Title:	Killing Me Soufflé: A Bakeshop Mystery
	Author:	Ellie Alexander
	Published:	February 25, 2025, Minotaur
	No. of Pages:	295
	Cover Price:	$9.99 Mass Market Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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Although I love good heavy-duty edge-of-your-seat thrillers by my favorite authors, sometimes I get too much suspense and want to read something a little lighter. There are dozens of good cozy mystery series by excellent authors. My favorites tend to be culinary mysteries, and most include recipes. One series I like to read is Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Series, with Jules, the protagonist who worked as a chef on a cruise ship with her husband before taking over her family business, Torte, a high end bakery in Ashland, Oregon. The 21st installment of this delightful series is Killing Me Soufflé, where two long-time employees Sterling and Stephanie have been hired to run the kitchen at the Whaleshead Resort on the coast. Although Jules, et al are saddened by their departure, Jules and her husband travel to the resort on opening day to support them and help. There is, of course, a murder, and Jules must work to solve the murder before one of her beloved employees takes the blame.

Alexander does a good job of building suspense while telling a light tale. She includes scenarios that are believable, and some that are dangerous. Most readers who are familiar with the series know the characters, since they have been well developed throughout the books. Alexander has a way of presenting the characters so they seem real, and even readers who don’t know the characters, will have enough information to know and understand them.

There are enough suspects that readers won’t know who did it until the very end. After the dénouement readers will be tempted to start cooking immediately, while waiting for the next installment. There are enough food references to keep readers of all ages hungry throughout. This is definitely a fun one.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.