BEYOND A REASONABLE DONUT

A visit to a carnival lands a donut maker in a deep hole.

Emily Westhill has run Deputy Donut with her father-in-law ever since her detective husband was killed in the line of duty. At the carnival she attends with her talented employee, Nina Lapeer, an artist who’s just about to get a one-person show, they run into grouchy event manager Marsha Fitchelder, who seems intent on making their lives miserable. Things go from bad to worse: First, someone steals a large bucket of confectioner’s sugar; then, a magician and a mime steal from the cash box. The best part of the day is the time Emily spends with Detective Brent Fyne, who was her husband’s partner. The two are attracted to each other but are overcome by their shared trauma despite their friends’ efforts to foster a romantic relationship. Back at Nina’s loft, Emily finds a mime who looks remarkably like Nina with her head buried in a bucket of powdered sugar and more sugar thrown all over Nina’s masterpiece. After the mime dies, the police arrest Nina, but Emily’s determined to prove her innocent. Nina’s locket, which the victim was evidently trying to steal, provides a clue that harkens back to Nina’s mysterious past, making her look even guiltier. In the end, Emily and her friends go to a lake resort for a friend’s wedding and find far too many people involved in the death already there.

Plenty of twists and intriguing characters add up to an enjoyable donut-centric mystery.