A deliciously charming lakeside cozy featuring a haunted lighthouse and lots of food!
Murder at the Blueberry Festival is the third book in the Beacon Bakeshop series by Darci Hannah. Set in a bakery and an old, haunted lighthouse in the lakeside village of Beacon Harbor, Michigan, it is a delicious whodunnit!
Lindsey Bakewell left a Wall Street job for small-town life and now runs a bakery and is preparing for her part in the village blueberry festival. But, when a prankster disrupts the festival and a dead body is found in unusual circumstances, Lindsey and her friends try to get to the bottom of things.
The plot was interesting because the dead body doesn't appear until further in the story. The focus was initially on the elaborate pranks derailing the festival and on character development. I appreciated this, having not read the first books in the series. Among the quirky small-town personalities are Lindsey's hunky former Navy SEAL boyfriend, her stylish best friend, and her aging supermodel mom.
There are several red herrings, but even if the reader figures out who the murderer is, I don't think that they will guess the motive. Some circumstances were not only unexpected, but thought-provoking, lending depth to the story, and I thought the author handled some sensitive issues with compassion.
This is well-written with humor, clever dialogue, adorable animals, a lovely setting, and lots of food! Lindsey whips up some delicious-sounding fare that I will try to make soon, as recipes are included. I loved the paranormal aspect of the ghost haunting the renovated lighthouse Lindsey lives in, who occasionally makes his presence known.
A fun, charming cozy oozing with sweet blueberry goodness! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!
Publishes July 26, 2022
My steep was Blueberry Black Tea by Oliver Pluff & Co. Teas. I've tried several blueberry black teas, and this is my favorite. You can find them online at www.oliverpluff.com
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I love a good food themed cozy and am more excited to get to this book series after reading your review!