constantly worried about the dragons (being seen or getting hurt) and couldn’t wait to see whether the Detective finally sees them or not. This book made me laugh out loud several times, and that doesn’t happen often!

Most importantly, this book contains several RECIPES! And they’re written in such a cute way that I, the person who likes baking the least in our family, want to get into the kitchen and try them out! I’ll give them to my sister instead, that’s safer! But still…
Maybe I’ll edit this review when we tried out some of the cakes!

So, all in all, this book gets four and a half stars. I’m seriously thinking of upping it to five, but I’m not sure yet….

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little mystery. I enjoyed all of the characters and their particular personalities. I would recommend this book to readers who also liked the Flavia de Luce series.

[Meena · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful romp from this talented new author! Toot Hansell is a storybook English village, full of endearing, quirky characters. When the vicar is found dead, the members of the Women’s Institute are suspected. Detective Inspector Adams knows that there is more going on than it appears, and is determined to solve the mystery(s). The Cloverly dragons are determined to help their friends Alice and Miriam find the real culprit and clear their names. Lots can go wrong, and it does, with plenty of tea and cake breaks along the way. Exactly the refreshing escape from reality I needed, and I was entertained from beginning to end. Can’t wait now for the next in this fun new series.

[Susan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in the series, bought all the rest immediately and am now starting number 3. This is a brilliant read, well written, thoughtful, extremely funny in places and a delightful feast for the imagination.

[Sasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the rare moments, where I finish reading a book, with a literal smile on my face because of how incredibly cozy it felt.

I have my own blog now, so please do pay it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

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I knew that I always liked mystery as a genre, and I've been using a brilliant Belgian detective as my palate cleanser for a long while in this year. However, I found that his series needs a little more spacing in between to be enjoyed in full and I started looking elsewhere for a bit of a change. Enter cozy mysteries, which is a sub-genre I stumbled upon without really trying to.

I haven't tried out many just yet, this is the third one, but I'm almost totally convinced that I will enjoy this sub-genre a lot. Especially if, there are fantastical elements to enjoy along the way as well.

Despite the somewhat seriousness of the situation, this book can be described as anything but. Kim M. Watt has a really great way of describing the village and the daily life of its inhabitants, even when they are done in snippets. I truly felt at times, that I was sitting between the members of the Women's Institute, while the mystery is trying to be solved. Walking down the street, enjoying baked goods and tea or just listening to the gossipy nature of older ladies.

What enables her to do this to a bigger degree, in my humble opinion, is the characters. Using multiple point of views made it even better, because it's not the only human side of the world that I got to see in it. Alice and Miriam for instance belong to the Women's Institute of the village of Toot Hansell, where they are basically a "controlled chaos" sort of institute and were my main source of comedic moments.

That's of course, without forgetting the dragons with Beaufort and Mortimer who are in the same vein as those ladies, while facing issues of their own in their community. This friendship between the mundane and the mythical was truly, the highlight of the book. Other than the comedic moments, there are more than enough tender moments and care to really make it feel like a deeply nestled friendship between species, which I personally could not get enough of.

The final point of view was D. I. Adams, who is literally just there to do her job, but will be swept away by the craziness of those in the village. She brings the more grounded outlook in the series, but she's also got this dry humour thing going on that I enjoyed a lot, especially in her monologues. Trying to figure out the strangeness of that part of their world, was also an interesting experience for both of us.

The reason I'm focusing on the character side and the setting, more so than the murder and its mystery is because it's both the focus and isn't really the focus of the book. To make that clearer, I have come to realize that in a cozy mystery, the solving is actually secondary and I'm not really required to use my "grey cells" to solve it before the characters. Like myself, they are dealing with missing information, but unlike myself, they have the advantage of being in the world and therefore, their pool of information is a lot bigger than mine.

That's totally fine.

I'm still enjoying myself regardless, I'm still trying to solve the mystery and I'm so glad that there are a few books to enjoy in the series at my leisure. It's fun, it's cozy and I truly can't to see what they're up to in Yule be Sorry! Just from the synopsis, it's going to be even crazier than this one was!

[T.L. Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cosy mystery with WI and dragons? One-click buy!!
My hopes were high and I was delighted by what I read.

More tea, vicar? He may regret that!
When the quiet 'new' vicar meets his demise, all fingers point towards the Women's Institute (WI). Well, their chair, Alice, isn't about to take that lying down, thank you very much.

Miriam and her cohorts, Beaufort and Mortimer, who just so happen to be Cloverly dragons, get roped in. Beaufort is eager to clear the name of his friends. The other two are more reluctant to interfere.

Enter in a whole heap of whimsical British country life (set not far from Leeds in fictional Toot Hansell).
Chaos rules throughout, but what else would you expect with boisterous dogs and dragons running amuck?

There is plenty of cake and gallons of tea, of course.

I just love this story. It's fun, well-written, farce, and just what this reader needed to lift her spirits.
There are a few recipes in the back of the book too - bonus!
If you like cosy mysteries, you'll love this.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 bk 270. This was such an unexpected fun book to enjoy. Somehow, what I thought it was (fantasy) turned into a cozy mystery involving the Woman's Institute in a Yorkshire Dales village. What keeps this from being a straight mystery is the introduction of village dragons - not the great big huge things with vast hoards of gold, but ones about the size of Great Dane dogs with varying personalities. These are not house pets - more like human intelligence in dragon body and very, very old. When the local vicar is poisoned and the W.I. is suspected, two of the dragons step in to help the W.I. leaders and the local police solve the mystery. There were laugh out loud scenes that caught me unaware, a trip in a deluge of rain that left me feeling the damp from the descriptive writing, and lots of mention of cakes and sweets. Beware, you might gain weight reading this - certainly you will if you bake all of the goodie recipes at the end of the book. Fun read and I've already ordered more in the series.