*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The first in Debra Sennefelder's new cozy mystery series, HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES follows Mallory Monroe and her fight to clear her name. After recently purchasing her aunt's beloved local bakery, Mallory manages to put her own spin on the business and begins offering decorated cookies to the people of Wingate, Connecticut. However, after a very public argument with the town's busy-body, Mallory discovers her body and becomes the number-one suspect. In a bid to clear her name (and improve her cookie sales), Mallory decides to do some investigating of her own with some serious consequences...

CRUMBLES was the quintessential cozy mystery-- complete with a cat named Agatha and a handsome detective--but it didn't offer anything new or fresh to the genre. Sennefelder did a wonderful job creating a charming new world for her stories and each character felt well developed, if a little forthcoming to the new baker. At times it felt like Mallory had too many suspects, and each person gave just enough information to keep the reader in the dark on who the killer could be (or, at times, too much information to be believable). Mallory was aggressive in her questioning, and I'm curious if her confrontational approach (and, I'm sure, her label as a nosey busy-body) will be addressed in later books.

Overall, a safe choice for fans of Joanna Flukes or anyone looking for a standard cozy book.