Publisher's Weekly Review
The departure of summer tourists from Eastport, Maine, has brought the Chocolate Moose bakery's business to a standstill in Graves's appealing fifth Death by Chocolate mystery (after 2021's Death by Snickerdoodle). Tired of fretting about the costs of keeping the bakery open during the winter, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and her business partner, Ellie White, think they might be hallucinating when a limousine pulls up outside their store. Even more surprising is the passenger inside: film legend Ingrid Merryfield, long gone from the silver screen. Even more surprising is the news that Ingrid, a long-ago resident of Eastport, has purchased the Cliff House of evil repute and plans to reside there. For her first party, Ingrid wants Jake and Ellie to provide the desserts. When a storm traps partygoers at the Cliff House, Jake and Ellie are going to need all their snooping skills to save the day--and themselves--as the body count rises faster than yeasty dough. Despite an overly convoluted plot, this cozy, with its down-to-earth heroines and wry observations about life in Maine, makes for delicious reading. And who can resist a mouthwatering recipe for chocolate pizza? Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
Some bakers' bid to earn extra cash turns deadly. Winter is no time to run a boutique chocolate shop in Eastport, Maine. As the summer visitors leave, the Chocolate Moose empties out. Jacobia Tiptree and Ellie White, partners and best friends, find themselves closing in the midafternoon after a day without a single customer. Ellie is especially bummed because she's developing a new recipe for chocolate pizza that she's sure would be a hot item if only someone would brave the cold and come try it. Then, a bolt from the blue: Retired screen actress Ingrid Merryfield drives up in her stretch limo. The Eastport native has bought majestic Cliff House and wants to pay Ellie and Jake handsomely to provide late-night desserts for her housewarming party. Cliff House's creepy reputation gives the pair pause, but the gig offers them their best chance to keep the Moose open. So Jake enlists her daughter-in-law, Mika, and her stepmother, Bella, for the overnight stint. Naturally, Jake's cream-filled cupcakes aren't even half gone when guests start dying. Actor Gilly Blaine disappears over a cliff. Film critic Audrey Dalton's body turns up in an empty room. And while Jake wonders who's next, an unexpected storm topples a tree in the driveway, trapping everyone inside. Jake and Ellie brave the deluge in a Chris-Craft moored by the dock, then return for the rest of the Moose crew. Hours and gallons of rain later, they finally discover who has it in for Ingrid and her guests. And Then There Were None, only wetter. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Jake Tiptree and her friend Ellie White, proprietors of the Chocolate Moose, a chocolate-themed bakery located in the island village of Eastport, Maine, reluctantly agree to be the dessert caterers at aging film star Ingrid Merryfield's house party. They are not thrilled to be required to stay overnight at the dilapidated mansion, the site of previous murders by a madman, but the bakery needs a new furnace. They were right to be wary, as they are soon hearing strange noises, and the guests begin dying one by one. When a freak storm fells a tree, blocking the only entrance to the clifftop mansion and taking out phone service, Jake and Ellie must go to extraordinary means to rescue themselves and the rest of their staff--Jake's daughter-in-law and stepmother. Fast pacing and multiple plot twists move the over-the-top story along, and Graves makes good use of her coastal Maine setting. Believability suffers a bit, but fans of cooking mysteries will enjoy the baking frame, although it takes a back seat to the plot here.
