Chelsea Thomas

An okay cozy mystery. I found the characters a bit over the top in their quirkiness. Goodreads reader review:This is the latest installment of the apple orchard mysteries! I love this series and this author! Chelsea and her Aunt May run the apple orchard and are the local sleuths along with some help from funny, loveable Teeny who runs grandma?s restaurant! This time around the mean old Granny Smith is found dead. This wasn?t an easy one to solve as everyone in Pine Grove dislike the mean spirited old woman who found a reason to snitch on everyone! I loved that we were introduced to some new interesting characters! It was well written! There was plenty of humor, adventure, drama and mystery! Add in a 3 way romance with Chelsea and a new character who is enamored of her to give our favorite deputy, Wayne some competition, despite Wayne?s confidence! This was a quick read and very enjoyable! I highly recommend this book and this series!… (mer)

The ten books are:
- Dropping Like Pies
- No Cone Unturned
- Strawberry Short-dead
- Hot Cross Guns
- Whisking Everything
- Dead Velvet Cake
- Muffin But Trouble
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Dead Man Cakewalking

It might help to read the previous boxset or at least book 1 to gain better insight into the characters featured in these stories, particularly Chelsea's love life. However, the stories work as standalones. Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny take it upon themselves to investigate cases as amateur detectives, working together to solve various murder mysteries. They do their research online and approach witnesses and potential suspects. The writing is engaging, communicating directly to the readers and offering them insight into their investigations so they can follow the case alongside them. These are cosy mystery stories featuring endearing characters.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.… (mer)

First off, let me say that I love Chelsea Thomas (both the writer and the character, not to be confused with each other). Chelsea the character has adventures that others can only dream about. That is, if you dream about finding dead bodies and outrunning killers and outwitting the police force. Something to think about, I guess...

Anyway, I have read all the books in the series and I can truthfully say that I enjoyed them immensely. We see poor Chelsea as she goes from heartbroken left-at-the-altar bride to strong, willing-to-do-whatever-it-takes Chelsea, and it's a welcome transformation. She grows with each book, and we watch the changes, however subtle they may be, as she becomes who she finally is in the final book. I will not give away plots as I expect you will want to read and enjoy them yourself, but they are definitely worth the time.

The author(s) are talented, and allow us to see a little bit of the area where Chelsea grew up, and it's a delightful sight. We also find that our friends Amy and Petunia (of the Dog Groomer series) make an appearance as well.

As I have stated before, I love this series and hope that it continues. Even if the trio of Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny keep finding dead bodies, we, the readers, can enjoy watching them solve the murders.

I received a copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.… (mer)

It's finally happening. Chelsea is at last marrying her love, Wayne, and nothing is going to spoil the wedding for her. That is, until her ex-fiancé Mike shows up at her Christmas tree farm with his new fiancée Priscilla, and they start arguing. Trying her best to ignore the situation, she comes across them once again at Teeny's diner and they've appeared to make up. But unfortunately, Mike leaves his wallet behind at the diner and Chelsea and Miss May go to his house to return it. Big mistake. When they arrive, Mike is dead, and there is a letter incriminating Chelsa.

Now she's a suspect in his murder. Mike, the man who left her at the altar in New York. But for some reason, police chief Sunshine Flanagan doesn't seem to be interested in her all that much, which is weird; or anything else, for that matter. Chelsea knows that if she's going to marry Wayne, she needs closure to her past. That means finding Mike's killer. But it isn't going to be easy, since she discovers that he made enemies everywhere he went, and people don't want to talk to her. How can she solve a murder in less than a week, finish planning her wedding, and get ready for Christmas?

This is the 20th book in the series, and I have read them all. This one brings Chelsea full circle from her disastrous relationship with Mile to her perfect one with Wayne (Wayne is the better deal). When she tries to question Mike's family members, they're haughty and cold (pretty pretentious for people named after pickles -- Gherkin -- just my observation, ha!). But she does get some information from Priscilla, and even Mike's cousin, which is surprising.

She also gets a chance to come to grips with all her old feelings about Mike, and that gives her something, at least. But finding a killer in the allotted time isn't a sure thing. It takes everything Chelsea has inside of her to figure it out, and when she does, it puts her in danger. Interestingly, help comes from an unexpected corner.

When everything is said and done, the murderer is found (as we know they will be) and Chelsea can once again look forward to peace and quiet in her life. I have loved this series for a long time, and I want it to continue. I've come to love the characters and Pine Grove, and I will miss them until the next book. Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from Booksprout but this in no way influenced my review.… (mer)