Jessica Beck - Fatally Frosted: A Donut Shop Mystery

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Critical Acclaim for Glazed Murder

Jessica Becks Glazed Murder is a delight. Suzanne Hart is a lovable amateur sleuth who has a hilariously protective mother and great donut recipes! Readers will have a blast with this book.

Diane Mott Davidson

A tribute to comfort food and to the comfort of small town life. With great donut recipes!

Joanna Carl, author of The Chocolate Cupid Killings

If you like donutsand who doesnt?youll love this mystery. Its like a trip to your favorite coffee shop, but without the calories!

Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mysteries New Years Eve Murder and Wedding Day Murder

The perfect comfort read: a delicious murder, a likeable heroine, quirky Southern charactersand donut recipes!

Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony Awardwinning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries

Jessica Becks debut mystery, Glazed Murder, is a yummy new treat in the culinary mystery genre. Skillfully weaving donut recipes throughout a well-plotted story, the author proves that life after divorce can be sweet; all you need are good friends, your own business, and comfort food. Delicious!

Tamar Myers, author of Death of a Rug Lord and The Cane Mutiny

ST. MARTINS PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY JESSICA BECK

Glazed Murder

Fatally Frosted

Sinister Sprinkles

(coming in December)

A DONUT SHOP MYSTERY

Jessica Beck

St. Martins Paperbacks

NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

FATALLY FROSTED

Copyright 2010 by Jessica Beck.
Excerpt from Sinister Sprinkles copyright 2010 by Jessica Beck.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

EAN: 978-0-312-94611-1

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martins Paperbacks edition / August 2010

St. Martins Paperbacks are published by St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For E & P,
And all the donuts weve shared together
through the years!

Keep your eyes upon the donut, and not upon the hole!

Anonymous

I thought getting away from my businessDonut Heartsfor a few days might be fun. But when I agreed to make gourmet donuts for one of my friends, I had no idea it would put me right in the middle of yet another homicide investigation.

Just about everyone I knew in April Springs, North Carolinapopulation 5,001was looking forward to the September Kitchens Extraordinaire home tour ever since it had first been announced in The April Springs Sentinel, including me. When my friend Marge Rankin suggested I demonstrate how to make something special in her newly remodeled kitchen for the tour, Id jumped at the chance to show off just what I could do with some dough and a portable fryer. There wouldnt be a yeast donut or an apple fritter on the menu; I was going to pull out all of the stops and make something unforgettable.

Jake, do you really want to learn how to make beignets?

My boyfrienda state police inspector named Jake Bishop Id been seeing since Marchsmiled at me as we stood in the kitchen of Donut Hearts. He looked cute wearing one of our aprons, but I knew better than to tell him that. Jake was tall and thin, with a healthy head of sandy blond hair, and there was something about the mans presence that made me smile.

Not as much as I want your company, he admitted. I didnt get to see him nearly enough, since his casework took him all over the state of North Carolina. I had to give him points for honesty, but I still had a job to do.

Ive got an idea, I said. Why dont you sit over there and keep me company, and Ill let you sample the beignets I make? You can be my official taster.

He took off the apron as though hed been pardoned for a crime hed never committed. Thats the best deal Ive had weeks.

You dont have to look so relieved when you say it, I said with a grin.

What can I tell you? Im all about leaving tough stuff to the experts.

I frowned at the finished dough. It was close to the consistency Id been hoping for, but the true test would be in the taste. Im not sure I qualify.

Come on, youre the best donut maker in the world. You told me yourself beignets are just fancy donuts, and no ones better at making those than you. Im a cop; trust me, I know donuts.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I dont have time on the tour to make these with yeast, so Im going to have to substitute baking powder instead. Its more chemistry than youd imagine. It was true. While cooking recipes could usually be slightly modified with impunity, baking was another matter altogether. I needed enough baking powder to make the dough rise when it hit the hot oil, but not too much, or it would be a disaster, and if there was one thing I couldnt afford, it was to wreck my demonstration.

He laughed. Dont sell yourself short. I know I couldnt do it.

I lightly floured the counter and rolled out the dough until it was somewhere between a quarter- and an eighth-inch thick, and then cut it into squares. For the demonstration, Id be using my ravioli cutter, a scallop-edged tool that left perfectly shaped circles, but this test run was more about taste than appearance.

I dropped the first rounds into the oil and held my breath. After cooking two minutes on one side, I flipped them, and then pulled them out after another two. I had a plate ready, and dusted them with confectioners sugar while they were still hot.

Man, those smell fantastic, Jake said as I slid the plate in front of him.

Now lets see how they taste, I said.

We both reached for the same one, and I laughed. Theres plenty for both of us.

Thats what you think. He took a bite, and I watched his expression. If his look of joy meant anything, I might have a winning recipe after all.

Outstanding, he said as he reached for another one.

I was happy with his reaction, but I was a harsher judge myself. I bit into the treat, and felt the texture of the beignet in my mouth. The flavor was spot on, a hint of airy lightness that tasted something like a sophisticated funnel cake from a fair. I had to agree that it was goodthere was no doubt about thatbut was it as good as my yeast beignets?