Cozy Mystery Review: A Smoking Bun | Ellie Alexander | Bakeshop Mystery #18

Ellie Alexander’s latest book in her Bakeshop Mystery series set in Ashland, OR sees pastry chef Jules’ growing extended family come to visit from Spain. Meanwhile a murder on the ski slopes threatens to upend everything in A Smoking Bun.

About the Book | A Smoking Bun

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?

Review | A Smoking Bun

I’ve read some of the books in Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mysteries, but I certainly haven’t read them all. A Smoking Bun is book 18, which is quite impressive! Typically I comment on whether a cozy mystery can be read as a standalone, and technically this one could (the mystery is solved within the book). However, I think reading this in the context of the series matters more in this case than some others, as we see Jules dealing with a lot of life challenges outside the mystery that will have a greater impact if you’ve experienced at least some of her character arc across the series.

Themes of mental health tie into the plot

“They say you should embrace the seasons of life […] 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.”

The book opens with Jules struggling to relax and enjoy life. Readers of the series will know that Jules is a great character, but she is a heavy character for a cozy mystery series. This isn’t the first book where the narrative is weighted down with her current issues (which is partly why so many love the series and it’s authenticity). This is a book where we see Jules tackling grief, anxiety, and reflecting on her journey of self-growth. Carlos has moved to Ashland, OR to be with Jules and his son Ramiro has been staying with them for the past six months. Ramiro’s family is coming to visit, and Jules is a bundle of stress (not only because of this).

Carlos and Jules have a checkered past in the series. I haven’t read every book and it seems that they are in one of the better places they have been the entire series in A Smoking Bun, but I can’t shake my dislike of him from some of his past behavior. Jules doesn’t seem to be having the same problem! In fact, I think she is most stressed that things seem to be going so well and this may mean they are ready for the next step—having their own children. More about that topic if you read the book!

“Baking is my escape from grief […] You know how they say that time heals all wounds? Don’t believe that lie—it doesn’t. […] Time changes us. Time morphs us. But for those of us who have loved and lost, grief comes with us.”

See what I mean by heavy? Jules is not the only person in this book dealing with grief and anxiety. She and another character bond over baking as a healing activity (this is actually a theme that has come up before in the series). That part of this story I found quite lovely. Jules has a big heart and she puts a lot of love into her baking.

The mystery picks up in the second half

If you are wondering why I haven’t touched on the mystery yet, it’s because the mystery felt secondary to everything else going on for the first half. It begins around 25% but doesn’t take off until a bit after that. The second half picks up pace as the investigation goes on and we learn more about the suspects and their backgrounds and motivations. The conclusion to the mystery does have a satisfying twist to it, and a few heart-pounding scenes to balance the heavier ones.

Food is a love language

As always with this series, I love to read about the food. Ellie Alexander has a talent for descriptive language. Towards the beginning, Jules and her team are making these beautiful stuffed buns with chickpeas and curried flavors that had my mouth watering reading it. I also love to read about Carlos’s food–Carlos is a chef (that’s how they met) and he also expresses love through food. This was the part of Carlos that won me back over!

Would I recommend it?

I did like this book this book, but with the caveat that I’ve read some of the series. Jules is a character I care about from other books, so opening with her in such a low place didn’t push me away. I am curious how this opening will read for those new to the series. Will Jules be able to win them over, even as she is processing a lot of emotions and negative energy?

I think A Smoking Bun is truly a gift for the longtime readers of this series. Jules has a growth arc during the events of this book that are setting her up to be in a much different place in the next book in the series. I also think if you’ve grown to care about Jules as a character and seen her ups and downs over the previous seventeen books, this story will hold a special place in your heart as it feels like her truly processing and releasing a lot of what is holding her down. By the end of the book, it feels like Jules is embarking on a new chapter with a much lighter spirit in mind. A lot of credit goes to Ramiro’s mother, Sophia. I actually thought the scene between her and Jules at the wine tasting was the best of the book, though it had nothing to do with the mystery.

Final Thoughts

The mystery itself is good. It almost felt like a mini mystery happening intertwined with everything else going on in Jules’s life. Reflecting, I’m glad the author gave the space it did to Jules’ struggles. I think this was needed for the series to be able to move on from it, and I have faith it will. I think it may also resonate with readers who have experienced blended or nontraditional families, as well as readers who have experience with periods of grief and anxiety over the future. Alexander is a talented writer and lends a lot of depth and authenticity to Jules’ story.

About the Series | Bakeshop Mysteries

This entertaining and delectable cozy mystery series is set in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and featuring an artisan pastry chef, Juliet Montague Capshaw (Jules), who has returned home to heal her broken heart and help run her family bakeshop, Torte.  All books include recipes!

About the Author | Ellie Alexander

Ellie 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 novels 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.

Find out more about Ellie and her books by visiting her website at: http://www.elliealexander.co/