This was basically my very first cozy mystery and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The mystery is set up nicely and amateur sleuth, Phyllis, reminds me of Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote (one of my favorite shows back in the day). She is known around town as "the woman who solved all those murders," much to the dismay of the police, most likely because it seems she tends to show them up. I can certainly say that I was kept guessing about who committed the crime...there was no figuring this one out! I will say that no one should read this book on an empty stomach or if you're on a diet. Phyllis and her roommate, Carolyn, are constantly baking yummy treats and cookies. I felt like I could reach into the pages and grab one of Phyllis's German Chocolate Cookies and eat one myself. I wish! I was so pleased when I discovered that there are recipes that Phyllis prepared in the story at the back of the book. I'll definitely be trying them out. In all, this book was a wonderful read at Christmas, even if it surrounded solving a murder. I'm thinking I will definitely be checking out more of Livia's Fresh-Baked Mysteries in the future. ( )

This is a nice cozy mystery with recipes, starring an older lady as the sleuth, a retired school teacher. She reminds me a bit of Miss Marple, always coming across murders without looking for them, with a friendly relationship with some of the police, while other official police investigators find her annoying.
The solution to this mystery is not too obvious, and all the information is present in the text for the reader to work it out alongside, or even before the sleuth, despite lots of red herrings. ( )

It's December in Weatherford, Texas. The Christmas season is upon everyone. Retired schoolteacher Phyllis Newsom is busier than ever this year. She is planning the Christmas Eve shower and New Year's Eve wedding of her boarder and fellow retired teacher, Eve Turner. Phyllis is also busy mixing up her German chocolate cookies to enter into the newspaper annual cookie recipe contest. Although her plate is full, Phyllis agrees to help out Georgia Hallerbee, the organizer of the Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes. Each year, around a dozen homes in Weatherford are elaborately decorated for Christmas, inside and out. Guests pay a small fee for the privilege to tour the homes, and the proceeds go to local civic organizations. This year, a participant had to drop out of the Jingle Bell Tour due to illness, and Georgia wants Phyllis to put her home on display for the tour. Even though it means she has less than a week to prepare, Phyllis and fellow boarders Carolyn Wilbarger and Sam Fletcher help get the house ready for the tour.

On the night of the Jingle Bell Tour, Phyllis's doorbell rings. When she goes to answer the door, Phyllis hears a tremendous crash and shattering. She opens the door to find one of her large outdoor ceramic gingerbread men shattered and Georgia Hallerbee lying unconscious in a pool of blood. It is obvious someone hit Georgia over the head with one of Phyllis's decorative gingerbread men.

Unable to take an assault happening right on her doorstep, Phyllis jumps into investigating the case with Sam Fletcher. She learns there are people on the Jingle Bell Tour of Homes who do not have alibis for the night of the crime. Also, since Georgia was an accountant and tax consultant, she could have had privy to knowledge of financial wrongdoing. Phyllis seems to hit dead end after dead end as alibis are produced and proven and struggles to get to the bottom of the case.

Phyllis must continue ahead in her preparations for Eve's wedding all while investigating this heinous crime. As days go by and Georgia does not regain conscious, it is looking like the charges may soon be upgraded to murder. Can Phyllis catch a killer, pull off a shower and wedding, and still have time for a little Christmas spirit?

Having read the previous books in this series, I was already familiar with Phyllis and her boarders. Even though I read this book in March, it was a nice, seasonal read and reminded me of Christmas time and Christmas lights. I did not guess the identity of the murderer and enjoyed the story overall. The recipes at the end of the book are sure to please the foodies out there. This is a great addition to the Fresh-Baked Mystery series. ( )

Another good one! ( )

The Gingerbread Bump-Off is so titled because a garden figurine is the murder weapon. I've had quite some expectation from this series. It was a pleasure to read and watch the plot unfold. It was brilliantly told. The author took her time to place the event of the murder. The amateur detective Phyllis went onto the wrong track, due to circumstances and to being misled purposefully by the murderer.

The last chapters were so suspense laden! It felt like a movie, a good movie at that. When there were only a few pages remaining, one knew that the solution would soon be announced. The great thing about this book is that the small clues to the solvency of the case were not hidden. I love when a devious murder is solved by a righteous person. There's something appealing about it. I'm going to read the remaining books and then I'll be watching like a hawk regarding any new books being printed. ( )