DEATH BY CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SCONE by Sarah Graves

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 6, 272 pages, 

4****

Blurb: Summer guests are eager to sink their teeth into tantalizing desserts at The Chocolate Moose, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White’s bakeshop in the island village of Eastport, Maine. But attracting the wrong kind of attention can be deadly . . .With the August heat strong enough to melt solid chocolate into syrup, Jake and Ellie crave a break from the bakery ovens, despite tourist season promising a sweet payday. But they never envisioned spending the last weeks of summer drifting around Passamaquoddy Bay searching for pirate’s treasure—and a dead body. Sally Coates believes her husband was murdered off the coast, and begs Ellie, a trusted childhood friend, to locate his remains. It’s unusual that a skilled fisherman would vanish along with the gold doubloon he inherited from his grandfather. And Sally isn’t the only one coveting the valuable heirloom for her own. As Jake and Ellie’s island-hop for answers, they find themselves caught between hungry sharks and hungrier suspects. Can the duo tempt fate and dodge danger before there’s blood in the water—or are they destined to fall into the jaws of a killer’s trap?

Thoughts: There are a lot of characters in this story — and some of them are real characters! Like a fisherman who chews his cigars and has raised two handsome twin boys. Or a 4-year-old who loves banging on xylophones, pots, anything that causes noise. And an old hermit woman who lives in a shack made of driftwood. And then there’s Jake. I didn’t *get* that she was a woman at first, but that became evident as I read—and no, I hadn’t read other books in the series so might have missed that fact— but how she retains her sanity in a household that is utterly insane is amazing. And I love that she’s not only an older woman (the 4-year-old is her grandson), but a klutz of the biggest order. She’s always falling or tripping, or stumbling, or having trouble climbing up and down ladders. Set on an island off the coast of Maine, the story spends a lot of time on the water — and in the water — with sharks (which I found interesting). And there are more dead bodies that Jake want’s to deal with. But she does, along with her friends.

This is a fun story with quirky characters and a satisfying ending. 

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”