Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Helpful Score: 1
Survival of the Fritters is the debut of the Deputy Donut Mystery series set in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and featuring Emily Westhill, co-owner of Deputy Donut, a small donut shop she owns and runs with her father in law Tom, the retired Police Chief. Emily is a former 911 operator who resigned her position when husband and police officer Alec was killed in the line of duty.
A group of women knitters who call themselves the Knitpickers meet at the donut shop regularly. When one of their members, Georgia Treetor doesn't arrive for the morning get together, the ladies become concerned. When her best friend Lois Unterlaw still hasn't heard from Georgia later in the day she convinces Emily to join her and the rest of the women for a trip to Georgia's house. Unfortunately, the women find Georgia dead in her kitchen with a box of Deputy Donuts crammed over her head.
Joined by her husbands ex partner, Detective Brent Fyne, Emily sets out to find Georgia's killer. Emily quickly discovers that there is a tie between the unsolved murder of Georgia's son Matthias and Lois' nephew Randy. When Lois is attacked in her backyard, Emily isn't sure who the killer is but she's determined to find the truth before someone else ends up dead.
A fast paced plot, interesting characters, a hint of romance and an adorable tabby cat. Parts of the book do bog down a little with background information on each of the main characters and the relationship between Emily and Tom is a little strange in that they spend no time together outside of work nor is her mother in law ever introduced or mentioned. This just seems a little odd considering how much in love Alec and Emily were supposed to be and their close knit family dynamic.
A group of women knitters who call themselves the Knitpickers meet at the donut shop regularly. When one of their members, Georgia Treetor doesn't arrive for the morning get together, the ladies become concerned. When her best friend Lois Unterlaw still hasn't heard from Georgia later in the day she convinces Emily to join her and the rest of the women for a trip to Georgia's house. Unfortunately, the women find Georgia dead in her kitchen with a box of Deputy Donuts crammed over her head.
Joined by her husbands ex partner, Detective Brent Fyne, Emily sets out to find Georgia's killer. Emily quickly discovers that there is a tie between the unsolved murder of Georgia's son Matthias and Lois' nephew Randy. When Lois is attacked in her backyard, Emily isn't sure who the killer is but she's determined to find the truth before someone else ends up dead.
A fast paced plot, interesting characters, a hint of romance and an adorable tabby cat. Parts of the book do bog down a little with background information on each of the main characters and the relationship between Emily and Tom is a little strange in that they spend no time together outside of work nor is her mother in law ever introduced or mentioned. This just seems a little odd considering how much in love Alec and Emily were supposed to be and their close knit family dynamic.
Helpful Score: 1
Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton is the first book in A Deputy Donut Mystery series. Emily Westhill co-owns Deputy Donut with Tom Westhill (her father-in-law) in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Emily has been a widow for three years and gave up her job as a 911 operator after the death of her husband. Emily greets the Knitpickers (a group of women who meet at Deputy Donut) and their newest recruit Lois Underlaw. They are missing Georgia Treetor who runs the local doll hospital. At the end of the day when no one has heard from Georgia, the Knitpickers along with Emily head to Georgia's home to check on her. They find the kitchen is a disarray and Georgia dead. It turns out that Georgia was killed on the five-year anniversary of her son's murder. It is the one case Emily's husband, Alec was unable to solve. Are the cases linked? When Lois' nephew, Randy becomes a prime suspect, Emily starts nosing around for clues. Thanks to Emily leaving her fingerprints all over the crime scene, Detective Brent Fyne (Alec's old partner) is taken off the case. Yvonne Passenmath from Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation is brought in to handle the case. This does not bode well for Emily since Yvonne dislikes her. Emily soon uncovers a connection between the deaths. Follow Emily as she follows the clues to uncover a killer in Survival of the Fritters.
Survival of the Fritters is nicely written, the characters are developed (with room for growth in future books) and there is a clever, adorable cat. The author took the time to set the stage for the book which I appreciate. I found that the pace varied throughout the book (sometimes steady and other times it was slower). I did find there was repetition especially regarding the handsomeness of some of the men (especially Detective Brent Fyne). The stage is set for a possible romance between Emily and Brent in the future if Emily is willing to move on after the death of her husband. You could feel the chemistry between Emily and Brent (it was palpable). Another example of reiteration is Emily would uncover details of the mystery. She would then discuss them with Lois and then repeat the details to Brent. These sections felt like filler and were unnecessary. These discussions went along with the speculation over who could have committed the crime. I would have liked more investigation and action (instead of the case being rehashed multiple times). The mystery was interesting (nicely developed) and there were some good clues. I believe many readers will be surprised by the identity of the killer (avid mystery readers should have it solved out before the solution is revealed). I was not a fan of DCI Yvonne Passenmath. There seems to be a trend to have unlikeable cops in cozy mysteries and I hope it ends soon. Yvonne resents Emily for taking Alec away from her (there was nothing between them) and dislikes Tom for not promoting her when he was chief of police (she was lacking in skills and everyone is amazed that DCI hired her). There are some delectable donut descriptions in the book and recipes are included at the end. I am giving Survival of the Fritters 3 stars. The next book in A Deputy Donut Mystery series is Goodbye Cruller World.
Survival of the Fritters is nicely written, the characters are developed (with room for growth in future books) and there is a clever, adorable cat. The author took the time to set the stage for the book which I appreciate. I found that the pace varied throughout the book (sometimes steady and other times it was slower). I did find there was repetition especially regarding the handsomeness of some of the men (especially Detective Brent Fyne). The stage is set for a possible romance between Emily and Brent in the future if Emily is willing to move on after the death of her husband. You could feel the chemistry between Emily and Brent (it was palpable). Another example of reiteration is Emily would uncover details of the mystery. She would then discuss them with Lois and then repeat the details to Brent. These sections felt like filler and were unnecessary. These discussions went along with the speculation over who could have committed the crime. I would have liked more investigation and action (instead of the case being rehashed multiple times). The mystery was interesting (nicely developed) and there were some good clues. I believe many readers will be surprised by the identity of the killer (avid mystery readers should have it solved out before the solution is revealed). I was not a fan of DCI Yvonne Passenmath. There seems to be a trend to have unlikeable cops in cozy mysteries and I hope it ends soon. Yvonne resents Emily for taking Alec away from her (there was nothing between them) and dislikes Tom for not promoting her when he was chief of police (she was lacking in skills and everyone is amazed that DCI hired her). There are some delectable donut descriptions in the book and recipes are included at the end. I am giving Survival of the Fritters 3 stars. The next book in A Deputy Donut Mystery series is Goodbye Cruller World.
Carole J. (PianoLady357) reviewed Survival of the Fritters (Deputy Donut, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Survival of the Fritters, which begins a new series by Ginger Bolton, is as fun and entertaining as the cover promises. And with a cover like that, how could I resist?!
Relationships, friendships, and even the hint of a future romance are elements that I loved. The story is set in the picturesque town of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and is also completely clean, which I very much appreciated.
Emily, still trying to find her way after the death of her police detective husband a few years earlier, is an appealing protagonist who cares about people. I wished for more character depth, a compliment because I liked her, but I suspect that will come with future stories. A strong supporting cast surrounds Emily, two of my favorites being her longtime friends, police officer Misty and 911 operator Savannah. This story is also different from most cozies in that, while Emily is a civilian, she has close relationships with people on the police force, which lends credibility to her detecting. I also really liked Brent, her late husband's partner, and any romance that might develop between these two promises to be complex because of shared grief.
The story moves at a steady pace that kept me eagerly turning the pages, and while a few hints as to the murderer are scattered throughout, the solution was never obvious until the end. And of course I loved Emily's precious cat, Dep, after which the Deputy Donut shop was named!
This promises to be a good series for traditional cozy mystery fans and I eagerly await the next story. Recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Relationships, friendships, and even the hint of a future romance are elements that I loved. The story is set in the picturesque town of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and is also completely clean, which I very much appreciated.
Emily, still trying to find her way after the death of her police detective husband a few years earlier, is an appealing protagonist who cares about people. I wished for more character depth, a compliment because I liked her, but I suspect that will come with future stories. A strong supporting cast surrounds Emily, two of my favorites being her longtime friends, police officer Misty and 911 operator Savannah. This story is also different from most cozies in that, while Emily is a civilian, she has close relationships with people on the police force, which lends credibility to her detecting. I also really liked Brent, her late husband's partner, and any romance that might develop between these two promises to be complex because of shared grief.
The story moves at a steady pace that kept me eagerly turning the pages, and while a few hints as to the murderer are scattered throughout, the solution was never obvious until the end. And of course I loved Emily's precious cat, Dep, after which the Deputy Donut shop was named!
This promises to be a good series for traditional cozy mystery fans and I eagerly await the next story. Recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
