Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton

Survival of the Fritters is the first book in Ginger Bolton’s Deputy Donut Mystery series.

Emily Westhill runs a famous donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, with her retired police chief father-in-law Tom and her tabby Deputy Donut. When one of the donut shop’s regular is found murdered in her own home, Emily’s curiosity is piqued.

Emily worked as a 911 operator before the death of her husband Alec. A month after he was fatally shot dead, Emily decided she could no longer work as a 911 operator. She started making donuts as a way to deal with her grief. She soon started making donut cakes for parties and the local police department recommended her to start a donut and coffee shop.

The victim’s (Georgia) death couldn’t come at a better time. It surprisingly coincides with the 5th anniversary of her son’s murder. Is the killer back in town? Georgia’s long lost friend Lois is Emily’s neighbor. She’s attacked at her home, possible by Georgia’s killer. As Lois and Emily start digging deeper into the case, they find all clues leading to one person. But Lois is pretty sure they are innocent – of course she would say that; the suspect is related to her.

What a fantastic cozy series debut. We have the right blend of character introduction, series-plot setting, scene setting, and mystery. I enjoyed reading this one and I am eagerly looking forward to catching up with the series.

The story begins with yet another normal day at Emily and Tom’s donut shop. But given his police training, Tom knows something’s not right. One of the Knitpickers, a knitting group that meets at the donut shop every day, hasn’t arrived. Instead, a new member has joined the group. She’s called Lois and she’s Georgia’s closest friend. But Georgia hasn’t made it to the shop today. That same evening, the group requests Emily to join them as they decide to visit Georgia’s home.

When they get there, Emily finds Georgia lying dead. There’s a doll stuffed in her mouth. Georgia was a doll doctor. On the floor lies a couple of donuts that Georgia had purchased that past weekend. Local police are called in and Emily’s friend Misty appears on the scene of crime first. Later, she tells Emily that Detective Brent is in charge of the case. Brent and Emily’s late husband Alec were partners. At the shootout, Brent escaped with minimal injuries while Alec succumbed.

Emily discovers that her next-door neighbor is Lois. She’s attacked in her own home and Emily is worried that the killer might strike again. Emily and Lois decide to dig deeper into Georgia’s murder. But all the evidence they find points to one person – but Lois is sure they are innocent, after all, she’s related to them.

Brent warns Emily about Lois – as she’s related to the main suspect and might put Emily’s life in harm’s way. But Emily’s curiosity gets the better of her. Emily gets closer and closer to finding the perp. She finally comes face-to-face with the killer. She must save herself before she becomes the next victim.

I loved the storytelling and the characters. The mystery kept me guessing till the end. We also have a couple of characters playing matchmakers – this was super cute. I really wish Emily starts dating again – Lois seems to have found a right match for her. *wink wink*

The killer’s identity hit me like a freight train. I was like, Woah! Since when did charming and handsome guys turn into murderers? I absolutely enjoyed reading every bit of this book. Emily’s pet is called Deputy Donut, Dep for short. How cute is that?

If you are looking to start a new cozy series, you might want to give Deputy Donut series a try. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next installment.

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