Éclair and Present Danger (An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Book 1)

Bakery owner Winnie Johnson can't afford to pay the rent for her shop and was hoping an inheritance from Gertrude Redenbacher would help - for a few months at least. However, instead of money, Gertrude leaves Winnie an old ambulance and her cat who apparently hates Winnie. Desperate for money, Winnie decides to turn the ambulance into a rolling dessert delivery calling it The Emergency Dessert Squad. She has her hands full getting the new business rolling but when she finds her neighbor Bart smothered to death with a pillow she can't help getting involved in the investigation. Will she find Bart’s killer before somebody else is murdered? “Éclair and Present Danger” is the wonderfully done first book in Laura Bradford's new Emergency Dessert squad cozy mystery series. There are times when you can tell an author had fun writing a book and this is one of those books - everything in this book is fun from the characters to the idea of the Emergency Dessert Squad to the name of the desserts Winnie invents to Winnie's new cat liking everyone but her. Winnie is a great character - a good baker who becomes very resourceful when needed. Her friendship with the older people living in her neighborhood is well done and touching. I just love her friends Mr. Nelson and Bridget who much humor to the book (but never at their expense). Renee is also a great character - a good friend willing to help Winnie no matter what. As for the mystery - it is well plotted with both plenty of clues and plenty of red herrings. I thought for sure I knew who the killer was but I was totally wrong - the clues were there, I just overlooked them. Well done! “Éclair and Present Danger” is a great start to a new cozy mystery series and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

What a great start to a new series in this well-written drama where I’m introduced to Winnie and her friends in this character-driven whodunit. I love the comfortable tone and the pacing of this story which creating a light-hearted drama with an intriguing mystery, a bit of romance and the building of a professional career. And oh those delectable naming of treats, how sweet it is. The author did a great job in setting this mystery up with a few viable suspects and I liked that the observation of clues wasn’t prevalent, but when it was all said and done, that final clue gave way to the killer’s identity. Boasting a lovable cast of characters (I enjoyed the age range of youth to senior and their interaction), engaging dialogue (especially Winnie’s internal conversation) and a feel-good atmosphere, this was a great read and I look forward to more scrumptious delights in the next book in this fantastically terrific series.

This debut novel in a new mystery series was without question, unique and filled with thoughtful suspense, while a gentle romance blossomed. Just imagine a bakery on wheels...I couldn't, that is until I read this book. I wondered about health codes, how would you keep the product fresh etc. Silly, just showed my former life as a bookkeeper etc. So, toss that out the window and meet...The Emergency Dessert Rescue Team! When baker, Winnie Johnson loses her rental space for her bakery, she and fellow employee, Renee are depressed as anyone would be. There was a glimmer of hope from an inheritance, but, the flame blew out as she became reluctant owner (or manager as most pet owners recognize,) of a cat, Lovey (who loves everyone except...) and an old but fairly restored Ambulance. What is she to do with these? In fairness Winnie tries very hard to win over Lovey, but, the ambulance? Well, it becomes a business location...for more on that you must read the novel as it was fairly brilliant. The humor was in the personalities of the characters and their naming the bakery products...again brilliant work. However, this is listed as a murder mystery...and to Winnie's shock, it is. A treasured elderly friend is found , by Winnie, dead and off go the mystery. This was a cerebral hunt for the killer as the average age of the hunters were around 75 years old. Winnie is a young woman but is most comfortable around seniors. I wished her background had been more fully revealed but hope it will in the next edition of the series. I promise I will be reading it. Enjoy, and try out the recipes. The book is one tasty treat by itself.

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.

A delightful story of disappointment and hope. Lots of suspects and twists but the tenacity of the character Winnie and her faithful friends brought truth and justice. And possibility of future romance! Lovely!

So this was a pretty cute story and I liked it but the ending drive me a little crazy with the stupidity of the POV all of a suddens' behaviour. Urghhh way to make a smart woman look like a STUPID idiot.