Visiting the scenic town of Ashland and Torte, the bakery, is always a delicious adventure as the crisp winter air blends with special coffee roasts. In the post-Christmas downtime, Jules awaits for the Torres family to come to visit Ramiro, her stepson and their son. Plenty of fun activities are scheduled showing off Ashland, until a tragic event happens up on the mountain during a colorful and comic "dummy" race. While getting to know the Torres family and showing them a good time, Jules' natural curiosity and empathy draw her into the investigation. Always a well-plotted mystery with a cast of characters you love visiting. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"A Smoking Bun" the 18th instalment in the A Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

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.

I really enjoyed this story, seeing Ramiro’s family in Ashland and how much his mom and Jules respect and like each other. Visiting Torte and Ashland is like coming home to old friends and family lots of fun with a bit of chaos thrown in for good measure.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there were just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Needless to say I cant wait for the next book.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m not sure why this book needed to mention Shakespeare so much.

Ellie Alexander once again did not disappoint me with this latest book "A Smoking Bun" I enjoyed every minute of the book. It went so fast I couldn't put it down. Exciting Moving fast paced. Jules was really amazing how she has accepted Carlos's son and now the family came for a visit to meet. It is beautifully written and amazing how they all got along. Looking forward to what happens next with Jules and the bakery and even Richard Lord. Watching out for the next Book. Ty.

A Smoking Bun is the 18th book in Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mystery series and volume number four in my personal library. Readers can easily jump into the series here or enjoy this book as a standalone. In A Smoking Bun, we see another feature of the Ashland, Oregon setting – the mountains and related winter activities like snowshoeing and skiing. Jules Capshaw was excited to welcome her stepson Ramiro’s family for a visit from their native Spain.

Jules is distracted from the fun, first by shenanigans from Fitz, an arrogant mountain guide who leads his group astray, then by a fatality on the ski jump during what was supposed to be a lighthearted competition. Of course, Jules takes on the challenge of finding the killer with her sidekick Lance. A Smoking Bun is a lot of fun for fans of cozy mysteries or just good stories.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of A Smoking Bun from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.