Do you sometimes read a mystery book and find yourself just lost in the book so much that the characters, the setting and the overall tone of the book is so enjoyable that you are not even trying to solve the mystery? This just happened to me when I read The Survival of the Fritters, the first book in Ginger Bolton’s Deputy Donut Mystery Series which is the next book in my quest to cover some of the most popular and recommended mystery series. When I got near to finishing this book, I suddenly realized that the mystery was being revealed, and I had not even really tried to solve it myself!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the mystery in this book — far from it! Maybe it was just the mood I was in, but I was enjoying the writing and being in the small northern Wisconsin town of Fallingbrook so much, the ending just kind of crept up on me.
The story opens in the Deputy Donut donut shop. Emily Westhill, our sleuth, and her father-in-law, Tom Westhill (who was the ex-chief of police of the town) run the Deputy Donut shop. Emily is actually the widow of Tom’s son Alec, who was a police detective in the town until he was shot and killed on duty. Emily and Alec were only married four years before he was killed, and Emily is still in her twenties.
The little donut shop is frequented by many of the town’s people including quite a few members of the police force. Also often there are the Knitpickers, a group who, not surprisingly, are knitters. On this particular day, however, one of the regular Knitpickers, Georgia, was not there. By the end of the day, the Knitpickers had returned to the Deputy Donut shop in order to get Emily to go with them over to Georgia’s house to see what was wrong with her. Being a Cozy Mystery, of course, before long a body was discovered and Emily begins her side job of sleuthing!
The town has a lot of charm. Reading about Emily and her friends reminded me about why I enjoy Cozies so much. Emily has a wonderful little house. And she has a cat with the same name as her shop — Deputy Donut, which she shortens to “Dep” most of the time. Living right behind her in an identical house is Lois who has a long connection to Georgia. So Lois helps Emily with her snooping about. The town has a number of characters who could be involved with the murder(s), so if you are needing to practice your sleuthing skills, the clues and the suspects abound in this book.
But, as I said earlier, I was just along for the ride in this one — for once I left the solving of the mystery to the book’s sleuth! How about you, does this ever happen to you? (I don’t solve most of the mysteries in the books I read, but I sure do enjoy trying!)
By the way, the author has another very popular series that she wrote as Janet Bolin, the Threadville Mystery Series.
P.S. As always, if you are interested in reading some of the other entries about highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on the site.
Jane D says
I never can figure out whodunnit but I notice I do pay more attention to clues.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jane, I’d say I’m about the same most of the time! There are just some occasions when I let the analysis end slide a bit…
Jessica Elliott says
What a lovely review! Makes me want to read the book.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jessica, if you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy it!
Bek says
OH! We share a last name! If there’s a branch of your family that hails from Alabama/Tennessee, we may be cousins of some sort!
Miss Dawn says
First let me say your website is one of my favorites. I wish I had found it 27 years ago when I moved to Indiana. (Where around then?) Thank you for all the time you spend helping us mystery buffs. Second to answer your question, when we get lost in a book like the one you wrote about, the author has done an extraordinary job. Armchair sleuths that forget to try to solve the mystery and involved in a remarkable story.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Miss Dawn, I’m glad that you enjoy the site now – 27 years ago I wouldn’t have known anywhere near enough about computers to manage a site like this! (Even now I rely on my son and husband for most of my tech support issues…)
Teresa Springer says
I agree! I really loved the first book in this series because the writing was so well done. I loved the well rounded characters and the mystery was actually interesting. I will admit that the second book was a slight disappointment. The third was excellent. This series is on the top of my favorites.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Teresa, I’m sorry if the second ends up a disappointment, but it still sounds like a good series after all!
Jo Anne Y says
Thanks, I’ll have to add it to my wish list. Stay healthy.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jo Anne, you stay healthy too!
Cheryl says
A fun series. Light, fluffy, and sweet, just like a donut should be!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cheryl, that’s a good way to put it!
Tullita says
Hi Danna After reading your review I went straight to my local library site and checked it out. I do love a book where I get so into the characters that I don’t even try to solve the mystery. This sounds like it will be a good light escape. We can all use those every now and then. Thanks for the recommendation! Happy Reading
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Tullita, I hope you enjoy it!
Bek says
DANG IT, Danna! You GOT ME! Added to the list. Here we go again!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, I had a feeling you might pick this one up!
Amy says
Thank you for this write-up! I’m delighted to see Book #3 in the series is a Fourth of July, and #4 is a Halloween mystery – I can read #1 this month, #2 in June and be set for a seasonal mystery for the Fourth of July.
Yes, I have a spreadsheet 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Amy, that sounds like a good timing to read the entries! And I used to have a word document to keep track of what I needed to read or buy – now I have a website instead!
Marianne says
I love finding a new series. Thanks for the recommendation!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marianne, you’re welcome!
Susan* says
Looks like I’m in the minority here. 🙂
I read for escape and enjoyment and prefer to just let the story carry me along without bothering to try and work out ‘whodunnit’.
Occasionally, of course something jumps out at me, and I know who’s responsible well before the end, but most of the time I’m happy to just go with the flow and enjoy being somewhere else for a while.
Lazy, maybe, but I like it.
Happy Reading everyone!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan, there’s nothing wrong with just sitting back and enjoying a book!
Rob Jarrad says
Danna: That being said, I enjoy the CHeese shop mysteries with Avery Aames and Gerber’s cookbook series under her own name. Both series very good and letting the heroine solve the mystery and going along for the ride! Just finished Cheese Shop’s Days of Wine and roquefort! Very tasty if you’ll pardon the pun.
Pat D says
I agree totally! I just like reading the story and I am usually surprised to find out whodunnit!
Bek says
I, for one, get that, Susan. I want a book that captures my imagination with characters and setting. I’ll find myself thinking, “Well, maybe Mr. X,” but it isn’t my primary goal. My primary goal is to enter a world that interests me and meet people that I either love or love to hate.
LOL, having now met a lot of characters from a lot of fictional places, I’ve decided that living in (fictional) small towns is dangerous. The per capita murder rate in fictional small towns is through the roof!
Susy S says
I do read for characters and story, but my brain is wired to untangle problems, as a result, I can usually figure out who done it by the time I get to the last hundred pages. I do enjoy it when I am not able to do this, and I find that if I read two or three books in a row by the same author, my odds of figuring it out sooner increase.
Reading cozies is not really about solving the crime, but about the people and the places. It is an excellent form of escapism.
Susy S says
I haven’t tried any of these YET, but Ginger Bolton is on my try one list. I have read her Bolin series and these sound like fun. If I can ever get to my used bookstores again, I will have to pick up some of her books.
This time off from the world has been adding a lot to my ‘Wishlist’ and reducing my TBR list. There are those authors/series I buy as soon as they come out, but not being able to get to the bookstores is really helping my volume come down.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susy, I hope that you enjoy this series as well! I’m always glad to be able to give you a way to add to the wishlist, even if you’re more able to keep it under control since you’re reading more.
Susy S says
Since books and reading are clearly an addiction for me, I have no control, I just go with the flow.