Suzanne Hart lives in the small town of April Springs, North Carolina, with her mother. She's a divorced woman who decided to take a chance and open a donut shop, Donut Hearts, and has found that every day it's filled with people who want a little morning pick-me-up, which makes her happy.

Her best friend Grace has been dating a man named Peter Morgan that Suzanne just can't like, no matter how hard she tries. She thinks he's smarmy; so when Grace shows up one night at her house crying, she quickly finds out it's because Grace has found Peter cheating on her and broken up with him. But the next morning when Suzanne goes to work she discovers that someone has thrown yellow paint all over the front of her building, and she has an idea who it was. Still, when the police chief himself shows up, she's surprised -- at least until he tells her why: someone has killed Peter and he wants her to come with him to Grace's -- not to accuse her, but because he thinks Grace will need her after he breaks the news.

Still, Suzanne realizes that Grace is the main suspect, so she and her friend go into investigative mode, trying to figure out who wanted Peter dead. What they don't expect to find is the man was a huge womanizer, and practically all of them had a real reason to kill him.

When they start investigating further, they also find that Peter was more than just a womanizer, and the suspect list grows. Now, all Suzanne has to do is ask questions and avoid a killer. Easy, right?...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all. I know this is an older book, but once in a while I feel the need to go back to my library and dig an older one out. The reason being is that these books don't have political overtones or leanings, and you're not getting someone else's personal views in your reading.

I have found that these books are a lot of fun to read. They feature Suzanne, who's practically fearless but also careful, and she stands up for what she believes in -- which is loyalty to her friends and justice for the innocent. She's also a pretty good donut maker! Anyway, I like the characters in the book, and like Suzanne, I'm even warming to Chief Martin.

In this book we find out that Peter was quite a womanizer. What gets me is when did he have any time to himself? There's no shortage of suspects, and while many of them don't want to be questioned, one of them goes to great lengths to avoid it, which only puts that person on the major radar, if you will.

But when things come to a head, Suzanne realizes she only has her wits to save her, and she uses them for everything it's worth (as we know she will survive!). The ending is quite nice, and makes for an easy read any evening, with a feel-good satisfying result. Recommended. ( )

Beck is always a good, quick read. Great for summer at the beach. ( )

I read another book in this series and had an enjoyable time with it. The characters were quirky and entertaining. The type of people you would find in a cozy mystery. The recipes are a bonus as well as add to the story.

This book did not grab my attention like the other book. Instead of really getting to visit with other characters in town, it was mainly focused on Suzanne and Grace. Which the bond these two have as friends is great. Yet they really could not hold the whole story by themselves. Part of this also had to do with the fact that the murder victim was a douche and so I did not care who and why they killed him. However because I liked the other book, I will probably not give up on this series and start at the beginning of this series. ( )

I may change my tune tomorrow, but at the moment I feel that I could read a hundred Donut Shop Mysteries back to back. It ended all too abruptly, an anomaly in this morphing, slick, well narrated book. Both the beginning and the end were book ends to the meat of the story, as they departed starkly from the usual style of Jessica Beck.

I cannot take too much credit for predicting this book's victim in advance. It seems that whenever a new character is threatening to dislodge the established pantheon in any cozy mystery, that character is taken to task and dealt with not too kindly. Another new character that replaced (although really replaced in the heart of Suzanne she could not) Emma was Nan. Her short cameo here was welcome and contributed to the high score I've given to this book. The ending included another new character, Leah. I feel that not only Leah should be included in the clique of the dynamic detective duo of Suzanne and Grace, but Emma herself should lend a hand in sleuthing matters. One advantage of that is that the book would clock in at 500 pages, a magic number that I know will not be reached.

The boyfriends of this series appeared scantily but markedly. Peter Morgan got himself iced, rather tragically, all things notwithstanding considered. Jake got himself some additional, much craved and much needed hugs and kisses. Chief Martin showed a tender side, and if this series progresses, he might turn out to be a father figure to Suzanne.

I was surprised how the other characters made well dosed appearances. I was left wanting for more of George. Now that he's the mayor, and has the power to back Suzanne in her sleuthing, he's been overpowered (in the super being comic book kind). He has too many benefits for his own good and is being relegated to props level by the ruthless author. Trish, Angelica and her daughters (especially Sophia) provide a supporting chorus that fleshes out the town of April Spring. Now I understand that this fictional town is based in the south but would it kill the author to cut down on the Yes ma'am and the 'and you know it's?

Although this book was well written, I feel that I'm forgetting the details a bit too quickly. I doubt whether any of the remaining books in the series will outscore this one. The changes that operated in this book brought some much needed fresh air to it and I got a taste of what an inspired cozy mystery writer sounds like. Usually the books are paint by numbers affairs. But this particular number was genuine enough to have a theme. A theme about missed opportunities, friendship, love, new and old. I marvel at the incessant way I consume these cozy mysteries, high art though they may not be. Having said that, I kind of grasp why I keep going back to them. They are readable. Plainly and simply. There have been too many well respected books that I have dropped quickly. But I know that even with underwhelming books of the genre, I will keep my momentum and not suffer any break in my reading rhythm. That is vital to me. If you read this book, it will be at your leisure. I do recommend it, and I'm going to read the next one soon enough. Bye. ( )