Welcome to Torte-a friendly, small-town family bakery where the pastries are delicious...and, now, suspicious.
It's almost spring in Ashland, Oregon, and the town is preparing for the Shakespeare and the annual Chocolate Festival. Business is cookin' at Torte, and the store is expanding as Jules' team whips up crèpes filled with mascarpone cheese and dark chocolate. Torte stands a chance of being this year's confectionery belle of the ball! Life couldn't be sweeter-unless murder taints the batter.
Evan Rowe, of Confections Couture, makes a chocolate fountain that would put Willy Wonka to shame, and his truffles are to die for-literally? Yes, the world-renowned chocolatier has just turned up dead...right after sampling a slice of Jules' decadent four-layer chocolate cake. Now all eyes are on Jules as she tries to find the mysterious ingredient in her own recipe. Can she sift out the truth before another contestant bites the buttercream?

ELLIE ALEXANDER is a Pacific Northwest native, who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she's not coated in flour, you'll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of "research." Find her on Facebook to learn more!