DJ Sakata's Reviews > Fudge and Jury

Favorite Quotes:

Juliet, you are the worst liar on the planet. I know exactly what you’re thinking and I assure you that I’m thinking the same thing. Evan was clearly hunted down and killed by a crafty baker. Don’t try to pretend that you’re not as delighted as I am…

She reminded me of a writer who was a regular at Torte. He brings his laptop and plants himself by the front windows while he writes and drinks coffee by the gallon. Andy once asked if we should cut him off because customers around him were complaining that the floor was shaking so much that they thought there was an earthquake.

Mom had made a point of trying to fatten me up, offering me buttery scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and sausage rolls. She claimed that having a pastry chef who looked like a skeleton was bad for business.

The gyro smelled so good that I would have eaten it off the floor, but I agreed to Lance’s request and tossed the cardboard container back in the bag.


My Review:

Fudge and Jury is book number five of a six book series - although it had strong enough legs to stand on its own. I had not read the previous books and had no difficulty following the story. As the plot revolves around a chocolate festival and features a bakery owner who thoroughly describes her baking process and tasting of her treats, this story would be a mystery loving gourmand’s highest level of heaven or a dieter’s lowest level of hell, I was coveting her confections the entire time I was reading. Written in the first person POV of a somewhat spacey/daydream-prone baker, the story was packed with quirky characters yet was a bit slower paced than I am used to. However, I was far from cracking the inventive murder mystery. The victim was an esteemed chef who died moments before the chocolate festival was to begin, and being that he was a rather atrocious blowhard, there was no shortage of suspects. It looked like someone might just get away with the perfect murder.