A hands-on read-first brief of the Cozy Wednesday feature on Escape With Dollycas about Traci Hall’s new cozy mystery, its setup, main characters, and what kind of reader will enjoy it.
The novel opens with protagonist Macki Smith returning to her family orchard in Cider Falls, Washington, after leaving an unsatisfying life in Seattle.
A near-fatal accident involving Macki’s parents raises stakes and complicates the festival rivalry, turning a baking contest into the center of a mystery.
The review appeared as a Cozy Wednesday feature on Escape With Dollycas and included a giveaway tied to the book’s promotion.
Macki Smith leaves Seattle after ending a relationship and a string of failed attempts to launch a bakery. She returns to her family's orchard in Cider Falls, where she once dominated the harvest festival's baking contest. Her younger sisters, Ambrosia and Jazz, push her to re-enter the contest despite her previous vow to stop competing after a betrayal.
Readers who enjoy culinary cozies and small-town whodunits will find the premise familiar and approachable: a strong local setting, a protagonist with baking skills and a complicated past, and a community where contest results matter. Expect interpersonal drama and a focus on relationships as much as clue-driven investigation. The giveaway and review placement indicate active promotion to cozy mystery audiences.
After dumping her overbearing boyfriend, Macki Smith leaves her less than fulfilling life in Seattle to head home to her family orchard in Cider Falls, Washington. She’d always thought that she’d return to the farm with a family of her own after establishing herself in the big city, so is definitely feeling more than a
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