Bittersweet Demise by Mary M. O’Donnell

Bittersweet Demise by Mary M. O'Donnell
Series: The Chocolate Shoppe Mysteries book #6
on July 23, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Pages: 194
Goodreads

It's time for Halloween in Moss Hollow. Someone has broken into the bakery and leaves a display in shambles.

Bittersweet Demise by Mary M. O’Donnell is book six in the Chocolate Shoppe Mysteries. This story is a cozy mystery centered around a small-town bakery. Red-headed Jillian Green has returned to Moss Hollow, Georgia, to assist her grandmother Bertie in running the family bakery. Much like Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote, murder seems to follow Jillian wherever she goes in this town. When Jillian and her best friend Savannah visit a garage sale at a neighbor’s home, Jillian buys a small terra-cotta vase with Mayan inscriptions on it that opens up a world of danger. Like other cozy mysteries, O’Donnell tells a tale with minimal blood, no sex, and little profanity, and a large amount of puzzlement. The unexpected plot twists kept me guessing until the end about the murderer’s identity. I do recommend reading the entire series in order. The characters in this story run all throughout the series and Jillian’s life develops slowly over the course of a year. I enjoyed the book. It makes for a nice read on a cold afternoon.