Éclair and Present Danger (An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery)

I want to make it abundantly clear, I am a fan of Laura Bradford's work. I love her "An Amish Mystery" series and have enjoyed her Sewing Circle series written as Elizabeth Casey. It's because of those series, that I pre-ordered Eclair and Present Danger. To say that I was disappointed with this entry would be an understatement. Bradford is a talented writer and her other characters quirks, challenges and warmth are written with a deft hand. This book which was more of a character study than a cozy mystery hits the reader with a sledgehammer. Even as I write this review, I am ambivalent about the main protagonist, Winnie. When we finally get to know why she has such an affinity for her elderly neighbors, the reader is almost past caring AND yet we're told about her comfort with them over and over again. The long running joke about Mr. Parker and his hearing aids, gets old fast. Full disclosure: my husband wears aids only when he's outside our home. Needless to say the misunderstood questions, comments because he didn't quite hear what I said gets old fast. And sure as heck did in this book.

When i read a cozy mystery, and I am a devoted fan of the genre, I'm prepared to suspend some realism for the sake of plot development. However, the absence of any meaningful police presence in this novel just defies logic. There are other plot elements that are problematic for me but I won't disclose for fear of landing firmly in the spoiler column. I believe in reading at least 2 books in a series before I decide not to continue. So I'll give the 2nd book a shot, although the short excerpt I read at the close of book 1 -- made me sigh.

I am a fan of Laura Bradford's books and I couldn't wait to read her new series. This first book did not disappoint and left me eagerly wanting to read the second installment right away!
The main character, Winnie, is down to earth, caring and literally a girl next door type and I would like to have her as my BFF if she was real. I found myself rooting for her throughout the book and want her new venture to be a success.
The descriptions of the desserts made me hungry and I literally LOL with the names of the tasty treats. I especially liked the fact that there are recipes included in the back.
The mystery itself had twists and turns and I didn't expect it to be the person that it was. I always thought, "yes, it's got to be...." only to find out I was wrong.
If you are looking for a new series don't hesitate to try this one! Bon Appetite!

I love this author's writing, and I have told her as such through Facebook. Her characters have meaningful bonds with one another and their personalities are well described through experience and back-stories that don't overshadow the main narrative. I love the "Emergency Dessert Squad" theme. Books like this and her other series about the "Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries", remind me of a "Murder She Wrote" time in television. I read books like these now because TV today just doesn't cut it for me. Except for maybe "The Crown" and "Downton Abbey".
There is virtually no violence, except for when the main character might be in peril when discovering the true murderer. And even then, it's not violent. She discovers a body, not graphically depicted. Okay, the cat hisses at her or has scratched her. That's about the most violence you will find. No curse words, and kissing is the only sexual content.

Reading the book blurbs I expected something a lot livelier than what was provided. Mystery was lackluster, way too much teenage-level fretting about cute guys, and not even a cursory nod to the realities of setting up a small business. I read a lot of cozy mysteries, and this one was not a series I will continue to follow.

The premise of emergency dessert delivery sounded cute but was not carried out believably (make a living by making a dessert one at a time and delivering it?). The characters were cliche and the finale just happened at the end while the big clue was not even investigated until a few casual remarks led to the leading lady acting stupidly. Plus, the fact that the leading lady preferred living in an area that was almost assisted living did not make her interesting for me. I'm not sure that a second book in the series would fix these problems.

First, the things I liked about the book were the concept of an emergency dessert delivery service and the fact that some of the main characters are seniors. My biggest issues with the book were the total lack of any police presence or investigation and the confrontation between Winnie and the killer. Characters who are TSTL annoy me. However, I enjoyed the book enough that I will give the next book in the series a chance.

Winnie Johnson's bakery is closing up and hopes of an inheritance from an elderly neighbor lead to the puzzling ownership of a vintage ambulance and a cat that seems to hate Winnie. Obviously, neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher thought Winnie would be a good steward of these items. Living on a street named Serenity, Winnie's area of Silver Lake skews elderly, as do most of her close friends, including downstairs neighbor Mr. Nelson and nearby Bridget.. When a newly widowed neighbor appears to be suffocated, Winnie's street, named Serenity, takes on a new cast. Mr. Nelson and Bridget are her biggest cheerleaders as her idea to deliver desserts, made in her home kitchen, in emergency situations via ambulance. With former employee Renee at her side, they figure out how to rig up the ambulance and create clever names for the desserts. It grows quickly into a fun business model that actually begins to take off like crazy in the book. The mystery is hinted at all along, but not necessarily the main focus of the book until the end, when everything comes together. I really liked the beginning of what I hope will be a long running series.

Being familiar with author Laura Bradford’s writing, I was intrigued to check out her new series. It’s even more entertaining than I anticipated.
Bradford combines scrumptious desserts with a vintage ambulance, wacky characters and a fascinating plot for a delightful read. The setting pulls you in, but it’s the suspense and characters that hold you captive until the end.
The characters are realistic and well-developed. Protagonist Winnie Johnson has traits and quirks readers can relate to like the on-going conversation she has with herself in her head. The humor and touch of romance blend well with the suspense.
A steady moving mystery, ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER will have you craving baked goods as you try to uncover the killer before Winnie. Toss in a not-so-loving cat named Lovey, a vintage ambulance as a delivery van and this quirky cast of characters are off to a great start in a delectable new series. Tasty dessert recipes are included as an added bonus.
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Some ideas are so outstanding, it’s hard to believe that no one has done them before. One of those is the basis of Laura Bradford’s new series, the Emergency Dessert Squad. Heck, I’m surprised no one has done this in real life. The series begins with Eclair and Present Danger, and it is off to a good start.

Winnie Johnson is having a bad day. It’s the day she is having to close her bakery due to a huge rent hike. Her only hope is an inheritance from a friend, but all she gets are the friend’s cat and the antique ambulance that the friend’s husband had restored. Even the cat can’t make things better since it seems to love everyone but Winnie, who it constantly hisses at. Of course, her day isn’t as bad as that of her neighbor Bart Wagner. When she goes across the street to deliver a peach pie to him, she finds him dead on the kitchen floor.

Bart was eighty-six years old and has just lost his beloved wife; however, it is very clear he was murdered. The pillow over his face makes that obvious. But Winnie can’t help but wonder, just who would kill an old man like that?

Are you wondering about just how the emergency dessert squad fits into all this? As Winnie is talking to her neighbors, she gets the idea to reopen her bakery as a mobile operation, using her new ambulance to take care of emergencies that could be improved with some desserts. The creativity shown in the dessert names and delivery and the use of the ambulance is outstanding and tons of fun. Seriously, I could see this catching on in real life if someone tried it. It’s that great an idea.

Unfortunately, I did find that getting the new business up and running did detract from the mystery at times. Further complicating things is Winnie’s romantic life. That’s not to say that the mystery isn’t good. There are several viable suspects before Winnie follows the clues to the logical killer. It’s just that the pacing could have been better.

And these new characters are outstanding. Winnie lives in a neighborhood with several elderly people, and a couple of them are her close friends. This twist sets up some great relationships, and the characters are already strong. I can’t wait to spend more time with them. I can already see how some relationships could grow in future books, and I am looking forward to seeing if I’m right. Winnie can be a bit rash at times, but hopefully that is something she will grow out of as the books progress.

If your mouth is drooling from all the talk of delicious desserts, you’ll be glad to know there are three recipes in the back of the book. No, we don’t get one for eclairs, but do have recipes for You’re a Peach Pie, Worry No s’More Bars, and You Are One Smart Cookie. See what I mean about the fun and creativity that went into this idea?

As soon as I get the call that the next in this series is out, I will be racing to read it. Meanwhile, you need to rush out to pick up Eclair and Present Danger. This is a debut you will be thankful you got the call to read.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Have you been dumped? Have a broken heart?Fired from your job? Going through menopause? Then it's a case for Winnie Johnson's Emergency Dessert Squad. Her dessert menu will cater to your every life disaster and center around emergency life situations that need the comfort of a yummy and sweet dessert that Winnie bakes and delivers to you in her vintage Emergency Dessert Squad ambulance that she inherited from a friend that passed away after she lost her bakery.

Winnie also inherited Lovey,a brown and white tabby cat that loves to hate Winnie but loves to ride along in the ambulance on deliveries. Since childhood Winnie has found solace in friendships with the elderly and finds she relates to them more than people her age. Her friend Bart, the one she inherited the vintage ambulance from, Winnie finds murdered, suffocated with a pillow over his head.

Bart was a nice man but had a temper and with his step-son putting up his home for sale before he is even in the ground and a pageant mom who has a score to settle after her daughter is hurt on his property after trampling on his flower bed. With a potential new romance in a new customer, Jay Morgan and Bart's Valuable coin going missing there's a new reason to want Bart dead and Winnie wants to find justice for her friend Bart and sets out to find her friend, Bart's killer when Winnie finds herself in danger it's her true friends that save her in the end.

Such a unique foodie concept for a new cozy mystery series. Clever dessert names and heartwarming characters made this a new and exciting first book of a new series. Winnie was such a relatable character. I totally understood her reasons for what friends she chose in her life and her love for baking and the recipes will be added to my collection. Eclair and Present Danger and this series are going to be a new favorite among cozy mystery fans, myself included.

FTC Disclosure Thank you to the publisher and/or author or Net Galley for providing us with a copy of this book for review.This did not influence our thoughts in any way. All the opinions of the book are our own.