Changing Fortune Cookies

Auntie Clem's Bakery #14

by P.D. Workman

From USA Today Bestselling Author, P.D. Workman!

Fortune Cookies Favor the Bold

The baker turned sleuth is hard at work once more, trying to run her business while at the same time tracking down a missing boy. Is he missing by his own choice, as the police suggest, or has he been kidnapped and held against his will?

The clues are all there, but can Erin decipher them before it is too late?

***** The author has the ability to pull you into her story and keep you firmly rooted there until the end. Her characters are interest and have depth. She isn't afraid to explore the areas of our society that many would rather sweep under the rug.

Like baking mysteries? Cats, dogs, and other pets? Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman brings readers back to small town Bald Eagle Falls for another culinary cozy mystery to be solved by gluten-free baker Erin Price and her friends.

Have your gluten-free cake and eat it too. Sink your teeth into this sweet treat now!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2021

About the author

Award-winning Canadian author P.D. Workman has written over a hundred addictive page-turners featuring diverse and divergent sleuths, high-stakes investigations, and stories that linger long after the last page. Her books dive deep into characters’ minds while exploring timely social issues through fast-paced, emotionally charged plots. Readers praise her work for its powerful emotional truth combined with unputdownable suspense.

Shunning sleep, when Workman is not writing, formatting, or marketing, she’s probably running, reading, or spending time with her family.

Check out her catalogue at pdworkman.com to start your next page-turner and sign up for news and special deals.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story to make your day. A baker turned sleuth as well. I definitely enjoyed the action.

[Bonnye Reed]

Author gift

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amateur sleuth Erin Price does it again in the latest book in the AUNTIE CLEM'S BAKERY MYSTERY series, CHANGING FORTUNE COOKIES. When a young teen goes missing and the police and others believe he's just run away or disappeared for a while, Erin takes matters into her own hands against the advice of her local policeman boyfriend, Terry. Deep down she knows there's a criminal aspect to the case and begins to piece the clues together that only she can see. Will it be for naught or will a criminal be in the police crosshairs once again, eventually?

There's a nice flow to the story and we're reunited with many of the characters we've met before. Once again set in Tennessee there are references to past cases and activities. There's bad blood between Erin and the missing teen, Josh's mother. But also between Erin and a bakery customer since she feels Erin was the reason her young son, Peter, was interrogated by the police in a previous case. The story has a lot of twists and turns and lots of information related to the missing teen. There was nice closure when the whodunnit was solved and life for Erin seems to get back to normal but I'm sure that's only until a next case presents itself to her. In the back of the book there was a preview of the fifteenth and next book in the series, HOT ON THE TRAIL MIX, which only whet my appetite for more.

I've enjoyed the books I've read by Ms. Workman in several of her series but have a lot of catching up to do since I haven't started with the first book in any of the series. I hope to rectify that eventually. Give her books a try if you like cozy mysteries.

[Roger]

Changing Fortune Cookies (Auntie Clem's Bakery #14), my twenty-ninth read from author P.D. Workman. Extremely well written as are all of P.D. Workman’s books, the characters well developed. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book in this the fourteenth book of the series you already know the characters and can appreciate their continued growth as well as the continued growth & development of the community & setting. So many things from the first well-written books now make even more sense. I look forward to P.D. Workman’s next book. “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Disney14604 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to read a mystery that you cannot figure out till the end? This is one of those. Fortune cookies with bad omens? How does that happen?

A young responsible teenager goes missing. A note says to ask Erin. However, every one but Erin and the boy's mother believe he is not missing. This mother is still angry with Erin (previous books), and so are other people.

Lots of things happening and don't want to give the story away.

Wonderful is how Chinese fortune cookies (an American invention) are made. Worth reading just for that.

So wonderful addition to series. Standalone yes since just enough information from previous stories to give you idea of why.

This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

P.D. Workman has out done herself! Changing Fortune Cookies is even better than the last one! After the cooking competition was over, Joshua had an article published in the local newspaper. His mother Mary Lou finds the article cut out of her paper, a sticky note implicating Erin, and Joshua is missing without a trace. Even though Terry, Erin's boyfriend and a local policeman, tries to keep her out of it, Erin can't help but try to figure out what happened to Joshua and bring him back home. You will love all the charming characters from the little Tennessee town of Bald Eagle Falls. When you start reading this one you won't want to put it down until you find out what happens! Would highly recommend this one!

[mary arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I read by this author keeps me turning the pages. As usual, I cannot figure out who took Joshua, or what the motive might be. He’s a teen trying to learn how to interview...Then he just disappears. Erin has taken over Auntie Clem’s Bakery after her death, making baked goods for the small town. She has added gluten free products especially for Peter, a young boy who adores her for making cookies that he can eat. Erin is dating one of the local law officers but they butt heads when she gets herself into danger by following her nose about a case. Such a fully developed mystery with so many interesting characters!

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy the books on the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series, and this one was no exception! In this one a teenage boy, Joshua, is missing and then presumed to be kidnapped. But there’s no ransom demand, and the few clues all seem to point to Erin - even if no one can figure how or who left them! Of, course Erin feels somehow responsible and starts investigating with Vic’s help. This is one mystery I really couldn’t figure out (and the police were having trouble deciphering it also)! I am on the ARC team and love getting the books a little early, but my review is entirely voluntary.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting story. There is lots going on in the community of Bald Eagle Falls and Whitewater Junction, and now there is a missing teenager. Did he just go off by himself, and if so, for what reason. The story is devoted to exploring all of the possibilities, with one person having the best instincts about it. Her perseverance pays off, but there is a lot of drama in between. Be prepared for a lot of friction among different people, with questions and suspicions. You need to have a lot of patience with this book.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A local teenager is missing. But, is foul play involved or is he just out having fun? Erin won’t rest until he returns safely home. As expected of Ms. Workman, this gripping tale is brilliantly crafted with a great plot and believable characters. I had to put it down occasionally, but didn’t want to. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Sharon M. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erin wins again!

Erin has been busy working in her bakery and trying to get Terry back into shape offer his last ordeal with the Police Department. When young Joshua disappears without any warning she knows that he didn't just run away like most people thought. She begins to put clues together but will enough people believe her, especially Terry.

[Carol Hatch · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst

I made it to 30% before I could go no further. Nothing made sense. Characters appeared out of nowhere, references from the past made no sense and the storyline, if it even existed, was convoluted. I have no idea why any reader liked this let alone rated it five stars.

[Dorothy Timm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely NOT a stand-alone book! There were so many mentions of events that must have happened in previous books. And although I like books that get "into the action" right away, not spending lots of time setting everything up, the beginning of this book made me wonder if I'd come in half way thru, like there was an introductory chapter I'd missed.

[Jennifer Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

This series of books just keep getting better. The mysteries keep getting better and the very twists and turns the plot takes us through kept me turning the pages. Just couldn’t put this book down

[Kandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in this series. It had me holding my breath at times. Great characters and storyline.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely Binge-worthy❣️
Wow‼️Just keeps getting better and better ‼️
Very anxious to read more . . .
Next please⁉️ More and more difficult to put down . . .

[claudette anuszczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading enjoyed very much would recommend it very much

[Catherine Nightlinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting!

This story will keep you reading late in to the night to see what happens next. It has a great plot and unexpected ending.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing teens, attempted sabotage. Are they being done by the same person or different people? Book 14. Loving this series.

[CarolSBennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book every much. The characters were quite believable & very entertaining. Enjoyed her search for Josh with all it's twists & turns.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

💥 My nerves are frazzled!

I love this series and always look forward to another adventure with Erin, Terry and K9, but this one blew me away. A local teen, Joshua, goes missing and Erin, as usual, cannot sit idly by waiting for the police to decide if it is an actual abduction or just a case of a teenager running off for a bit of fun. I will not offer any spoilers but I do want to prepare you for the emotional wringer you will go through as this exceptionally tense and suspenseful tale unfolds. I do not think Erin always makes the best decisions but her heart is always in the right place and she always steps up to help – even when those around her turn on her. I found this addition to the series to be outstanding not only in the basic premise, but in the way the author cultivates the tension of the story by having several characters facing different stressful challenges (ex. the missing teen whose future is uncertain, a mother whose child inexplicably disappears one night, a young man with a “shady” past that is worried if any of the current events are somehow related to his past acquaintances, a police officer dealing with PTSD which limits his ability to function as he once did, a pregnant woman on bedrest who has difficulty watching over her other young children as she awaits her due date, and, of course, Erin, who feels responsible for taking care of all of them – while running her business). This is an intense story for a cozy mystery but it is well worth your time. I can’t wait for another adventure in Bald Eagle Falls. ❤️

I was provided with an advance copy of this book but I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.