Suzanne Hart owns Donut Hearts, a donut shop in small-town April Springs, North Carolina, She lives with her mother in the home she grew up in, and has made a nice life for herself after her divorce. But one day she finds her mother completely riled up by the mayor, who has done something no mayor should ever do, and decides to run against him in the upcoming election. But before that can happen, the mayor is discovered dead at one of her properties, and now Suzanne's mother Dorothy is a big suspect. When she asks her to help clear her name, how can she refuse? Even if it means going against her police inspector boyfriend Jake. But someone killed the man, and once you've murdered someone, it's a lot easier to murder again...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. I like the fact that it's not stagnating, and is moving right along. I also go back to older series every now and then because I know that the authors aren't going to throw their political beliefs in everywhere. It's sad, but I read to escape from reality, not have it pushed in my face. There's also a cute conversation about male writers using female pseudonyms, which is funny because of the author (who is very good, by the way).

Suzanne has several suspects to sift through, and none of them want to give her any answers, especially the ex-wife of the police chief, who is running against Dorothy. Not even Suzanne's donuts can open her up. But Suzanne has her posse of best friend Grace and retired cop George to help, and they all seem to glean information one way or another.

When the ending comes it is surprising in more ways than one, and there are changes for Suzanne that we will have to wait and see how it plays out. The narrative is lighthearted and playful, just as it's supposed to be. I really enjoyed the book and visiting with these characters again, and will continue on with this series. Recommended. ( )

Suzanne discovers her mom owns several buildings in town. Her mom is now running for mayor against the not so honest current mayor, Cam. Cam is discovered murdered in one of the buildings owned by Suzanne's mom and there are too many suspects, including the police chief and his ex-wife. ( )

A slow start here was followed by a solid middle act. The book ripened - that's the word I'd use, instead of bloomed - a bit late, but all things considered, it did just enough to earn three stars. So given my expectations, this book was a nice surprise. Cozy mysteries have mostly only temporary changes, but this series moves in unexpected directions. Killing the mayor of the town is no longer an original idea but it still makes for some exciting writing. Emma's quest for bettering herself ; that too was a segment that contributed to my enjoyment of this book. Finally I look forward to Peter Forgot the surname, Grace's current boyfriend. I look forward to him starring as the victim, should Jessica Beck's muse lead HIMSELF(Beck, not Peter) that way. PS I was amused by Beck's dedication in that he referred to his better half as spouse instead of giving the game away by writing 'wife'. Who is he trying to kid? ( )

“Fresh Meat” by Leigh Neely for Criminal Element

Suzanne Hart, the wonderful donut maker in April Springs, North Carolina, is truly excited when her mother decides to run against the town’s crooked mayor, Cam Hamilton. Dorothy Hart’s ire is stirred up when the mayor wins a bid for a county job—something Dorothy clearly sees as a conflict of interest.

The smug politician thinks there’s no way Dorothy can get the required signatures on her petition to run for mayor by the cutoff that afternoon. Not only does she make the deadline, she has more signatures than she would ever need as a great many people in town are pleased to see someone honest run for mayor.

Dorothy soon becomes the front-runner, but not in the mayoral race. She’s put at the top of the list of suspects when Mayor Hamilton is discovered murdered in a building Dorothy owns. That means Suzanne and her best friend Grace Gauge will be working on their own murder investigation when Suzanne’s not making donuts at her shop, Donut Hearts. Of course she has her own conflict of interest when her boyfriend, state police inspector Jake Bishop, comes to town to handle the investigation.

This is a delightful cozy mystery, and I had only one problem with it: donuts are a weakness of mine, and I craved them mightily while reading it, especially when I read Jessica’s mouth-watering donut recipes between chapters. Baked Chocolate Sugar Bombs is something I’m going to try to make myself.

Read the rest at: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/04/traditional-mysteries-cozy-fresh-me...