This and That with Karen : Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake by Sarah Graves

Mar 9, 2022

Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake by Sarah Graves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake” is the 4th instalment in the "Death By Chocolate" mystery series by Sarah Graves.

In the quaint island village of Eastport, Maine, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White run the Chocolate Moose bakery, where delicious treats take the spotlight—but murder sometimes gets a walk-on role . . .

Jake and Ellie are taking a break from perfecting their chocolate pizza recipe to cater a housewarming party hosted by movie icon Ingrid Merryfield. Miss Merryfield is famous for her old-Hollywood glamour. Her new home, Cliff House, has a reputation too—for being haunted. But she isn’t concerned, and some of her guests even try to summon a spirit during the party, using a Ouija board. What arrives instead is a freak autumn storm that downs an ancient tree, trapping everyone on the property and setting the stage for a killer’s planned spree.

Though Jake and Ellie don’t intend to get stirred into the mix, there’s no avoiding it—especially when they witness one of the guests being shoved over the very precipice that gave Cliff House its forbidding name.

Jake and Ellie begin sifting through suspects and motives, a search that takes them from a long-lost family graveyard to a wise old herbalist’s deceptively-sweet cottage and finally to Cliff House’s overgrown gardens. Is there some ghostly presence involved—or a flesh-and-blood villain? And either way, can they ensure that they avoid meeting their very own, very permanent Hollywood ending?

Includes a Recipe!

I enjoy this series set in the village of Eastport, Maine and really like protagonist Jake and her BFF Ellie. Plus I love her family especially Bella. We meet a loveable Irish Wolfhound named Igor who we will hopefully see in future books.

There were plenty of suspects amongst the guests at Cliff House and plenty of twists and turns to keep me wanting to find out what will happen next. I did suspect the killer early on but then second guessed myself. The book was engaging from start to finish, grabbing your attention from the very beginning.