Book Review: Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt

Genre(s): Cozy Mystery

When the vicar is mysteriously murdered in the village of Toot Hansell, the Women’s Institute (W.I.) is immediately cast under suspicion. But what could a group of retired women with a passion for baking possibly have to do with a murder?

I found this book to be a lot of fun. It’s a low-stakes sort of mystery with some memorable characters, baking, dragons, and a very satisfying ending. I appreciated the simplicity of the story and the many laughs it provided (particularly with some of the dragons’ antics.)

The story jumps between four main characters: D.I. Adams, the police investigator in charge; Miriam, a member of the W.I. with a flair for mysticism; Alice, the head of the W.I. and a former wing commander determined to conduct her own investigation; and Mortimer, a cloverly dragon coerced into helping the W.I. with its investigation. (All of the characters were fun in their own right, but Mortimer was absolutely my favorite. Who knew one could bribe dragons with scones or pie?)

While the plot wasn’t terribly complex, there were a couple of twists in the investigation I didn’t see coming. But it worked well for a cozy mystery, and was a very entertaining read.

I also wanted to mention I appreciated that the author included a link to some of the recipes mentioned in the book. As a baker myself, I’m always looking to try new things.

Author website: kmwatt.com

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