On Thin Icing (Bakeshop Mystery, #3)

by Ellie Alexander

It's January in Ashland, Oregon. Things are quiet in the cold, sleepy town, and Jules is thrilled when she's hired to cater a retreat at the nearby Lake of the Woods Resort. She packs up her baking supplies and maneuvers the twisting, treacherous roads to the high alpine lake. Jules and her assistant Sterling quickly familiarise themselves with the rustic lodge and its equally rustic kitchen. But just as they find their rhythm in the kitchen and the guests arrive, so does someone from Jules not-so-distant past - her estranged husband Carlos. They haven't seen each other in months, and Jules can't believe that Carlos wants to work on reconciliation while she's in the middle of her biggest job ever. Things go from bad to worse for Jules when a storm hits and knocks out power. She treks through the snow to the marina for extra supplies, where she discovers a body resting on the ice. Now Jules has a retreat to cater, a husband intent on fixing their marriage, and a murder on her hands.

• ISBN10: 1250054257
• ISBN13: 9781250054258
• Publish Date: 29 December 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books,US
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

There are books you enjoy and there are books you hate, or almost worse, books that make you feel nothing at all.  Then there are the books that are none of the above; these are the worst because they aren't bad - they might be good, but they don't hit the high notes for whatever reason.   

On Thin Icing is just such a dreaded book.  It's good: it's well written, it's well-edited and it's well plotted.  I like the characters and the setting, but I put the book down and thought "I don't know...".  It's a notch above meh.  Which means I have no idea if I should send it and its siblings to the big black box or hang on for another one.  Which leaves me feeling aggravated.   

I think a large part of what's holding me back from 'true like' is the stupid stupid stupid love triangle.  If you're going to introduce a married MC who is still in love with her husband (and he in love with her) why are you giving her another love interest?!?!  This is the worst kind of love triangle and a level of emotional manipulation I despise, which I suppose says something about how enjoyable the rest of her writing is that I didn't send this sucker flying across the room.   

I can't say if I recommend this book or not.  Nor can I say if I'll continue with the series.  I'm going to prevaricate and decide in July, when the next book comes out.  If I see it and buying it feels like a duty, the series is outta here.