by: Ellie Alexander
Series: Bakeshop Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!
The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.
The annual competition is a favorite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.
Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?
Chapter One
They say you should embrace the seasons of life. It wasn’t hard to do amidst the ever-changing landscapes of the lush Rogue Valley. Mother Nature had a way of reminding me to pause at the sight of the pinkish sun rising over the Siskiyou Mountains or delight in the sweet bundles of birdseed that someone left along the fenceposts in Lithia Park to feed the dark-eyed juncos.
Beauty was literally all around me. My problem was more about centering on the moment. Being fully present and not spiraling into imagined worries and plans for my future. As we leaned deeper into winter, I had been somewhat successful at embracing my new quest. It helped that my husband, Carlos, was here to stay. He had opted to make my hometown of Ashland, Oregon, his, too. Having him in our little hamlet in the southern Oregon mountains filled me with a level of joy I hadn’t known was possible. Plus, Ramiro, his son from Spain, had been living with us for the last six months.
We enjoyed a leisurely holiday break, cozying up in front of the crackling fireplace as snow drifted down from a dark December sky, dusting Grizzly Peak and blanketing Ashland in a soft coat of white. There were family meals, sledding afternoons, game nights, baking copious amounts of Christmas cookies, and weaving in Spanish traditions, like making Ramiro’s favorite treats, roscos de vino. The festive donut-shaped biscuits were flavored with a touch of sweet wine and nuts. Their icing sugar coating made them look like they had been dipped in snow. I had made a batch for our family bakeshop, Torte, and customers had raved about the cookies. They also wanted to know what gave the “wine rolls” their unique flavor and consistency. A baker should never reveal her secrets, but in this case, I explained that the cookies used a base of ground sesame seeds and a splash of anisette liqueur to achieve their unique flavor. Thanks to Ramiro, roscos de vino had a permanent place on Torte’s winter menu.
Ashland’s Elizabethan charm was heightened in December and January when snow covered the Tudor-style rooflines in the plaza. There was a sleepy vibe in town, with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival dark until early spring and only a handful of tourists who came seeking snowy adventures. That was one of the things I enjoyed most about living in the Rogue Valley, the shifting rhythm of each season.
With the holidays behind us, we were shifting gears to get ready to ring in the new year and welcome house guests in the form of Ramiro’s mom, stepfather, and little sister. They had graciously agreed to share Ramiro with us for a year so that he could do an exchange program in Ashland. I’d been nervous at first about connecting with Sophia, Ramiro’s mom, but after weekly FaceTime chats with her and Luis and Marta, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. We had spent the two days before Christmas preparing the house and packing the pantry with everything we might need to entertain our international visitors.
The Torres family was arriving in time to celebrate the new year with us before they continued south to California for more adventures. Sophia and I had been emailing almost daily. I sent her updates on Ramiro’s soccer scores, pictures of him baking at Torte, and check-ins about how her only son was doing halfway around the world. Our friendship had blossomed over the miles. It was almost like having a pen pal, and Sophia’s genuine gratitude for something as easy as texting her a quick pic of Ramiro in his homecoming tux gave me new insight and appreciation into how hard it must have been for Mom to let me take off on my own global travels.
The morning their flight was due in, Ramiro bounded down the stairs and poured himself an espresso. It had taken me a little while to adjust to his Spanish habits, like breakfast espresso. Not that I was ever one to turn down a strong cup of coffee.
“Today is the day, Jules.” He beamed as he added a glug of heavy cream to his mug. “I cannot believe they are finally coming.” He sounded more excited than he had been Christmas morning.
“I know. It’s going to be so much fun to have them here and show them Ashland. Are you sure about the snowshoe tour? It won’t be too late for Marta?”
“She’s twelve. She’s going to love getting to stay up past her bedtime.”
“As long as you’re sure.” I had booked a midnight snowshoe on Mount Ashland or, as locals called our ski hill, Mount A. The trip would take us from the lodge around the rim of the mountain to a warming hut where we would enjoy hot drinks and a late-night feast under a full moon and a starry sky. I had wanted to make the trek for years, and Ramiro’s family visit seemed like the perfect opportunity. The brochure had sold me with its description: “experience the serenity of winter while an expert guides you on a snow-packed trail under a romantic starry sky.”
The snowshoe trip sounded like the perfect way to kick off the Torres family’s visit. Sophia had told me they loved the outdoors, and aside from spending time with Ramiro and us, they wanted to see Oregon’s rugged landscapes.
This was where my tendency to overthink and overplan might have gotten the best of me. I had arranged for another snow outing for the next day. It was Mount A’s annual downhill dummy competition—an event I had wanted to participate in for a few years but hadn’t made the time for. Last summer, after Carlos and I had taken a vacation to travel through Europe with Ramiro, I promised to do more things for myself. Running a bakeshop, winery, and pop-up summer ice cream stand had been fulfilling, but in the process of growing my little Ashland empire, I might have focused too much of my attention on work. My intention for the new year was to find a better balance between work and play.
From A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
They say you should embrace the seasons of life. It wasn’t hard to do amidst the ever-changing landscapes of the lush Rogue Valley. Mother Nature had a way of reminding me to pause at the sight of the pinkish sun rising over the Siskiyou Mountains or delight in the sweet bundles of birdseed that someone left along the fenceposts in Lithia Park to feed the dark-eyed juncos.
Beauty was literally all around me. My problem was more about centering on the moment. Being fully present and not spiraling into imagined worries and plans for my future. As we leaned deeper into winter, I had been somewhat successful at embracing my new quest. It helped that my husband, Carlos, was here to stay. He had opted to make my hometown of Ashland, Oregon, his, too. Having him in our little hamlet in the southern Oregon mountains filled me with a level of joy I hadn’t known was possible. Plus, Ramiro, his son from Spain, had been living with us for the last six months.
We enjoyed a leisurely holiday break, cozying up in front of the crackling fireplace as snow drifted down from a dark December sky, dusting Grizzly Peak and blanketing Ashland in a soft coat of white. There were family meals, sledding afternoons, game nights, baking copious amounts of Christmas cookies, and weaving in Spanish traditions, like making Ramiro’s favorite treats, roscos de vino. The festive donut-shaped biscuits were flavored with a touch of sweet wine and nuts. Their icing sugar coating made them look like they had been dipped in snow. I had made a batch for our family bakeshop, Torte, and customers had raved about the cookies. They also wanted to know what gave the “wine rolls” their unique flavor and consistency. A baker should never reveal her secrets, but in this case, I explained that the cookies used a base of ground sesame seeds and a splash of anisette liqueur to achieve their unique flavor. Thanks to Ramiro, roscos de vino had a permanent place on Torte’s winter menu.
Ashland’s Elizabethan charm was heightened in December and January when snow covered the Tudor-style rooflines in the plaza. There was a sleepy vibe in town, with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival dark until early spring and only a handful of tourists who came seeking snowy adventures. That was one of the things I enjoyed most about living in the Rogue Valley, the shifting rhythm of each season.
With the holidays behind us, we were shifting gears to get ready to ring in the new year and welcome house guests in the form of Ramiro’s mom, stepfather, and little sister. They had graciously agreed to share Ramiro with us for a year so that he could do an exchange program in Ashland. I’d been nervous at first about connecting with Sophia, Ramiro’s mom, but after weekly FaceTime chats with her and Luis and Marta, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. We had spent the two days before Christmas preparing the house and packing the pantry with everything we might need to entertain our international visitors.
The Torres family was arriving in time to celebrate the new year with us before they continued south to California for more adventures. Sophia and I had been emailing almost daily. I sent her updates on Ramiro’s soccer scores, pictures of him baking at Torte, and check-ins about how her only son was doing halfway around the world. Our friendship had blossomed over the miles. It was almost like having a pen pal, and Sophia’s genuine gratitude for something as easy as texting her a quick pic of Ramiro in his homecoming tux gave me new insight and appreciation into how hard it must have been for Mom to let me take off on my own global travels.
The morning their flight was due in, Ramiro bounded down the stairs and poured himself an espresso. It had taken me a little while to adjust to his Spanish habits, like breakfast espresso. Not that I was ever one to turn down a strong cup of coffee.
“Today is the day, Jules.” He beamed as he added a glug of heavy cream to his mug. “I cannot believe they are finally coming.” He sounded more excited than he had been Christmas morning.
“I know. It’s going to be so much fun to have them here and show them Ashland. Are you sure about the snowshoe tour? It won’t be too late for Marta?”
“She’s twelve. She’s going to love getting to stay up past her bedtime.”
“As long as you’re sure.” I had booked a midnight snowshoe on Mount Ashland or, as locals called our ski hill, Mount A. The trip would take us from the lodge around the rim of the mountain to a warming hut where we would enjoy hot drinks and a late-night feast under a full moon and a starry sky. I had wanted to make the trek for years, and Ramiro’s family visit seemed like the perfect opportunity. The brochure had sold me with its description: “experience the serenity of winter while an expert guides you on a snow-packed trail under a romantic starry sky.”
The snowshoe trip sounded like the perfect way to kick off the Torres family’s visit. Sophia had told me they loved the outdoors, and aside from spending time with Ramiro and us, they wanted to see Oregon’s rugged landscapes.
This was where my tendency to overthink and overplan might have gotten the best of me. I had arranged for another snow outing for the next day. It was Mount A’s annual downhill dummy competition—an event I had wanted to participate in for a few years but hadn’t made the time for. Last summer, after Carlos and I had taken a vacation to travel through Europe with Ramiro, I promised to do more things for myself. Running a bakeshop, winery, and pop-up summer ice cream stand had been fulfilling, but in the process of growing my little Ashland empire, I might have focused too much of my attention on work. My intention for the new year was to find a better balance between work and play.
From A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Purchase A Smoking Bun from:
(Affiliated Links Used)
The Bakeshop Mystery Series:
Meet Your Baker (Book 1)
A Batter of Life and Death (Book 2)
On Thin Icing (Book 3) ~ Review
Caught Bread Handed (Book 4) ~ Review
Fudge and Jury (Book 5) ~ Review
A Crime of Passion (Book 6) ~ Review
Trouble is Brewing (Book 6.5) ~ Review
Another One Bites the Crust (Book 7) ~ Review
Till Death Do Us Tart (Book 8) ~ Review
Live and Let Pie (Book 9) ~ Review
A Cup of Holiday Fear (Book 10) ~ Review
Nothing Bundt Trouble (Book 11) ~ Review
Chilled to the Cone (Book 12) ~ Review
Mocha She Wrote (Book 13) ~ Review
A Brunch With Death (Book 13.5)
Bake, Borrow, and Steal (Book 14)
Donut Disturb (Book 15)
Muffin But the Truth (Book 16)
Catch Me If You Candy (Book 17)
A Smoking Bun (Book 18)
Sticks and Scones (Book 19) releases August 20, 2024
Meet the characters of the Bakeshop Mystery Series here.
You can read Jules’ profile post here.
She is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over thirty published books and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.
She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.
Places to find Ellie Alexander:
No comments:
Post a Comment
STOP!
Did you just copy and paste your previous comment? Please don't. Duplicate comments will be deleted.
Comments that include links to other sites, or names including links WILL BE CONSIDERED SPAM AND DELETED.