Welcome to Torte-a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the treats are so good that, sometimes, it's criminal... After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder... The victim is Nancy Hudson, the festival's newest board member. A modern-day Lady Macbeth, Nancy has given more than a few actors and artists enough reasons to kill her...but still. The silver lining? Jules's high school sweetheart, Thomas, is the investigator on the case. His flirtations are as delicious as ever, and Jules can't help but want to have her cake and eat it too. But will she have her just desserts? Murder might be bad for business, but love is the sweetest treat of all...
Published by Ashly Moore Sheldon • September 22, 2026
These days, many readers are looking for a break from worry and stress. This may explain why cozy novels have exploded in popularity over the past several years. As we head into autumn, it's the perfect season to grab a mug of something hot, snuggle up under a blanket, and fall into some of these cozy tropes.
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