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Laughing Loaf Bakery #1

Drop Dead Bread: A Laughing Loaf Bakery Mystery

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At The Laughing Loaf Bakery in the California redwoods, the menu includes sourdough, cinnamon rolls--and murder.One day Gracie Markley is a happily married tech manager in Seattle. The next day, she turns in her husband to the FBI for selling tech secrets and her life is changed forever. Under the witness protection program, Gracie, her dog Biga, and her absent-minded professor father are relocated to the small town of River Grove in the Northern California redwoods. Leaving her tech past behind, Gracie starts The Laughing Loaf Bakery and intends to keep a low profile in her new town—until a male model ends up dead behind her bakery. To keep her business and her new life in River Grove, Gracie and her little dog Biga must find out who killed the gorgeous Nico Behrens. Includes recipes from The Laughing Loaf Bakery!

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2022

328 people are currently reading
309 people want to read

About the author

Victoria Kazarian

19 books25 followers

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5 stars
303 (55%)
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178 (32%)
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57 (10%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Tari.
3,633 reviews103 followers
March 9, 2023
It didn't take very long for me to realize this was gonna be another favorite culinary cozy of mine! I couldn't wait to grab the second one off KU the minute I finished this. Gracie and her dad's whole story was intriguing to begin with since they were in witness protection, so they had to be a little careful of falling for someone which looks like it might be kinda hard...for both of them.

I got a kick out of the mysterious character of Reggie. Somehow he made me think of the old Johnny Fever DJ character on that old, fun sitcom set in Cincinnati ;) Beck was an awesome assistant for Gracie and really kept her grounded sometimes. I was super surprised at the whodunit! Hadn't even come close to suspecting! On to read the next book!

Profile Image for Angie Boyter.
2,321 reviews96 followers
September 9, 2025
I needed a break from a very busy week and also from my serious Sunday Philosophers book for this month!! How could I resist a cover like this one?
The book lived up to expectations and delivered a wonderful small-town mystery with nice touches like the fun Laughing Loaf Jokes of the Day .
Some of the plot points and a few other elements were overdone, but I plan to check out the next book in the series the next time I want some relaxing entertainment.
WARNING: This book might be dangerous for your waistline. The frequent discussion of the baked goods really provoked an urge to visit my own local bakery!
738 reviews5 followers
August 15, 2025
This series starter gets right to business as a cozy mystery with a touch of thriller due to Gracie Markley and her dad being participants in the WITSEC program, as in witness protection. The small and cozy town of River Grove seemed like the perfect place to relocate and start a new and different business. It was looking like a place where Gracie and her dad could reestablish roots. After a year they can breathe a little easier. During that one year, Gracie has been able to successfully launch a bakery business called the Laughing Loaf which is quite different from the tech job she left when she turned her tech secret selling husband in to the Feds.

All is quiet in the cozy town and Gracie has settled into the life of a baker and according to Beck, her young and aspiring baker, Gracie is no longer the newest resident. Unfortunately, one of those new neighbors is the victim and the other one, is a not so neighborly. Former male model Nico Behrens is found dead on the bakery’s back doorstep with one hand reaching into the doorway. If Gracie wasn’t traumatized enough, she also gets to contend with nature photographer, Nate, the victim’s brother who in his grief decides to file a suit against Gracie claiming that it is her worn steps that led to a fall that caused the death. As members of the WITSEC program, the last thing that Gracie and her dad need is any sort of press coverage local or national due to the homicide. So of course, she is going to need to figure out who did the deadly deed.

Gracie has a great friend and co-worker support system even though it is small (it will get bigger) and while the Sheriff doesn't want her involving herself in his investigation, he still shows her respect for the clues she finds. I for one respect her taste in music since she often turns up the 80s/90s tunes while mixing, kneading, prepping the dough for those incredible baked goods. The playlist can be found at the back of the book. Gracie is a sweetheart of a character, very relatable and she doesn't seem to make those rash mistakes like asking too many pointed questions. I can see why this series has so many books. It could also be because of the great recipes included at the back of the books. The series starter provides you with Gracie's Basic Scone recipe and it is always good to have a basic scone recipe that can be served with homemade preserves. This recipe was easy to follow, turned out so good that you don't even need preserves or lemon curd to enjoy.

This story was every bit as enjoyable as the scones. I did not guess the villain until the reveal and it held my attention the entire time. I look forward to reading the additional stories and seeing how the characters develop throughout the series.

330 reviews1 follower
August 7, 2023
Loved this book.

Gracie is a former techie from Seattle but is now a baker in California. Because of her ex-husband's greed and extremely bad choices, she and her father are in witness protection. Gracie's description of her breads and rolls really spoke to me, "Bread, with a pat of good butter, is the ultimate comfort food. No one can tell me otherwise". Gracie has a real love of baking that comes across in everything she says when talking about her bakery, and from one carbaholic to another, she got my devoted attention right there. I could also live on fresh warm bread and butter. I got hooked on the story immediately, which I love because I know I'm going to want to keep reading and I'm going to be excited to find out what happens. I liked Gracie immediately. I loved her little dog, Biga. The author made them come alive for me and I could almost imagine being right there with them as the story unfolds. When a "drop-dead" gorgeous male model does drop dead in the back door of her bakery, Gracie really tries to stay out of it because she doesn't want to end up on the 6 o'clock news. Circumstances don't seem to care and she is forced to look into the murder to protect herself from a lawsuit that will hurt her livelihood and her chances of being able to stay living in the little town she's grown to love. I really liked the people in this story. Gracie is a kind, honest, moral and thoughtful person. She tries to see the best in everyone, even if they don't seem to deserve it at the time. I like her dad and I like her dog. I think I've found an author that I can really enjoy, which makes me feel like I've won a prize. I do plan to read the next book in this series.
Profile Image for HAL.
425 reviews3 followers
May 27, 2023
A Wonderful Cozy Mystery!

This checks many boxes for great entertainment. I loved the characters and the beginnings of being fleshed-out. That leaves more to look forward to in the next book. Another check for the moral compass - A theft, no matter what the motive, still has consequences. Also, the dialogue and circumstances were not too cutesy but more realistic. Cozies are not my first choice of mystery reading but I did enjoy this one. The recipes at the end look great, too!
Profile Image for dnsyl57.
596 reviews12 followers
April 18, 2025
"Drop Dead Bread" is book #1 in the "Laughing Loaf Bakery Mystery" by Victoria Kazarian.

When I came across the blurb for this series, it sounded just too good to resist! A former Seattle tech manager turns in her husband to the FBI for selling tech secrets then she, her dog and her dad go into witness protection and they move to a small town in northern California. She opens the "Laughing Loaf Bakery" and things are going well until a male model is found dead at the back door of her bakery. Was this an accident or a murder? Who wanted him dead and is there any connection to her former life?

The various core characters are well drawn out - with lots of room to learn more as they evolve and interact with others. The dialogue felt realistic. Gracie is rightfully cautious in her actions but also knows she has to be proactive to protect herself, her dad and her business. Along with finding the body, there are numerous people that Gracie is still getting to know in her new town. It's a balancing act but she has her dog, her dad and a good friend to help her get through it. As for suspects, that was going to take some very careful sleuthing even though the police were working the case.

Subplots with other characters give more insight to the workings of the town and its people. I honestly wasn't sure who was responsible but getting to the truth was a fun read.

Ms. Kazarian crafted a wonderful bunch of characters, a beautiful setting, added a murder, some intrigue, then tossed in some mouth watering descriptions of baked goods and sprinkled it all with a bit of humour to serve up a delicious first in series! I will definitely be reading more of this series!

A thoroughly entertaining cozy mystery!
Profile Image for Spinneretta.
2,851 reviews20 followers
February 1, 2024
Good

In Witness Protection, Gracie has started a new life in a small town, where as the town baker, she gets an early start each day baking loaves for the masses.
She’s surprised, and rather worried therefore, when she stumbles across the body of a newcomer to town, lying on the back step of her shop.
When she fears her new life might be in jeopardy, and the police seem to be getting nowhere, Gracie decides that perhaps she should investigate the case herself.

A fun cosy mystery, this introduces Grace, owner and baker of the Laughing Loaf bakery, and her dog Biga (only a bread baker would name their dog after a loaf of bread!).
We see some interesting characters introduced, as well as the small town of River Grove and its more illustrious inhabitants.
It’s a fairly fast paced story, with lots of baking happening (you’ll probably want to read it AFTER you’ve eaten so you don’t snack!) in addition to the investigating. The mystery was fairly well set up, and just twisty enough to keep you guessing.

A fun read for the armchair enthusiasts, especially if you’re a bread lover!
Profile Image for Andrea.
812 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2025
Charming cozy

Gracie is in a witness protection program following her role in exposing widespread corruption in the tech industry and has opened a bakery cafe in a small California town. There are a couple of crimes all of a sudden, very surprising in the peaceful town: a robbery and a murder. Gracie of course decides to investigate on her own, mainly because the murder victim expired at the back door of her bakery. What distinguishes this book from the multitude of cozy novels is the evocative description of baking chores. The setting and characters are likable, the solution to the murder mystery is fairly interesting and unexpected, while the solution to the theft is unexpectedly heartwarming. My daughter has recently become the owner of a bakery in the small Massachusetts city of Newburyport, so the baking scenes were of special interest to me (Middle Street Foods — check it out if you’re in the area!).
Profile Image for Ambri Hutchins.
210 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2025
This was okay. And just that.
I felt like it was just 3 stars. Nothing more.

I had a few problems and that's why I took points off.

1. Someone just died on your business steps.....and you want to decompress with the bestie and drink wine??
No. Just no. That's not weird at all

2. Grammatical errors. I let one or two slide but I noticed several

3. Some of the things that Gracie said at time was either off putting or made no sense. It wasn't too often thankfully but it was noticeable.

I don't think I'll continue in her series. I thought the idea was cute at first but it didn't really pull me in like other cozy mysteries had.
I personally wouldn't recommend unless you're not bothered with any of what I mentioned above.
279 reviews
November 17, 2024
Highly Enjoyable and Very Entertaining!

This is a new author and series for me, discovered while browsing my Kindle Unlimited. I am so very glad that I did. This first book has me completely hooked. Great characters, interesting storyline that held my interest throughout. The added bonus of the wonderful descriptions of the baked goods had me almost able to smell the bread baking. An interesting mystery with a totally believable ending. I have downloaded the remaining books in the series as well as the novella, an in between the series short story. I am looking forward to many happy hours of enjoyable reading.
21 reviews
January 12, 2025
Some unbelievable story lines

Read this book in a few hours. I liked it but found some things irritating. One irritation was that Nate blamed Gracie for not saving his brother and then they start liking each other. I thought he was a psycho. Another dumb thing was Gracie going into town to investigate Nico's last day. Really? The chief didn't think to do that? Another irritation was burying an eviction notice. Wouldn't burning it, throwing it away, or shredding it make more sense here on earth? Last irritation was putting words and thoughts to the dog. Please. Not sure if I will read another.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
1,159 reviews12 followers
August 7, 2023
This is the first in the series. The main character is Gracie. Gracie and her dad are in witness protection. They have moved to River Grove to start a new life. Gracie has opened up a bakery and is doing well. Then a man dies on her back steps and her life is now garbage. As she tries tp figure out what happened, the more confused she seems to get. Can she figure this out before it's too late?
472 reviews4 followers
February 16, 2025
Diamonds or Dough?

Coming to town under witness protection means keeping her head down. Starting a bakery, the Laughing Loaf, was a way to blend in. Until another newcomer died in her bakery's back doorway. Gracie feel the local sheriff is inept, she may be partially correct. She also needs to get the murder solved quickly before it affects her business and draws attention to her and her Dad. Unfortunately her questions draw the wrong kind of attention
667 reviews7 followers
May 27, 2023
Bakery for Gracie..

Gracie and her little dog are running a wonderful bakery in a small Northern California mountain town. Everything is peaceful and pleasant until a car lot is robbed and A new resident is murdered. Everything becomes stressful. The police can't seem to find the thief or the murderer. After an attack on her bakery, Gracie goes after the truth.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,184 reviews4 followers
July 10, 2024
Gracie

The Laughing Loaf is a bakery owned by Gracie who is a transplant to the small town. Where everyone knows everyone. There is a murder of a new arrival to the town. Along the way Gracie begins to investigate because the victim died on the back step of her bakery. I didn't see who the murderer was at all.
Profile Image for Cathy.
425 reviews22 followers
May 24, 2025
Not sure about this series. This book started out weak and I felt the characters fell flat. I almost didn’t finish it, but always enjoy a story that involves baking or cooking. So I decided to stick with it. The ending was underwhelming but the writing seemed to get better as the story progressed. Going to read one more in this series and see how it goes.
681 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2025
I enjoyed this

This was a nice friendly, none stressful mystery set in the mountains east of Santa Cruz. There is a fascinating back story and some interesting characters centered around TBE town bakery, The Laughing Loaf. The baking details are Hungary making and the coffee descriptions had me craving.
102 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2023
Good

This book was an interesting cozy mystery that kept me turning the pages to find out who the murderer was. The characters were normal people you might meet anywhere. If you like cozy mysteries then give this book a try.
17 reviews
January 31, 2024
Great Cozy!

Some cozy mysteries are too short to provide the reader with much character development, or with a deep enough story line that requires the reader to actually think about the clues. This book excels at both. I'm excited to read the rest of the books in this series.
Profile Image for D.L..
465 reviews64 followers
September 16, 2024
Very cute. The whodunnit revelation was a little weak but the town, the characters, the hint of romance, the dog!! - all good enough that I can ignore the somewhat weak denouement. I want to read more of this series.
1,226 reviews11 followers
March 21, 2025
Missing cuff links and bread!

An interesting story about a bread bakery and a cute chihuahua! And the search for a pair of stolen cuff links, which leads to a whole lot of trouble and craziness!!
490 reviews
September 10, 2025
Drop Dead Bread: A Laughing Loaf Bakery Mystery book 1

Interesting story line with some unusual characters. A Baker and her father in witness protection program, A busy bakery a murder and lots of guessing.
1,006 reviews
October 19, 2025
Death of a model

A male underwear model is found dead at the back door of a bakery owned by a woman in Witness Protection. Missing diamonds, shady jewellers, and a small town community that mostly sticks together make this book interesting.
4,417 reviews43 followers
May 21, 2023
Who killed Nico Behrens and why??? AND who shot Robert Loudon and why??? Diamonds??? Gracie will figure things out though won't she??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
929 reviews4 followers
September 5, 2023
Great small town mystery

I loved the heroine who was running a bakery while living with her dad,her dog plus investigating a murder. Engaging characters
Profile Image for Susan Mahon.
431 reviews
August 3, 2024
Wow

Wow, an intense plot line. Great set up of a cozy mystery series. Lots of background details on several of the characters in the story.
9 reviews
August 23, 2024
Good read

I liked that I did not suspect who the bad peo
ple were. I will be reading the next few books.
Profile Image for Lois.
41 reviews
October 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I could smell the bread baking & loved the small town feeling of this book. A great story!
18 reviews
November 13, 2024
Kept me wondering

I read one book out of order. I HAD to find the beginning and I was not disappointed. Loved all the characters, even Biga.
4 reviews3 followers
December 12, 2024
Enjoyed

I enjoyed reading this book! I got hungry reading about all the bread related items being baked. Can’t wait to read more in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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