Blame the beignets

Has the petty bickering in a donut shop led to murder? Emily Westhill and her father-in-law, Tom, have maintained a cordial relationship even after the death of Emily's husband, police detective Alec Westhill, and her marriage to his former partner, Brent Fyne. Without the trust and friendship they share, Emily and Tom could never succeed as co-owners of Deputy Donut, a cafe serving sweet treats to the good citizens of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Too bad those citizens aren't as sweet. The crafters called the Knitpickers and a bunch of retired geezers "who don't call themselves anything" regularly trade barbs across tables. Their bickering is good-natured compared to the conflict between the cafe's two waitresses, Olivia and her younger sister, Hannah, who ignored Olivia's advice and left college to pursue a dubious relationship with Zachary, a young mycologist. The tension rises a notch when Zachary's handsome biker friend Joshua starts flirting with Hannah. The prize for conflict, however, goes to the trio who come in, order beignets, and start an argument that causes two of them to stalk off. The remaining diner, Forrest Callic, is a self-described "investment expert" peddling a deal he insists can't fail. Emily's skepticism turns to alarm when Albert McGoss, who left Deputy Donuts in a huff, turns up dead near Emily and Brent's home on Chicory Lake. It takes some amateur sleuthing and an amazing number of trips between the Chicory Lake property and Emily's house in town for her to wade through all the he said/she said and figure out whose conflict resolution skills include murder as an option. Spoiler: Though there's lots of guilt to go around, the beignets turn out to be blameless. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.