Dough or Die

 This 5th installment in the Bread Shop series by Winnie Archer might be my favorite one.  I liked the balance of great and realistic characters with a detailed and believable plot line.

The cast of characters ranged from the usual Santa Sofia residents we have met in the previous books to the participants in Olaya's Bread of Life class hosted at Yeast of Eden.  These women are immigrants who are struggling to find sure footing in their new home.  The class helps them develop new friendships as well as hone marketable skills.  The different breads they present to each other from their different backgrounds makes for fascinating cultural details.  

Another group of characters arises from Ivy's volunteering.  She decides to give back at a women's shelter.  There are several key pieces of the story that center around these women and the shelter.  The intersect with Yeast of Eden in a believable way that merges the 2 subplots well.

This program is being featured as part of a new reality tv cooking show based on the concept of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, only with bakeries.  Local tv star turned celebrity, Sandra is one of the cohosts and fills all the characteristics of a diva in love with their fame.  Unfortunately the show seems to have be overshadowed with misfortune when one of the crew is involved in a vehicle accident and another an untimely death.  Could it just be coincidence or are they related?  Ivy is determined to figure it out.   

This story is my favorite of the series and I cannot wait for the next book due out at the end of this month.  It's already on hold at the library.

Dough or Die by Winnie Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great mix of stories into a cozy mystery. Archer does a wonderful job of presenting a broad range of characters from the usual group of Ivy, Emmeline and Olaya to celebrity food stars and women struggling to find their identities and some escaping abusive relationships. The plot intertwines these stories in an interesting and believable way. It's hard not to find your mouth watering as you read about the wonderful breads baked at Yeast of Eden and the Mexican delights delivered by Baptista's. The guilty party was well hidden until the reveal at the end. Well done

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #49
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Bread Shop #5  caught up on series
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #59
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #69
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice 29
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #53
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #45
9. Bookworm  #32  book by an author with the same first name as one of your grandparents
10. Pick your Poison #13-1 A book about an interracial romance
11. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  yes restaurants
12. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
13. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 

Cliff, roof, high place

• Weapons
• Row 4
• Push or fall
• Detectives- Ivy/Emmaline
• Victims- Sandra
14. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #36  Shot #2