Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery) by Darci Hannah. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery)
by Darci Hannah
I received this book free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (October 5, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe . . .
With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . .
Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!
Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.
Includes Delicious Recipes!
Book Review
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is a lighthearted cozy mystery set in a completely charming setting. Lindsey runs her own bakery, the Beacon Bakeshop, out of an old lighthouse. She lives there too! Set on Lake Michigan, it might be cold, but you’ll still feel cozy.
We all know how crazy things can get around Christmas. With decorating, baking, wrapping…it’s hectic! Plus, we, like Lindsey Bakewell, get it into our heads that Christmas needs to be perfect. Visions of Sugarplums are dancing in Lindsey’s head…visions of the perfect Christmas. But Lindsey has a problem saying no! Not only does she take on extra orders, she also ends up baking cookies for a contest…and not just her own! No, she bakes others’ signature recipes for them too because…she can’t say no! But not to worry…just when Lindsey thinks she’s completely in over her head, a nice, older woman named Mrs. Nichols shows up at her door ready to be her baking assistant.
When you read Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off, you’re going to want to have cookies on hand. I cannot fathom the energy it takes to make multiple types of Christmas cookies because I usually stick to cut-out cookies and peanut butter blossoms! You’ll be introduced to so many cookies that you’ll feel like you’re in the bakery smelling the baking cookies and gingerbread. Thank goodness the recipes for several of these are included in the book because you’re going to want them.
This cozy mystery is filled with fun, diverse characters, that cozy lighthouse setting I mentioned, and a murder mystery that will keep you guessing. If you are a fan of foodie cozy mystery books, Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is for you!
Guest Post: Writing About Food by Darci Hannah
When I started my writing career with my first published novel in 2010, I never in a million years dreamed that I’d be writing about a bakeshop in a lighthouse in Michigan. That’s because my first two novels were Scottish historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, followed by The Angel of Blythe Hall in 2011. Food was important in those historical novels as well, because food is essential to the human experience.
I’ve always been curious about the history of food and the trends in traditional fare throughout time. For instance, a king in the 1500s ate very differently from the peasant class of the same era. Without refrigeration or preservatives, the king and the peasant were naturally forced to eat very local. The real difference was in the variety and quality of the king’s dishes—that and the fact he had a killer kitchen in the castle, access to precious spices, and a staff of chefs, bakers, and servants to make it all happen. Yes, a king ate well, but to my twenty-first century sensibilities, very little of what the court ate sounded tasty. While peppering historical detail throughout a historical novel is essential, I wasn’t about to belabor the details of preparing slimy, disgusting lamprey, or describe what in heaven’s name it might have tasted like. Yuck!
When I switched gears and decided to write a cozy mystery, I harkened back to my late twenties, when my younger brother, Ron, decided to buy a bakery. He wasn’t a baker by trade but thought it would be fun. It was fun, but a lot of hard work as well. Although he had a professional baker on staff, we all pitched in and learned a lot about running a bakery. Ron only ran the bakery for two years, but it was enough to give me some first-hand knowledge of bakeries.
When I set out writing a cozy mystery, I knew that my main character, Lindsey Bakewell, was going to run her own bakery. I knew that I wanted to make it a traditional, small-town bakery, filled with donuts, sweet rolls, coffee cakes, Danish, muffins, and personal quiches for the morning crowd. There’d also be cookies, brownies, pies, tarts, and cakes for afternoon treats as well. What I hadn’t expected, however, was that when those first reviews started rolling in, readers kept remarking on how hungry Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop was making them, and how badly they were craving donuts.
I hadn’t realized it until then, but my experience with baked goods (I love donuts, what can I say?) had translated into sensory-invoking descriptions about, well, donuts and baked goods.
I’m including this quote from an early review from Goodreads regarding Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off. Tari concludes her review with this note of caution.
One caution: Make sure you’re not hungry when you’re reading, ’cause you’ll want to eat your book or drool on your Kindle! There were so many yummies mentioned and not just dessert. The main dishes sounded awesome too.
Such high praise indeed!
So, if you’re planning on writing about food, here are a few tips from me.
- There’s the old adage, write what you know. In the case of food, however, it can be translated into, write about foods you’ve eaten. For instance, if you’ve never eaten the Indian dish, Butter Chicken, but you’d like to describe it in a book you’re writing, go out and get some Butter Chicken. Order it from the best Indian restaurant in town. Then try making it at home. Once you’ve experienced the dish from all angles, you are now qualified to write about it.
- When writing about food, use language related to the senses. Focus on how the food looks, smells, feels, and tastes.
- Mouthfeel. I learned this term while watching baking shows on television. What the heck is mouthfeel, you ask? The term was originally used in wine tasting to describe the physical sensation of how a certain wine feels in the mouth, particularly on the tongue or roof of the mouth. This term is all about texture in the mouth and is slightly different from taste or flavor, but sometimes they do overlap. For example, you might say the wine was full-bodied, but the skim milk felt thin and chalky. The bread was crusty on the outside, but the crumb had a soft, buttery feel to it. It’s just another tool used to describe food.
- Have fun with it. This is the most important tip in my book. Writing descriptions about food should be enjoyable. After all, eating is enjoyable. You can even use made-up words, like, “That chocolate cake donut was scrumdillyicious!” While not directly invoking one of the five senses, we get the picture that the donut was delicious.
About Darci Hannah
Cozy mystery author, Darci Hannah, is a native of the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with her furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or concocting her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque lakeside villages with her hubby, sampling baked goods and breaking for coffee more often than she should.
Author Links
Website: https://www.darcihannah.com
Blog: https://www.darcihannah.com/blog
Recipes: https://www.darcihannah.com/recipes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarciHannah
Instagram: @authordarcihannah
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3155399.Darci_Hannah
Purchase Links:
Amazon B & N BAM 2 Dandelions Bookstore
Enter the giveaway
One winner.
Prize will be a book with a cookie cutter and bookmark, or some other Christmas cookie themed item. US only
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 1
I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 2
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST
Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
October 3
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 4
The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE
Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
October 5
Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 6
Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 7
Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 8
Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 9
Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 10
I Read What You Write – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW
October 11
Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
October 12
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST
Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
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Thank you so much, Christy, for hosting me on your wonderful blog! It’s so great getting to share a little bit about this book with your readers as well as my take on writing about food! And I can’t wait to find out who the lucky winner of the book giveaway will be!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping today!