A Brunch With Death: A Bakeshop Mystery Short Collaboration

Bakeshop Mystery #13.25

by Ellie Alexander

Fall has painted Ashland, Oregon, with a brush of jewel tones. Everyone's favorite artistic director, Lance, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is in a sparkling mood. Things are winding down at the theater, and he's already planning a spectacular lineup for next season. There's only one problem–cash. Lance's lavish productions don't come cheap. So when the dreaded Richard Lord, owner of the Merry Windsor Hotel, approaches Lance about partnering for an upcoming brunch show, Lance can't turn him down.

Shakespearean kitsch and stale muffins aren't exactly Lance's forte, but he can't pass up an offer to fill the coffers. It's just brunch, after all. It can't be that bad. Can it?

It turns out that brunch is the yeast of Lance's worries. There are far too many cooks in the kitchen, including Richard's secret girlfriend. When the hotel's surly French chef ends up face down in the brunch feast, Lance must convince Juliet, baker extraordinaire, to piece together the clues with him. If they can't craft a recipe to solve this crime, they may end up next on the menu when it comes to murder.

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A Brunch With Death, a short cozy mystery spin-off of Ellie’s best-selling Bakeshop Mystery Series, is the culmination of a three-month collaboration. Ellie wrote A Brunch With Death with input from Team Torte—her crew of amazing readers. Each week readers suggested a variety of scenarios regarding what should happen next and voted on the potential outcomes to help guide the plot.

To participate in Ellie's next cozy mystery collaboration follow her on Facebook and join her Collaborative Cozy Mysteries Group to be part of the fun.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Contemporary, Cozy, Novella, Fiction, Adult Fiction

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2021

About the author

Ellie is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over forty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.

Find out more about Ellie and her books by visiting her website at: http://www.elliealexander.co/ or following her on social media—
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_alexa...
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliealexande...
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/elliealexande...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliealexand...
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https://www.pinterest.com/elliealexan...

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🤓

This kindle ebook novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account

Lance is sent to the hotel to talk about a play. There is a party and the chef is murdered. They continue to investigate the case leading to the truth and arrest.

I would recommend this novella and author to readers of family and friends relationships mystery novels 🏡😉 2025 🎉🙄

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the nice things that happened during the lockdown was this really fun collaboration that Ms. Alexander made with her readers.. I had like 3 winning choices out of all the options we had to make, but the anticipation and a the high of getting to participate in a book production was worth it. Lance was not even my choice lead, but I will now look at him in a new light.

[Taylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute and I loved having Lance as the POV.

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. It was so much fun to have Lance as the narrator. Best of all, NO CARLOS! My only complaint was that I felt the ending was a little rushed. I know this was intended as a short, short, but I would have liked more detail about the killer's motive. Well done, Team Torte! Those bacon cheddar scones sound delicious. I might actually try this recipe. The French toast cinnamon rolls also sound tempting except for the maple syrup. I wonder if honey or agave syrup would work as a substitute.

[Nana Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I love my trips to Ashland and this book didn’t disappoint. It had great food, beloved or disliked😂 characters. The mystery was great and I would’ve never guessed that I would be feeling sorry for one of the characters that is not nice! I hope there will be more of these!

[K.c. Buell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lance is a star

I love that this collab brings another character to the forefront! Lance has always been on of my favorites. I loved the plot line, simple but not overly simple. Beautifully crafted.

[Lori Hendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, written from Lance's perspective! A great short story with a mystery to solve where Lance takes the lead but still filled with the characters from the Bakeshop series!!! A true delight!

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how fantastic! I'm so sad this is only available as an eBook, I really wanted this in paperback for my collection! This is told from Lance's point of view and is as cosy and delicious as all the other Bakeshop Mysteries books The bacon cheddar scones especially sound so incredible. I loved it.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book out of sequence so it seemed like I was reading ahead but I loved the story line and it kept me guessing till the end. I love the characters and liked this time it wasn't from the viewpoint of Jules. A fun quick read that has some great characters and a well written story line.

[Susan A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story mystery

Using Lance, the artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre, Alexander weaves a quick murder mystery that includes some usual characters and introduces a new young chef. Fun and provides a quick puzzle to ponder.

[Patricia Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such A Fun Read

This book was written during Covid by Ellie Alexander and several of her fans online. The chapters are the same, except it is written from Lances Perspective.
I found it very enjoyable and would love to have more books written like this!

Great read! Enjoy!

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Brunch with Death by Ellie Alexander is a short story in the Bakeshop Mystery series. Told by Lance, who is hired by Richard Lord, to stage a brunch show at the Merry Windsor, only to have the plans halted when the head chef is poisoned during discussions. A short, fun and entertaining story.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is narrated not by Jules, but by Lance. Not surprisingly it is a bit over-the-top. Budget constraints are forcing Lance to accept an offer from Richard Lord of all people. But their collaboration is marred by death.

[Jennifer Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encore!

I loved this short read! I love this series and any time to return to Ashland is a win for me. What a cute COLLABORATIVE read from Ellie and her biggest fans!!

[Cindy Pendergraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the lucky ones that collaborated on this short story. It was so much fun and the story came out great.

[Michelle Spano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly love these books. I read them often just Because they're fun and easy to read. This one is super short. Nice for an interim read between longer more indepth books.

[Sarah Imbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read!! Love it being told from Lance's view for a change but Juliet is still involved. The recipes shared at the end are fun and tasty.

[Carol Greer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not enjoyable

Actions not those of the characters as I know them. Didn't enjoy the unbelievable storyline. Characters would not act like this in regular stories.

[Linda Kleback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Torte Story

This story is a quick read from Lance's point of view. Other characters also appear. I enjoyed it very much.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ellie Alexander’s mysteries and this short story is no different. I always love her reveals and how many twists end up happening. By far my favorite cozy mystery writer!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t nearly as good as Ellie Alexander’s writing, but it was a fun story that came out of a pandemic project.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting to know Lance

This time we have Lance’s version and it was different but still had The Professor and Juliet. There is a murder and a mystery to solve.

[Amber | backinthebookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun addition to the Bakeshop mysteries! I loved getting Lance’s POV, and even seeing a kinder side to Richard. Short and sweet and filled with delicious recipes (no surprise there).

[Mylie McKissack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this one was from Lance’s point of view.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series! And a collaboration with fans makes this the even more special. The story through Lance’s point of view was a nice touch but I did get confused every single time Jules was in the story and it wasn’t from her point of view (but I’m always easily confused). Great mystery that kept me guessing as to the why.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun change of characters with Lance as the lead in this short cooperatively written offshoot of the Bakeshop Mysteries. And the recipes are good.