Survival of the Fritters
Written by Ginger Bolton
Narrated by Emily Durante
4/5
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About this audiobook
Disturbingly, Georgia's demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son's murder, a case Emily's late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man's life at stake, Emily's forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone's alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can't trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .
Ginger Bolton
Ginger Bolton is the pseudonym of an Agatha-nominated cozy mystery author. She is the author of Survival of the Fritters and Goodbye Cruller World in the Deputy Donut Mystery series, and is very fond of donuts, coffee, and coffee shops that encourage patrons to linger and chat. Ginger lives in a rural area surrounded by cozy villages. When she isn’t reading, writing, or daydreaming while gazing out windows, she walks her dogs, plays an electric piano (she uses earphones so as not to frighten the wildlife), creates minor disasters in her kitchen, and, very occasionally, takes part in local amateur theater productions, which, intended or not, become comedies.
Related to Survival of the Fritters
Titles in the series (3)
Survival of the Fritters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goodbye Cruller World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jealousy Filled Donuts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Survival of the Fritters
38 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This cozy appealed on multiple levels before I even read the description. The title of the cozy sounded enticing and anyone that has ever lived with a feline can easily relate to viewing a little paw or two, a cute little nose, and those inquisitive eyes when he/she must stretch to peek over the edge of a table to get a closer view of that interesting whiff as it might just be something delicious to warrant a taste.I was especially delighted to read in the "Acknowledgements" that the author specifically named and credited Kensington Publishing team members "Kris Noble for the cover design, and artist Mary Ann Lasher for the adorable cat and donut shop on the cover." It is this reader's wish that creative and talented individuals would receive credit for cover design and art work more often if at the very least on the copyright page of all books.How could one not enjoy meeting the character of Tom Westhill, a retired police chief who has opened a donut shop not far from the police station so it is easy for officers to come in during their breaks? Deputy Donut is owned by Tom and his daughter-in-law Emily and all are supervised daily by Emily's cat. The donut shop was named after the cat so to avoid confusion the tabby's name was shortened to Dep.Particularly as Tom was a detective in earlier years before becoming the chief it was wonderful that Tom didn't become the main sleuth of the series. Emily as sleuth with Tom focused on those donuts was perfect. That's not to say there's not a handsome detective on the scene that has a unique connection to Emily with more possibilities of a deeper connection in future books. I also loved the group of knitters that visit the donut shop during the week called the "Knitpickers." Add to the mix the girlfriends of Emily and it's a great group and reminds one of how special friends are of varied ages and at every age of our lives.For those that love to bake there are several recipes at the back of the book.As an introduction to a new series and to the writing of author Ginger Bolton I found this a charming addition to my list of cozy mystery series favorites! I'll definitely spend more time in the future with Emily, Tom, and Dep! I hope you will too!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Survival of the Fritters is the first book in the Deputy Donut Mystery Series. Emily is a widow whose police officer husband was killed on the job. She owns and operates a donut shop in Fallingbrook Wisconsin with her father-in-law, a retired police chief. The shop is named after her cat, Deputy Donut (Dep). Emily is a former 911 operator, who quit her job after her husband died. This small town has its own group of knitters, that meet up every weekday morning at the shop. When one of them fails to show up at Deputy Donuts one Monday, Emily and the members of the group become concerned. When they head over to her house and find her dead on the kitchen floor, Emily and her new neighbor, Lois, get involved in the case. As well, the woman's son was murdered 5 years earlier. Could their deaths be related?
I enjoyed the mystery and the small town atmosphere. I was a bit disappointed in the character development in the book. As this is the first in the series, I am hoping that the characters will become more developed and therefore, more relatable. Emily is a good protagonist. With her background as a 911 operator and the fact that she was married to a police detective, she has some good skills to investigate. We really did not get to know Tom, her father-in-law, at all. I hope we learn more about him and his relationship to Emily and his family. There are a lot of other characters that are interesting and as we get to know them, can make this small town come alive for the reader. There are some interesting recipes at the back of the book that look easy and rather delicious. The plot was interesting and at first thinking that these deaths could be related with five years between them seemed rather unbelievable, but the author did a great job pulling this off with an interesting twist. I did not figure out who the murderer was until just before the author revealed it, which always makes for a good ending. I recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers, especially those who enjoy culinary mysteries with recipes. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Former 911 operator Emily Westhill has opened a successful donut shop with her father in law and former police chief Tom. Deputy Donuts caters to all of the locals, including many of the cops in this small Wisconsin town that the two used to work beside. Deputy Donut has a loyal customer base, and when one of the Knitpickers, Georgia goes missing, Emily helps the ladies look for her. When they discover her body, the small town is rocked by another murder. Five years earlier, Georgia' s son had been murdered. With the help of her new neighbor and new Knitpicker Lois, Emily hopes to uncover what happened. I think this series is off to a good start. There were a lot of suspects floated through the story. Some of the characters could still use some more rounding out, but hopefully by the next book, we will get a better feel for who will be the main set of recurring characters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a great start to a promising series. I love little towns and reading about the people who live there. Emily is the perfect character for this series. She is sweet and loves being part owner of Deputy Donut. I just love that name for a shop. It sounds inviting and oh my the smells of delicious coffee brewing would drive anyone to her shop. She offers the most tantalizing donuts around and her regular customers are an assortment of fun characters.I loved being introduced to the Knitpickers. What a wonderful assortment of older women who brighten the shop each day they are there. When one of the members doesn’t show up for their morning get together, the group becomes concerned. Georgia is always punctual and her tardiness is very suspicious. The author does a great job of leading us up to the murder with little clues that are hidden cleverly in hints throughout conversations. I was saddened by who was found dead because I wanted to get to know her better, She sounded so nice and fun to be around.The author takes us on an adventure where suspects seem to come out of the woodwork. I kept thinking I knew who it was, but the author does a great job of adding details that make me start suspecting others. I liked the underlying story of Emily and Brent. This relationship has some history that is tragic and keeps them at arms length. I’m cheering for them to reconcile and deal with the past, but will it happen? The story is well written and I didn’t want it to end. It’s a great adventure and I loved the twists that the author throws in to keep readers on the edge of their seat. Don’t miss this first in a series that is action packed. The author has included recipes at the end of the book that you don’t want to miss.I received a copy of this book from The Goodreads Giveaway Program. The review is my own opinion.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton is the first book in A Deputy Donut Mystery series. Emily Westhill co-owns Deputy Donut with Tom Westhill (her father-in-law) in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Emily has been a widow for three years and gave up her job as a 911 operator after the death of her husband. Emily greets the Knitpickers (a group of women who meet at Deputy Donut) and their newest recruit Lois Underlaw. They are missing Georgia Treetor who runs the local doll hospital. At the end of the day when no one has heard from Georgia, the Knitpickers along with Emily head to Georgia’s home to check on her. They find the kitchen is a disarray and Georgia dead. It turns out that Georgia was killed on the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder. It is the one case Emily’s husband, Alec was unable to solve. Are the cases linked? When Lois’ nephew, Randy becomes a prime suspect, Emily starts nosing around for clues. Thanks to Emily leaving her fingerprints all over the crime scene, Detective Brent Fyne (Alec’s old partner) is taken off the case. Yvonne Passenmath from Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation is brought in to handle the case. This does not bode well for Emily since Yvonne dislikes her. Emily soon uncovers a connection between the deaths. Follow Emily as she follows the clues to uncover a killer in Survival of the Fritters.Survival of the Fritters is nicely written, the characters are developed (with room for growth in future books) and there is a clever, adorable cat. The author took the time to set the stage for the book which I appreciate. I found that the pace varied throughout the book (sometimes steady and other times it was slower). I did find there was repetition especially regarding the handsomeness of some of the men (especially Detective Brent Fyne). The stage is set for a possible romance between Emily and Brent in the future if Emily is willing to move on after the death of her husband. You could feel the chemistry between Emily and Brent (it was palpable). Another example of reiteration is Emily would uncover details of the mystery. She would then discuss them with Lois and then repeat the details to Brent. These sections felt like filler and were unnecessary. These discussions went along with the speculation over who could have committed the crime. I would have liked more investigation and action (instead of the case being rehashed multiple times). The mystery was interesting (nicely developed) and there were some good clues. I believe many readers will be surprised by the identity of the killer (avid mystery readers should have it solved out before the solution is revealed). I was not a fan of DCI Yvonne Passenmath. There seems to be a trend to have unlikeable cops in cozy mysteries and I hope it ends soon. Yvonne resents Emily for taking Alec away from her (there was nothing between them) and dislikes Tom for not promoting her when he was chief of police (she was lacking in skills and everyone is amazed that DCI hired her). There are some delectable donut descriptions in the book and recipes are included at the end. I am giving Survival of the Fritters 3 stars. The next book in A Deputy Donut Mystery series is Goodbye Cruller World.