Blame the Beignets by Ginger Bolton is a cozy mystery. The author even tries to have donut shapes incorporated into the setting, ending up with a Beignet boulder.
A vivid picture of the setting enables readers to clearly visualize the places described. “Cliff top trail, where Emily found the victim, is donut shaped and slightly sinister. It is like trails I have been on in Wisconsin although made up. I also wanted to have kayaking play a role since I love it so much. I wanted to have some of her adventures on the lake and in the woods. I grew up reading Gothic novels and enjoy writing murder chases in the dark by the woods.”
The plot has Emily Westhill opening a donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Her two employees Olivia and Hannah are sisters. “I wrote how Olivia is only ten years older than her sister but had to raise her when she was 18 years old, and her sister Hannah was 8 years after their parents died. Now she must deal with Hannah’s post adolescent problems. Hannah does not want Olivia to still act like a mother and feels she is bossing her around. I do not think Olivia is a helicopter mother but does have a problem of letting go. One factor is that Hannah still sees Olivia as an older sister and not as a mom. They do deeply love each other. But the tension arises because Hannah ignored Olivia’s advice to pursue a relationship with Zachary, a young scientist who studies fungi. Unfortunately, one of Zachary’s friends, Joshua, decides to flirt and pursue Hannah, upsetting Olivia even more.”
“I had Joshua as arrogant, angry, and selfish, while Zachary is caring, reliable, and vulnerable. He allows Joshua to use him.”
The plot thickens after Emily, while hiking, finds a trail of beignets crumbs that lead to the scene of a murder and finds Hannah’s hair clip, putting her as a person of interest. She decides to find the truth and clear Hannah’s name.
There is also the continuing storyline of newlyweds Emily and Brent who are trying to have a baby. “I will explore more of their fertility problems, but not in the next book, Sour Crime Donuts, that will be published late next summer. The plot has somebody from Emily’s past, who just graduated from college, being accused of murder. Emily vows to prove she was innocent.”
The author incorporates into the setting the donut shape.
