REVIEW: Caramel Glazed Murder

Caramel Glazed Murder
Author: Susan Gillard

Heather Shepherd really loves her bestie, Amy Givens. Amy is intelligent, a great employee, snarky in a fun way, a great friend.....and a murder suspect. Heather's doughnut shop is undergoing a renovation and expansion, so the crew is  doing deliveries and online orders only. Amy dutifully goes on a delivery run. Two extra thick chocolate milkshakes for Junior Buckle. Junior is a bit on the hefty side. Not just from doughnuts and milkshakes....but also because of his lifestyle. He's a video gamer. Well, he was a video gamer. After drinking his milkshake that morning, Junior Buckle is dead. Game Over. After passing her licensing exam to be an official private investigator, Heather comes in on the case as a consultant for the local police department, working alongside her husband, Ryan, a detective on the force. Who poisoned Junior Buckle? Heather knows it wasn't Amy and she is determined to prove it!

Caramel Glazed Murder is the 19th book in the Donut Hole Mystery series. The book are light, cozy mysteries of novella length. This series is great for a quick, cozy fix. The plots are usually simple and the story moves along at a quick pace. The doughnut shop theme is cute and enjoyable. Each book features a different type of doughnut on the front cover.

Pros: This series is entertaining and fun to read. Because they are short, the books are a quick, simple mystery fix. The characters are quirky and interesting. And doughnuts! mmmmmmmm :)

Cons: Lots of typos and other mistakes in this self-published series. For the most part, the errors are minor but it does pull me out of the story when I come across wrong words, misspelled words and mistakes. This is not a series to read for complex plots. At times, the story lines can seem a bit too simple, but it would be hard to wrap up a mystery in a hundred pages if it was more complex.

In the end, I read this series because I like the characters and the stories are great palate cleansers in between more complex novels. Sometimes I want to read a story just for entertainment, to relax and just enjoy reading. This series is perfect for that! I do end up craving a doughnut most of the time, but that's ok.

Caramel Glazed Murder is an enjoyable read. Heather finally gets her first real case as a consultant for the police department. No investigating behind her detective husband's back this time. She did do a couple things during her investigation that, in reality, might have hurt the police department's case. But, this is a cozy series.....I suspend reality for the most part and just go for it. I'm reading a couple thrillers right now, and needed a break. As usual, Heather and the gang are a perfect choice when I need a mystery that is just entertaining and not "heavy.'' Amy's snarky comments during interviews or Lilly and Dave the Dog's antics never fail to make me smile.

There are 60 books in the Donut Hole series, and 20+ more in the spin-off Oceanside series. I'm trying to catch up! :) Lots of reading to do!