Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie

by Sarah Graves

Jake (Jacobia) and her best friend Ellie own The Chocolate Moose, a small bakery where the two ladies create delicious chocolate  treats for residents and tourists in “the quaint island fishing village of Eastport, Maine.” When Ellie discovers the dead body of a new competitor across the street, she becomes the target of a murder investigation as she has “the murder trifecta: motive, method, and opportunity.” Bob, the local police chief, is sympathetic and turns a blind eye to some of Jake and Ellie’s undoubtedly illegal efforts to clear Ellie, but there is just so much he can do with the state cops taking a lead role in the investigation.

Despite the seriousness of the crime, the book has humor sprinkled throughout as it is told from Jake’s viewpoint, and she manages to get herself into some very awkward situations. Disappearances and attacks keep Jake and Ellie following clues as they arise—often through dense fog and animal encounters.

Added into the plot are family concerns. Jake’s father and stepmother who live with her are quarreling about moving to an assisted living facility. Jake’s son Sam and his wife Mika seem to have marital problems, and Sam moves back home. He doesn’t want to talk about the strife in their marriage; and between the bakery and her murder investigation, Jake doesn’t really have time to get involved. 

Jake fears her past may come back to haunt her, but she pushes ahead with her investigation anyway. Before her move to Eastport, Jake was involved in bookkeeping for the mob. In her efforts to survive a traumatic childhood, a marriage to a “sludge-dwelling slime toad of a cheating husband,” the law coming down on her bosses, and her son’s delinquency at the age of twelve, Jake took sackfuls of money and successfully started a new life in Maine.

Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie has a complicated plot with a lot of subplots that will keep readers guessing and holding  their breaths as Jake dangles from rope ladders, speeds through thick fog in her classic Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and stares down the barrel of a gun.

….What about creating the perfect Chocolate Marshmallow Pie? That’s Ellie’s daughter’s request for her birthday treat!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #6 in the Death by Chocolate Mystery series, but is acceptable as a standalone

    2. Some light cursing

    3. Sadly, the included recipe is for Chocolate Marshmallow Gingerbread, not for Chocolate Marshmallow Pie. I haven’t tried it, but it sounds pretty good. Kind of like a decadent apple spice cake with chocolate chips thrown in for good measure. 

Publication: April 25, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

In Eastport, if you burn yourself on a hot skillet at one end of the island, ten minutes later people at the other end are breaking a piece of aloe off a plant in their windowsill for you.

I began flailing while dropping like a stone. Luckily, one of my wildly flapping hands hit a ladder rung and grabbed it. I don’t remember the next part, but I’m sure it involved cursing plus rope burns. Then I was on the ground, mad, hornet stung, and embarrassed beyond belief at my clumsy performance.

And have I mentioned how dark it was out here? Dark and full of tiny, hungry bugs called blackflies, this being summer in Maine and me being the tastiest morsel that any of them had seen recently. The rising hum of bloodsucking insects gathering for a feast was drowned out only by the angry roar of the Jeep, still behind me and still making headway.