Bakeshop Mystery
17 primary works • 19 total works
Book 1
In this small town bakeshop, the sweets are to die for...Welcome to Torte-a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the treats are so good that, sometimes, it's criminal...After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder...The victim is Nancy Hudson, the festival's newest board member. A modern-day Lady Macbeth, Nancy has given more than a few actors and artists enough reasons to kill her...but still. The silver lining? Jules' high school sweetheart, Thomas, is the investigator on the case. His flirtations are as delicious as ever, and Jules can't help but want to have her cake and eat it too. But will she have her just desserts? Murder might be bad for business, but love is the sweetest treat of all...
Book 2
Autumn has arrived in Ashland, Oregon - the perfect season for a spiced hot apple cider with a slice (or maybe two) of peach crumble. The Pastry Channel has also landed in the quaint little town to film the "Take the Cake" reality show. Jules Capshaw, now that she's decided to move home and help her mom run Torte, the family bakeshop, wants nothing to do with the competition - until she is unwittingly entered into the competition. The cash prize of $25,000 certainly isn't anything to sneeze at, and Torte could really use the extra dough. 80, Jules dusts off her Bavarian Chocolate Cake recipe and cinches up her apron. But just as the competition starts heating up, one of her fellow contests, Chef Marco, is discovered buried in buttercream. Could the portly chef have overdone it, or is there something more sinister cooking?
Book 3
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.
Book 4
"Jules Capshaw is still chewing over her husband Carlos's return to Ashland, Oregon. Could there be too many cooks in the kitchen? Whatever is stirring between those two will have to wait. Despite the Oregon Shakespeare Festival being dark for the winter, the bakeshop is bustling, the dough is rolling, and there's no rest for the weary, especially when murder is thrown into the mix. When Mindy Nolan, the owner of a new restaurant in town, turns up dead, the batter at hand thickens. Jules knows that there was bad blood between Mindy and others in town, and tracking down the killer could prove to be an unwelcome treat. And to top it all off, there's Carlos, who is pleading--with those delicious dark eyes and sexy Spanish accent--for Jules to take him back. Is home where the heart is or will she make a fresh start and risk getting burned?" -- back cover.
Book 5
It's early March in Ashland, Oregon. The town is preparing for the opening of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's new season and the annual Chocolate Festival, which will bring with it a bevy of tourists to the small Southern Oregon town. Business is booming at Torte as Jules and her team whip up chocolate confections, like hand-dipped truffles and chocolate crepes filled with mascarpone cheese and drizzled with dark chocolate. At the festival, everyone raves about Jules's four-layer decadent chocolate cake. One of other exhibitors is famed chocolatier Evan Rowe of Confections Couture. Evan's been crowned the "best in show" and the "people's choice" winner for the last five years, and he's not pleased that Jules is in the competition. Jules is not one to worry about an egomaniac like him. But when Evan stops by Torte's booth to sample a slice of Jules's four layer chocolate cake he immediately goes into anaphylactic shock from his nut allergy. In a matter of minutes Evan is dead and all eyes are on Jules. What could have happened, and why? Jules knows the answer lies in the ingredients, and she sets out to sift out the truth.
Book 6
Book 7
Torte - the beloved small town bakeshop run by Jules Capshaw - is set to hit the stage. But who would have guessed that murder would makes a surprise appearance? It's the role of a lifetime for Jules. The Shakespeare Festival has returned to Ashland, Oregon, for the season and Torte has been castas the supplier of Elizabethan-era treats for the main event. But on the eve of opening night, a brawl between Jules's friend Lance, the artistic director, and a strapping young thespian named Anthony almost brings down the house. . . and the next morning, Anthony is dead. Jules knows that Lance loves his drama - and his just desserts - but she also knows that murder is way off-script for him. Now it's up to Jules to cut through a bevy of backstage betrayals and catty co- stars who all have their own secrets - before the curtain drops on someone else...
Book 8
Torte - the small-town bakeshop no one can resist - is hosting a midsummer night’s wedding . . . where merry-making and murder are served up in equal measure.
Jules Capshaw has too much on her plate - and she’s feeling the pinch: the whole town of Ashland, Oregon, is in on the surprise Elizabethan-themed wedding she’s planning for her mum and soon-to-be stepdad. But is her secret scheme half-baked? She’s hiding racks overflowing with sweet treats while Torte is topsy-turvy with a major remodel and the return of Jules’s estranged husband, Carlos. And until now, Jules had no clue about the bitter family feud that has her friend Lance frazzled and suspicious. But when a party crasher takes someone out with a serving of poisoned wine and Jules discovers the deadly cup was intended for her, it’s time to turn the tables on a killer.
Jules Capshaw has too much on her plate - and she’s feeling the pinch: the whole town of Ashland, Oregon, is in on the surprise Elizabethan-themed wedding she’s planning for her mum and soon-to-be stepdad. But is her secret scheme half-baked? She’s hiding racks overflowing with sweet treats while Torte is topsy-turvy with a major remodel and the return of Jules’s estranged husband, Carlos. And until now, Jules had no clue about the bitter family feud that has her friend Lance frazzled and suspicious. But when a party crasher takes someone out with a serving of poisoned wine and Jules discovers the deadly cup was intended for her, it’s time to turn the tables on a killer.
Book 9
Business at Torte is booming, and Jules has agreed to help Mum and the Professor on their househunt. While on a lakeside picnic Jules and Helen make a gruesome discovery: a skull. They’ve found old skeletal remains that the Professor and Thomas believe might be connected to a missing persons case from the 1960s. Jules can’t believe that she’s stumbled on an unsolved case.
Things become even more complicated when a vacant lot, just a few blocks from Torte, comes on the market. Edgar, the cantankerous longtime owner of the lot, appears to be playing everyone off of each other in an attempt to drive up the price. When Edgar is found dead, Jules is immersed in two murders - the past and present collide as she tries to track down whodunit and keep her head above water.
Things become even more complicated when a vacant lot, just a few blocks from Torte, comes on the market. Edgar, the cantankerous longtime owner of the lot, appears to be playing everyone off of each other in an attempt to drive up the price. When Edgar is found dead, Jules is immersed in two murders - the past and present collide as she tries to track down whodunit and keep her head above water.
Book 10
Book 11
The first hints of spring hang in the air as pastry chef Juliet Capshaw prepares her staff at Torte in Ashland, Oregon for a busy spring and summer and to move into her old, childhood home.
Mid-move, Jules discovers an old journal belonging to her father, who passed in her formative years. But this is no diary, rather, it's his case notes. Her father, Will, and his best friend, Doug AKA the Professor investigated a hit-and-run together in the 1980s. Jules is immediately intrigued by the old case.
Jules goes on a journey to the past and the Professor brings her father to life again. But unearthing long forgotten memories may prove dangerous; if Jules isn’t careful, she might end up following her father’s footsteps and coming face to face with a killer.
Mid-move, Jules discovers an old journal belonging to her father, who passed in her formative years. But this is no diary, rather, it's his case notes. Her father, Will, and his best friend, Doug AKA the Professor investigated a hit-and-run together in the 1980s. Jules is immediately intrigued by the old case.
Jules goes on a journey to the past and the Professor brings her father to life again. But unearthing long forgotten memories may prove dangerous; if Jules isn’t careful, she might end up following her father’s footsteps and coming face to face with a killer.
Book 12
As winter turns to spring in Oregon, pastry chef Juliet Capshaw gets an unexpected opportunity to open a pop-up ice cream shop in Ashland's up-and-coming Railroad District. Though she never planned on a second space for Torte, the outdoor venue is too adorable to pass up, especially with her staff members Andy and Sterling begging her for the chance to showcase their line of frozen coffee drinks and rich, cold custards.
As things at Torte ramp up for a successful summer, Jules' handsome and estranged husband arrives for an extended stay, taking over day to day operations at Uva, the vineyard that they co-own, and leaving Jules free to dive in to her newest business venture.
The garden space is dreamy and perfect: With patio seating and twinkling lights, the seasonal shop is flanked by a yoga studio, bike shop, and food trucks. While it sees fewer tourists than the bustling plaza, the Railroad District is alive with local flare. One of Ashland's most recognized characters, The Wizard, known for his sidewalk poetry and balloon animals, passes through daily wearing his signature cape and cone-shaped hat. But just as the Torte team prepares to open their new creamy custard shop, The Wizard is found dead on the railroad tracks, casting doubt on all of Jules' new neighbours and tossing her right into a chilling murder investigation.
As things at Torte ramp up for a successful summer, Jules' handsome and estranged husband arrives for an extended stay, taking over day to day operations at Uva, the vineyard that they co-own, and leaving Jules free to dive in to her newest business venture.
The garden space is dreamy and perfect: With patio seating and twinkling lights, the seasonal shop is flanked by a yoga studio, bike shop, and food trucks. While it sees fewer tourists than the bustling plaza, the Railroad District is alive with local flare. One of Ashland's most recognized characters, The Wizard, known for his sidewalk poetry and balloon animals, passes through daily wearing his signature cape and cone-shaped hat. But just as the Torte team prepares to open their new creamy custard shop, The Wizard is found dead on the railroad tracks, casting doubt on all of Jules' new neighbours and tossing her right into a chilling murder investigation.
Book 13
Book 16
Book 17
Book 18
The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.
The annual competition is a favourite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.
Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?
The annual competition is a favourite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.
Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?
Book 20
