Publisher's Weekly Review
Graves's enjoyable sequel to 2018's Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake finds Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and her amateur sleuthing partner, Ellie White, struggling to pay the bills for their waterfront bakery, the Chocolate Moose, just before the start of the summer tourist season in Eastport, Maine. Jake and Ellie have more to worry about when the body of playboy Toby Moran turns up outside the Rubber Ducky Bar & Grille late one night with a near-empty chocolate milkshake cup from their shop lying by his side. Evidently, someone poisoned Toby's shake. Suspects include two friends of Jake and Ellie: Coast Guard captain Andy Devine, who argued with Toby in the Rubber Ducky earlier that night, and Andy's fiancAce, kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater, an ex-girlfriend of Toby's with good reason to despise him. To clear their friends' names, Jake and Ellie set out to identify the real culprit. Lively characters, an intricate plot, and enticing descriptions of Down East Maine make this cozy a winner. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Literary. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Gal pals try to rescue their sweet shop by solving a murder.Jacobia Tiptree (Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, 2018), known to fellow residents of Eastport, Maine, as Jake, is proud of The Chocolate Moose, where she and best friend Ellie White sell only the finest homemade confections, with a Down East touch, of course. If only the little shop made money. The friends have high hopes for rising sales when they install a machine that makes hand-spun milkshakes, complete with Ellie's secret ingredient. And they're looking forward to creating a wedding cake, based on the bride's favorite whoopie pie recipe, for kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater's wedding to hunk Andy Devine, of the Coast Guard. But the discovery of Toby Moran's corpse, accompanied by one of the Moose's signature shakes, can't be good for business. And when Andy is arrested for the murder of Moran, his fiancee's abusive ex-boyfriend, it looks like the wedding may be off, whoopie pie finale and all. Faced with the prospect of losing their dream, and with Ellie's husband's plan to move their family to Bangor once The Moose is closed, Jake and Ellie do what any self-respecting small-town shopkeepers would do: set out to crack the case themselves. But exonerating Andy and saving the wedding and The Moose may just put Jake and Ellie in the path of a killer who won't hesitate to strike again.Graves' second case of chocolate murder offers fans of the genre a trifecta of coziness: plucky heroines, sweet treats, and just enough puzzlement to keep you on your toes. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Jake Tiptree and her best friend, Ellie, are financially tapped out and in danger of losing their Eastport, Maine, bakery, the Chocolate Moose. The bakery might be able to limp along until the tourist season due to a wedding-cake commission, but when bad boy Toby Moran is murdered, with a poisoned Chocolate Moose milkshake by his side, groom-to-be Andy Devine is the chief suspect, making the upcoming wedding unlikely. Not believing Devine is guilty and wishing to save their business, Jake and Ellie investigate, with the tacit support of Eastport's police chief. However, soon a second murder occurs, and Jake and Ellie almost lose their lives before they identify the killer. Complicating matters for Jake, her elderly father is rebelling against the coddling he is receiving while he recovers from a recent heart attack. The various friendships and close family relationships of the well-drawn characters provide much of the appeal here, augmented nicely by the baking details and the vividly described small-town setting. Recommend this to readers of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone cozies and to those who enjoy mysteries with a baking frame.--Sue O'Brien Copyright 2019 Booklist
