Cozy Mystery Book Review: Mayhem on the Marzipan Express by Rebecca Connolly

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Title: Mayhem on the Marzipan Express

Author: Rebecca Connolly

Series: N/A

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐

Disclaimer

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I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:

A delightful cozy mystery where Claire and her boyfriend Jonny are aboard a special event train headed on a tour that features renowned baker and chef Alan Gables. Clare is there to assist Alan, but as the tour kicks off, so does a mystery murder! After the body is found, Alan has gone missing and is the main suspect, and Claire is determined to figure out exactly what happened.

This story was filled with so much humor that I think I giggled in every chapter. The cute baking phrases that both Claire and her boyfriend use to describe each other and the things happening around them was so much fun. The mystery of a murderer on board their train was well done too. Claire loves to put on her investigative prowess and look through the details. Even if it does churn her stomach. Her boyfriend is perfectly wonderful as well – he adores Claire to no end and that’s not an easy feat for this wealthy Lord who hates being around people.

Jonny’s character is humbling in his introvert ways and found in so many awkward positions throughout this story. He despises being around strangers, but does all of it because of how much Claire means to him. Which is another element of this cozy mystery that I loved. The two main characters are in a relatively new relationship and both of them have growing insecurities about how the other one is feeling about their future together.

Claire has a difficult time with her self esteem and starts to convince herself that Jonny is planning to leave her eventually, so she starts acting all strange and adding to the awkward loveliness of this entire story. While Jonny is trying to get up the courage to tell Claire how much he loves her, he isn’t noticing that she’s getting insecure.

But these two were adorable and the perfect sleuths to help figure everything out before it was too late! I would absolutely spend more time in their super sleuth baker’s kitchen with their adorable catch phrases!

Publisher’s Blurb:

A romantic getaway turns deadly when a passenger on the train is murdered—and a famous chef is the prime suspect.

Amateur baker and part-time sleuth Claire Walker is looking forward to a vacation with her boyfriend, Jonathan Ainsley. The happy couple boards the famed Scottish train, the Mallaig Steam Express—temporarily renamed “The Marzipan Express” in honor of chef Alan Gables, who is hosting an exclusive culinary experience for his most devoted fans.

The trip has barely begun when Claire and Jonny discover a dead body, and though it appears to be an accident, Claire can sense something is wrong as easily as she can sense an overbaked soufflé. All clues point to Alan as the culprit: He doesn’t have an alibi, his assistant is oddly nervous around him, and a shadowy figure keeps appearing at all the wrong times. Is someone from Alan’s past trying to frame him? Or could Alan be trying to cover his tracks?

Claire had hoped for a delicious, romantic getaway, not investigating a mysterious death while stress-eating trifle in the kitchen car and trying to not be jealous of a magazine reporter who is flirting with Jonny. It’s mayhem in more ways than one.