Reviews

Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton

rebeccasreadingrambles's review

4.0

I love this series so much and really enjoyed this one! The best cat sidekick Dep plus Emily and all her friends make this town feel super cozy and like a wonderful place to live where everyone seems connected and comfortable. I can see myself sitting in Deputy Donuts on the patio and enjoying the arts festival. The mystery was enjoyable to follow and I love how Emily does not fall for red herrings easily and is cautious around anyone she suspects. I also love how everyone (including her hunky police fiancé Brett) encourages her, but also do their best to keep her from being alone and try to keep her safe. I was shocked by the ending (love that) and the final scenes have such a flare of drama that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. And a wedding! I am a SUCKER for a cozy wedding and this one had my heart eyes and I am already missing these characters.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy!

rants_n_reads's review

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

kentuckybooklover's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

4.25

tmleafs42's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

5.0

Another adorable mystery in the Deputy Donut series. This time we find Emily getting ready for her wedding to Brent, but in the meantime, she is helping out with the Fallingbrroks Arts festival with her parents. When an annoying bagpiper keeps interrupting performances, everything thinks he needs to be stopped, but someone decides to stop him permanently. While trying ro respect the wishes of her loved ones, Emily tries to stay out of the mystery, but is soon tempted and on the case. I really liked this story and the super sweet ending. I cannot wait for the next one!

kimdavishb's review

5.0

DOUBLE GRUDGE DONUTS is the eighth book in the Deputy Donut Mysteries by Ginger Bolton. With a fun week of events planned for the Fallingbrook Arts Festival, a mere two weeks before her wedding, Emily Westhill has her hands full baking up donuts at Deputy Donut. What she didn’t need was a disruptive bagpiper stirring up trouble with participants and keeping townsfolk awake at all hours of the night playing the pipes. Ms. Bolton sets the stage for a riveting murder mystery and delectable donuts with vivid descriptions and wonderful characters. I’ve enjoyed watching Emily progress over the course of the series (and while this can be read as a standalone, if you love character development, then start with the first book) and I was so excited to finally “see” her walk down the aisle. I also liked how her former in-laws and her parents were prevalent throughout the story and, of course, her feline, Deputy Donut, steals each scene she inhabits. In fact, Dep helps discover the victim and points to a vital clue!

Upon the discovery of the pesky bagpiper’s body, Emily gets pulled into the investigation. With her fiancé, Brett, being one of the detectives investigating the crime, Emily knows to be careful and to turn over any uncovered clue to law enforcement. I enjoy how Brett relies and trusts the information Emily finds and how he’s happy for her to call for backup anytime she feels the need. With suspects galore, there’s many people to question, and Emily is just the gal to do it with donuts in hand. People have a way of opening up to her that they wouldn’t with the police. The pacing was good, interspersed with running the donut shop and enjoying the cute festivities, especially the skits put on by the kids in town. As the suspects dwindle and clues point to a specific person, Emily tries to play it safe, but in the end takes some risks alongside her employee. The surprising twist at the reveal provided a heart stopping moment, and I couldn’t turn pages fast enough. When all was said and done though, the pieces fell into place and my questions were answered… just in time for Emily and Brett’s wedding!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thriftyloco's review

mysterious

5.0

 Double Grudge Donuts is a fun and enjoyable cozy mystery! I liked the small town setting in Wisconsin, and really enjoyed the sense of community that came across through the descriptions of the arts festival that was the background for the mystery.

This was a good mystery. An unlikeable and annoying musician is found dead near the start of the festival (and also near Emily's donut shop). Given that some clues may link back to her parents, of course she had to investigate! I liked that Emily has a more-than-friendly relationship with local law enforcement, that she shares any clues and theories with them, and that they accept her involvement.

There were lots of suspects, since the victim had either been mildly annoying or blatantly rude to a LOT of people in town/involved with the festival. It was fun watching Emily work at her donut shop and enjoy the festival while she also tried to solve the case. As an added bonus, Emily's wedding is coming up, and we are treated to a bit of related details along the way.

A tense and exciting scene near the end, plus an unusual use of technology, made this one a standout! 

dollycas's review

lighthearted mysterious

5.0

 

Dollycas's Thoughts

Fallingbrook, Wisconsin is hosting an Arts Festival. It is a week-long talent competition for all ages with different events each day. The contestants perform each day in front of the downtown businesses as a preview leading up to their performances for competition each evening. That has brought in a lot more business for the Deputy Donut Café keeping Emily, Tom, and their assistants busy. The other businesses are enjoying the extra foot traffic as well.

Then after an entertaining evening, the next day Emily and her tabby cat, Dep find one of the contestants, a bagpiper who had won 1st place, dead on their way to work. The man was murdered not far from her café with a piece of a Deputy Donut mug nearby.

It is also just 14 days until Emily and Brent's wedding. Most of the details have been taken but the last thing they needed was another murder investigation leading up to their big day. Brent is going to miss much of the festival but he has called in for help from the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. The agent that comes is not the one Emily was hoping for but the point is to solve the case as fast as possible so they can get to their nuptials. Feeling like someone is watching every step she takes, she knows she has to be careful not to become the killer's next victim.

_____

Ms. Bolton has created a marvelous group of core characters for this series. Emily Westhill is an astute amateur sleuth. She gets people to open up to her easily, especially when she comes bearing donuts. She ruminates on the clues until something makes them all into place. She and Brent have such a strong relationship built on trust and love. He knows she has great instincts and she knows to report back to him about everything she learns and theories she has. She also knows to call him when her sleuthing may be dangerous. Emily has a wonderful relationship with her former in-laws. She and Tom work together happily every day and Cindy is around a lot. Emily's parents are in town too and are judges for the arts festival. She also has a great group of friends that always have her back. The character that always steals the scene though is Dep, Emily's tabby cat and mascot of the cafe complete with places for her to play and lounge and a window to watch all the people coming in for donuts and coffee.

The mystery started out with several suspects but as Emily worked through the clues the number of suspects decreased. She couldn't make all the clues fall into place though.  I will admit I tossed a big clue to the side and forgot about it and Emily did too. She really did her best to be safe at all times by trying not to go anywhere alone and going to public places with a lot of people. But when the final clue started to fall into place she may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I definitely wasn't on board with the decision she made just a short time later but let me tell you what followed had me holding my breath and then the author threw in a jaw-dropping twist that greatly sped up my heart rate. It was an impressive showdown!

Thank you, Ms. Bolton, for allowing readers to attend Emily and Brent's wedding ceremony virtually. Your descriptions were perfect.

This series is so good. I have enjoyed every book and Double Grudge Donuts is a terrific continuation. I was entertained by marvelous characters and an excellent mystery, all set in my home state. Ms. Bolton creates a great balance of mystery, humor, and romance.

I am very excited to read the next book in the series, Blame the Beignets, set to be released on November 26, 2024, as Brent and Emily begin their married life together and to see what kind of mayhem they get mixed up in next. 

zoeamac's review

lighthearted mysterious

4.0

chewie_the_mouse's review

5.0

 First off, I should say that this is the eighth book in the series, but only the second one I've read. I didn't feel lost or like I was missing something at all. The author provided everything I needed to know to jump right in with this book; it works perfectly well as a stand-alone.

I really enjoyed the small-town setting. I loved the descriptions of local businesses, events, and people. In this installment, the murder takes place during the town's Arts Festival, so there were lots of interesting events for the reader to enjoy along with the characters.

The mystery itself was excellent! The victim was known to be annoying to virtually everyone, and just plain mean to some. As a result, there were plenty of suspects who had reasons to wish him harm. I enjoyed this variety of suspects, with motives varying from professional jealousy to interrupted sleep. The author provided a variety of motives and clues for Emily to investigate, and it was fun watching her try to figure everything out. Once all was revealed at the end all the clues the reader gathered along the way made sense, including a couple of things that initially seemed so innocuous as to not actually be clues.

I liked reading about main character Emily. She seems like a very real person, and one I'd love to know in real life. I particularly enjoyed her interactions with her (visiting) parents, and her relationship with her former in-laws. This time around, we are treated to Emily and Brent's wedding. I appreciated that the author took a few pages after the mystery ended to let readers observe a bit of the celebration.

I'm happily rating "Double Grudge Donuts" five out of five yummy slices of Provolone! 

cj_mo_2222's review

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Double Grudge Donuts is the newest in Ginger Bolton's Deputy Donut series. I have heard so many things about this series that I decided to jump right in with this latest book without reading the prior books. The author did a great job of gradually introducing the main characters so that those new to the series like me wouldn't be overwhelmed trying to catch up. 

The events of this book take place during a weeklong arts festival in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin and that makes a fun backdrop for the story. I like that instead of just telling readers this event was occurring, details about the various acts were given so you really felt like a part of it. I enjoyed getting to know Emily, the co-owner of the Deputy Donut Cafe, (named after her cat), and her fiancé Brent Fyne, who is a police officer. Sometimes Emily takes some unnecessary risks in investigating the murder of one of the arts festival participants who had several enemies. However, I liked that she regularly reported her findings and theories to Brent. 

One thing I missed out on by starting at the end of the series is Emily mentions a couple of times that her best friends are Samantha and Misty, but she doesn't spend a lot of time with them in this book. Since I really enjoyed this book, I plan to go back and catch up on some of the prior books when I can, so I hope to see more of their friendship. I liked the end of the book so much, so I know those who have been following the series regularly will love it! The book also includes some donut recipes that sound delicious, but too hard to make for my limited cooking skills. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy. My review is voluntary and unbiased.