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The Avid Reader
, October 12, 2023
(view all comments by The Avid Reader)
Baking Spirits Bright by Sarah Fox takes us back to Larch Haven, Vermont where Becca Ransom is entering the Third Annual Baking Spirits Bright competition. Larch Haven is a unique town. It is a cross between a cozy Vermont town and Venice with the canals. Becca is getting the hang of being a chocolatier. The luscious descriptions had my mouth watering. Competition brings out the bad side in individuals. Irma, the perpetually grouchy owner of the local bakery, is found dead before the final round in the competition. Becca switches her Tam O’Shanter for a deerstalker cap and begins sifting through the clues. Becca needs to be careful, or she could get burned. I figured out the mystery before Irma was murdered. I felt that there needed to be more clues along the way to help lead readers to the guilty party. I would have loved a twist. There is some action to spice things up. The whodunit is neatly wrapped up at the end. One of my favorite characters is Lolly, Becca’s grandmother. She is a sweet, warmhearted woman. There is some romance as well. It seems that Becca’s old schoolgirl crush might finally reciprocate her feelings. I could have done with less repetition. The author captured the chilly climate of Vermont in the winter. Baking Spirits Bright is a merry mystery with chocolate confections, a butchered baker, a distinctive stranger, taking a tumble, gossip girls, and enlightening notes.
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