"It's late spring in Juliet's charming hamlet of Ashland. Spotted deer are nibbling on lush green grasses in Lithia Park, the Japanese maples are blooming, and Torte is baking a bevy of spring delights--lemon curd cupcakes, mini coconut cream pies, grapefruit tartlets, and chocolate dipped almond Tuiles. Meanwhile, Juliet's friend Lance, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is taking center stage with his new theater troupe--the Fair Verona Players. Their performance in Uva's vineyard promises to be a ...
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"It's late spring in Juliet's charming hamlet of Ashland. Spotted deer are nibbling on lush green grasses in Lithia Park, the Japanese maples are blooming, and Torte is baking a bevy of spring delights--lemon curd cupcakes, mini coconut cream pies, grapefruit tartlets, and chocolate dipped almond Tuiles. Meanwhile, Juliet's friend Lance, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is taking center stage with his new theater troupe--the Fair Verona Players. Their performance in Uva's vineyard promises to be a modern, gender-bending twist on "The Taming of the Shrew," but as the curtain rises, so do the strange occurrences. Stage mishaps and internal bickering threaten to derail the production. But the real show begins when the leading actor, Jimmy Paxton, meets his final curtain call. Now, Jules is not only in the mix, but she's going to need to craft the perfect recipe for solving this theatrical whodunit."--Provided by publisher.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 336 p. Bakeshop Mystery, 19. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 336 p. Bakeshop Mystery, 19. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Condition: GOOD-Used with some wear from use. May include stickers on cover, missing or wear to dustcover, inside cover, spine, slight curled corners, stains, and wear to the fore edge. All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations-MAY TAKE UP TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS from first scan to be delivered.
Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander has Jules Capshaw stretched to her limits. Sticks and Scones is easy to read with leisurely pacing. I like that we got to spend time at Uva, the winery owned by Jules, Carlos, and Lance. It sounds like a beautiful place for an event. We get to catch up with all the regular characters and get to meet some new ones as well. The mystery was simple. I knew who would die, who would commit the deed, and where it would happen before it all took place. I had an inkling as to why, but I need to keep reading to gather more clues and get confirmation. Jules acted like a novice instead of someone who had solved a number of crimes. Lance, of course, was excited about having a puzzle to unravel and wanted Jules to join in on the fun. Sticks and Scones is the nineteenth A Bakeshop Mystery and, while the author does provide background details on Jules, Torte, Carlos, and the other characters, I believe new readers would find themselves confused in the beginning (the new details are spread out throughout the story). The story contains plenty of baking, cooking, eating, and coffee drinking. There are some changes coming and it will be interesting to see how they affect Jules along with the rest of the Torte family.
Lori
Aug 25, 2024
A TOP-NOTCH MYSTERY
Dollycas's Thoughts
It is a pleasure to be back in Ashland, Oregon. Juliet's friend Lance is taking on a new project â�"the Fair Verona Players. Instead of performing at the theatre, the new troupe's performance of a "modern gender-bending twist" of The Taming of the Shrew will be in a restored barn at UVA.� It hasn't been smooth sailing though. There have been some weird incidents and not the usual camaraderie among the cast and crew.
The curtain goes up on opening night, the cast kills it! Everyone is excited about future performances. Then Jimmy Paxton, the show's leading actor is found dead in the wine cellar. It was a packed house for the play. The cast and crew had access to the building. Jimmy was great on the stage but behind the scenes his "demeanor and disregard for boundaries was unsettling." Did he push someone too far? or did he have other enemies? Jules and Lance will ferret their way through the large cast of suspects to find who ended Jimmy Paxton's career just when it was set to take off.
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Ms. Alexander has created a wonderful core cast of characters for this series. The whole way Jules and her mother previously run their business creates such camaraderie among everyone working there. Carlos is the same way with his employees. They are one big happy family that revels in each other's success and helps in times of sorrow. There is a little shake-up happening within the pages of this story that proves this perfectly. It is easy to be invested in their lives. I would love to be part of this fantastic group of human beings.
The author has penned a very well-plotted and written mystery that she blends effortlessly with all the happenings in Jules's life. She also is an expert at adding humor in all the right places. I swear everyone Jules talked to had secrets, told lies, and/or omitted key details. No one seemed to be mourning the guy's passing. I had a blast following along with each clue and twist. Jules, Carlos, and Lance make a spectacular team, the takedown was great.
A lot happens in this book aside from the murder. The ending of the book again tugs at my heart. "That was life. Love, loss, food, family, and sharing a comforting meal around a table while raising a glass in toast to all good things yet to come." I totally agree.