Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed on 5/6/2023 + 704 more book reviews

Dollycas's Thoughts

We are back in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin just before Christmas and the town is all decked out in holiday finery including the annual Ice and Light Festival and festive donuts at Deputy Donut and an ice-carved holey Frosty the Donut/Snowman. The festival is always a highlight in the area and this year a tour group from Green Bay has included it as a stop on their itinerary.

Unfortunately, a blizzard moves in and the tour bus goes off the road and crashes. The driver is badly hurt and others have minor injuries, but all the passengers are shaken up and cold and in need of a place to stay. The wonderful people of Fallingbrook open their homes to take the passengers in.

The next morning on her way to work Emily noticed their Frosty the Donut has been toppled and was shocked to find the dead frozen body of the bus driver buried under it. She knew several of the passengers were angry about the crash and even thought the driver may have been intoxicated but was someone upset enough to kill him?

Emily knows the case must be solved before the tourists head for home so she vows to help Detective Brent Fyne solve the case. Her own houseguest, Paige, the tour guide may be able to provide a lot of answers unless she is the one that left the driver out to freeze.

Emily Westhill, her cat Deputy Donut, her father-in-law and business partner Tom, Detective Brent Fyne, and his dog Ivan along with all the welcoming residents of Fallingbrook shine within these pages. They opened their homes and businesses to help a group of people they had never met and included them in their holiday events. These characters are so genuine and have developed so well over the course of this series. I love that the author has let Emily take her time dealing with her husband's death and setting her own pace in changing her relationship with the good detective. It feels natural and makes all her relationships and interactions true to life.

The death of the bus driver shakes up the holidays and there turns out to be a surprising number of suspects. Fyne has his hands full but he really wants Emily to leave the case to him but six books in we know Emily just can't do that. She does have a way of getting people to open up and she has keen instincts. Instincts that sometimes put her and her friends in danger. Ms. Bolton has given her character so much depth and it is a real treat to follow along with her step by step as she puts clues together and still be totally surprised when that final clue falls into place. I was just that, totally surprised when all was revealed, and I enjoyed the exciting showdown so much.

The author's descriptive talents really take the reader right into each scene. I have endured winters in Wisconsin my entire life and she captures it perfectly. It was also very easy to envision the ice sculptures, all the happenings at Deputy Donut, the fire station, and Detective Fyne's new cabin. A lot of fun and all the drama was painted so clearly in my mind.

With fabulous characters and a fantastic mystery Deck the Donuts is my new favorite in this series. I am not sure how I missed it when it was released. The only good thing is that now I don't have to wait for the next book Cinnamon Twisted to be released. It is waiting impatiently on my Kindle.

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