Category: Cozy Mysteries

Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart sees customers come and go all day long. But when one of them up-and-disappears, the police start asking questions. It seems Suzanne is the last person to have seen Emily Hargraves, who runs the local newsstand. Suzanne has nothing to report about their encounter. But when Emily doesn’t turn up, no news is bad news…
Suzanne has to admit that Emily’s last request was a little odd—a blueberry donut made to order, with chocolate icing, sprinkles, stars, and a chewy sour gummy worm coiled on top. Odder still: Suzanne’s ex-husband Max also appears to be missing. But what really takes the cake? The corpse Suzanne finds hanging from a tree in the park. Who knew donut-making could turn out to be such dangerous business…

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Donut Shop Mysteries by Jessica Beck

“A delight. Suzanne Hart is a lovable amateur sleuth who has a hilariously protective mother and great donut recipes! Readers will have a blast with this book.” —Diane Mott Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of Fatally Flaky

“A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life. With great donut recipes!”—Joanna Carl, author of The Chocolate Cupid Killings

“If you like donuts—and who doesn’t?—you’ll love this mystery. It’s like a trip to your favorite coffee shop, but without the calories!” —Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mysteries New Year’s Eve Murder and Wedding Day Murder

“The perfect comfort read: a delicious murder, a likeable heroine, quirky Southern characters—and donut recipes!” —Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony award–winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries

“A yummy new treat in the culinary mystery genre. Skillfully weaving donut recipes throughout a well-plotted story, the author proves that life after divorce can be sweet; all you need are good friends, your own business, and comfort food. Delicious!”—Tamar Myers, author of Death of a Rug Lord and The Cane Mutiny

“A clever plotted cozy mystery with a wonderful small Southern town…Fatally Frosted is a great follow-up to Glazed Murder. Suzanne is a great heroine, Ms. Beck has a sure-fire winner!”—Fresh Fiction

“A sugary concoction that provides readers a glimpse through the donut hole of living in a small town.”—Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round Reviews

From the Back Cover

WELCOME BACK TO DONUT HEARTS—where the coffee is hot, the donuts are fresh, and the toppings are criminally good…

Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart sees customers come and go all day long. But when one of them up-and-disappears, the police start asking questions. It seems Suzanne is the last person to have seen Emily Hargraves, who runs the local newsstand. Suzanne has nothing to report about their encounter. But when Emily doesn’t turn up, no news is bad news…

“A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life.”—Joanna Carl

Suzanne has to admit that Emily’s last request was a little odd—a blueberry donut made to order, with chocolate icing, sprinkles, stars, and a chewy sour gummy worm coiled on top. Odder still: Suzanne’s ex-husband Max also appears to be missing. But what really takes the cake? The corpse Suzanne finds hanging from a tree in the park. Who knew donut-making could turn out to be such dangerous business…

“This delicious series will give readers some serious cravings.”—Publishers Weekly

Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart admits her sweet treats don’t exactly qualify as health food. But does she really deserve to be labeled a “killer” by local radio jockey Lester Moorefield? The annoying host is urging citizens to boycott Suzanne’s “deadly dough” factory—until he’s found dead himself, stuffed with one of Suzanne’s éclairs…
Everyone in April Springs knows about the feud between Lester and Suzanne, which makes her the number-one suspect. She tries to use the donut defense—donuts don’t kill people, people kill people—but that cream-filled éclair at the scene of the crime has the whole town filled with suspicion. If Suzanne can’t figure out who killed the radio star, she’ll soon be filling a prison cell instead of a pastry…

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jessica Beck’s Glazed Murder is a delight. Suzanne Hart is a lovable amateur sleuth who has a hilariously protective mother and great donut recipes! Readers will have a blast with this book.” ―Diane Mott Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of Fatally Flaky

“A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life. With great donut recipes!” ―Joanna Carl, author of The Chocolate Cupid Killings

“If you like donuts–and who doesn’t?–you’ll love this mystery. It’s like a trip to your favorite coffee shop, but without the calories!” ―Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mysteries New Year’s Eve Murder and Wedding Day Murder

“The perfect comfort read: a delicious murder, a likeable heroine, quirky Southern characters–and donut recipes!” ―Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony award–winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries

“Jessica Beck’s debut mystery, Glazed Murder, is a yummy new treat in the culinary mystery genre. Skillfully weaving donut recipes throughout a well-plotted story, the author proves that life after divorce can be sweet; all you need are good friends, your own business, and comfort food. Delicious!” ―Tamar Myers, author of Death of a Rug Lord and The Cane Mutiny

“A clever plotted cozy mystery with a wonderful small Southern town…Fatally Frosted is a great follow-up to Glazed Murder. Suzanne is a great heroine, Ms. Beck has a sure-fire winner!” ―Fresh Fiction

“A sugary concoction that provides readers a glimpse through the donut hole of living in a small town.” ―Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round Reviews

From the Back Cover

WELCOME BACK TO DONUT HEARTS―where the coffee is hot, the donuts are fresh, and the pastry’s to die for…
Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart admits her sweet treats don’t exactly qualify as health food. But does she really deserve to be labeled a “killer” by local radio jockey Lester Moorefield? The annoying host is urging citizens to boycott Suzanne’s “deadly dough” factory―until he’s found dead himself, stuffed with one of Suzanne’s éclairs…

“A lovable amateur sleuth…and great donut recipes!” ―Diane Mott Davidson

Everyone in April Springs knows about the feud between Lester and Suzanne, which makes her the number-one suspect. She tries to use the donut defense―donuts don’t kill people, people kill people―but that cream-filled éclair at the scene of the crime has the whole town filled with suspicion. If Suzanne can’t figure out who killed the radio star, she’ll soon be filling a prison cell instead of a pastry…
“This delicious series will give readers some serious cravings.”―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Jessica Beck loves donuts, and has the figure to prove it. It’s amazing what someone can convince themselves is all in the name of research! For each recipe featured in the donut mysteries, a dozen more are tried and tested. Jessica Beck is the penname of an author who has been nominated for the Agatha Award and named an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association national bestseller nearly a dozen times. When not concocting delicious treats, Beck enjoys the rare snowfalls near her home in the foothills of North Carolina.

Jessica Beck has crafted another delicious Donut Shop Mystery in Fatally Frosted, the follow-up to Glazed Murder.
A local busy body has dropped dead after eating one of Suzanne’s famous treats. A forensic team is soon swarming through the Donut Hearts kitchen, dusting for clues, sifting through sugar, and suspecting the worst of Suzanne. But with the help of police inspector Jake Bishop and her ex-husband Max, Suzanne hopes to clear her good name—before another bad donut is fatally frosted…

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jessica Beck’s Glazed Murder is a delight. Suzanne Hart is a lovable amateur sleuth who has a hilariously protective mother and great donut recipes! Readers will have a blast with this book.” ―Diane Mott Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of Fatally Flaky on Glazed Murder

“A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life. With great donut recipes!” ―Joanna Carl, author of The Chocolate Cupid Killings on Glazed Murder

“If you like donuts–and who doesn’t?–you’ll love this mystery. It’s like a trip to your favorite coffee shop, but without the calories!” ―Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mysteries New Year’s Eve Murder and Wedding Day Murder on Glazed Murder

“The perfect comfort read: a delicious murder, a likeable heroine, quirky Southern characters–and donut recipes!” ―Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony award–winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries on Glazed Murder

“Jessica Beck’s debut mystery, Glazed Murder, is a yummy new treat in the culinary mystery genre. Skillfully weaving donut recipes throughout a well-plotted story, the author proves that life after divorce can be sweet; all you need are good friends, your own business, and comfort food. Delicious!” ―Tamar Myers, author of Death of a Rug Lord and The Cane Mutiny on Glazed Murder

From the Back Cover

WELCOME BACK TO DONUT HEARTS―where the coffee is hot, the donuts are fresh, and the crimes are brewing…
Attention, all cooks! April Springs, North Carolina is hosting a grand tour of extraordinary kitchens, and everyone’s invited! Local donut shop owner Suzanne Hart is dying to cook up something fabulous for the event. Unfortunately dying turns out to be the key word…

“If you like donuts―and who doesn’t?―you’ll love this mystery.”―Leslie Meier

A local busy body has dropped dead after eating one of Suzanne’s famous treats. A forensic team is soon swarming through the Donut Hearts kitchen, dusting for clues, sifting through sugar, and suspecting the worst of Suzanne. But with the help of police inspector Jake Bishop and her ex-husband Max, Suzanne hopes to clear her good name―before another bad donut is fatally frosted…

About the Author

Jessica Beck loves donuts, and has the figure to prove it. It’s amazing what someone can convince themselves is all in the name of research! For each recipe featured in the donut mysteries, a dozen more are tried and tested. Jessica Beck is the penname of an author who has been nominated for the Agatha Award and named an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association national bestseller nearly a dozen times. When not concocting delicious treats, Beck enjoys the rare snowfalls near her home in the foothills of North Carolina.