Donut selling amateur sleuth Suzanne Hart is back in POWDERED PERIL, the eighth book in the Donut Shop Mystery series. In this outing, Suzanne's best friend Grace breaks-up with her cheating boyfriend just hours before he is violently murdered. Not surprisingly Grace is a prime suspect, not to mention the other women Peter Morgan was cheating on/with. As Suzanne and Grace work to uncover the killer, Peter's true nature is revealed as the number of suspects grows.

POWDERED PERIL brings back all the residents of April Springs we've come to know and love. I always enjoy seeing what all these familiar characters are up to. Not much has changed this go around, and that's one of the problems I had with the story. The sleuthing felt a bit perfunctory with Grace and Suzanne going from person to person and place to place asking questions but there wasn't much urgency, mystery, or personal revelations. Even Grace felt rather disconnected from the events though it was all happening around her. I'm not sure how you shake things up without upsetting readers, but I was left craving some big changes for Suzanne and the people of April Springs. In regards to the mystery, there were some good twists and turns. Jessica Beck provides lots of plausible suspects so I was left guessing until the end.

Book Summary

It’s hard to keep a secret in April Springs—especially when it involves a no-good cheater like Peter Morgan. Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart has tried to be civil with the guy, since he’s dating her best friend Grace. But when Grace shows up at her doorstep—sobbing—Suzanne’s the first to admit she’s glad the relationship is over. She’s also the first to spot the footprints leading to Peter’s dead body…

Instead of the usual morning donuts, the police are busy rounding up suspects and sifting through clues: Why did Peter splash yellow paint on Suzanne’s shop window before he was murdered? How angry was Grace when she learned that her boyfriend was two-timing (or three- or four-timing)? Suzanne is willing to bet dollars to donuts that her friend is innocent. Now she has to prove it—before the real killer takes a powder…