Chilled to the Cone: A Bakeshop Mystery

Chilled to the Cone by Ellie Alexander takes us back to Ashland, Oregon when the theater season is about to begin. Jules Capshaw has an opportunity to open a seasonal shop in the Railroad District. It would give her a chance to expand Torte’s offerings into iced coffee’s and ice cream. Jules is worried about taking on more work while Carlos is in town. She can tell that he is debating about where he wants to spend his future and Carlos has been keeping secrets recently. With encouragement from her mother and her staff, Jules signs the lease and work begins on the new space (and it needs it). Plans are derailed when a local eccentric homeless man named Wizard is murdered. Jules cannot help but delve into the death and the other misdeeds that have been happening in the area. Chilled to the Cone is the 12th A Bakeshop Mystery. If you have not read the previous books in the series, I do not suggest you start with Chilled to the Cone. The storyline regarding Carlos and Jules’ future is finally resolved. Will Carlos stay in Ashland or return to the cruise ship? I like that we are seeing growth in the characters. Jules, Andy, Sterling, Stephanie, Lance, and Thomas are growing in their careers and in their personal lives. I like how Jules, Helen, the Professor, the Torte staff, and their friends have become one big family. They support each other and are there for each other in times of need. The identity of the killer was a no brainer (it would have been nice if it had not been so obvious). I would have liked a more complex mystery as well, but I know that it does not go with this series. There are good details, a couple of suspects, and helpful clues. Cooking, baking, eating, coffee drinking, and romance abound in this cozy mystery. I liked the idea of Scoops. The Torte gang came up with some clever ideas for this pop-up shop. The ending will leave readers smiling. Chilled to the Cone is a sweet treat with chilled coffee confections, blooming romances, teen trouble, pop-up problems, a furtive figure, and long anticipated answer.

Spring and love are in the air in Ashland. As the weather warms up in Ashland, Jules gets the opportunity to launch an outdoor venue in the Railroad District. She and her crew plan to showcase their iced drinks and ice cream there , but vandalism, theft, arson and murder may put their plans on ice. With Carlos keeping secrets and some big life changes happening for some of the group, this book will hold your interest. I love this series and always look forward to catching up to what the Torte family is doing.

mental-illness, homelessness, small-business, small-town, family-dynamics, friendship, relationship-issues, Oregon, amateur-sleuth*** This is the most recent entry in a prolonged series. There are changes to be made in the family business, issues with her marriage, strange things happening among the local merchants, and then comes the murder of a local homeless character. The sleuthing is good and the plot twisty. I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.