Reviewed by Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite

Take The Donut by Annie Hansen is a thrilling mystery novel. Kelly Clark has had her fair share of drama. Steve, her former husband, turned out to be an unfaithful psychopath. After attempting to kill his pregnant mistress, Steve was found guilty of attempted murder. Although her now ex-husband is sitting in prison, things for the Clark family seem to still be under a dark cloud. Kelly has been struggling to get past the guilt and shame of her ex's actions. The constant reminders of Steve and his actions plague her, keeping her a victim. Ready to move her life forward, Kelly has one more task to complete while she stays with her parents in Miami. Helping her mom take care of her convalescing father, she has time to think about what is most important to her. She has a new and wonderful man, Jack, in her life who really loves her. Her father will get better and soon be back on his feet. Soon Steve will be a distant memory. At least, he will be once she figures out the mystery behind the key that nearly got herself and her sister Nikki killed last year. Only things take a frightening turn for the worse when she is alerted that one of the inmates has escaped from Steve's prison. Is Steve out and ready to exact revenge? Will he finally succeed in destroying everything Kelly holds dear?

Take The Donut by Annie Hansen is the third book in the Kelly Clark Mystery Series. It is a fun, family-knit cozy mystery with lots of tantalizing references to chocolate, donuts, and coffee. I loved that in the back of the book there is a delicious looking recipe for one of the treats mentioned several times in the book. Kelly's family is well-written. They stay true to form and make the story all the more realistic. The characters were very well rounded. They all had their flaws, but their lovable qualities outweighed their issues, making them very relatable and three-dimensional. At first, I felt like the story was building rather slowly, but once the mystery was well-formed, it all came together so well, and my initial thoughts were blown away. The ending took my breath away! I love how the author left it open for a fourth installment and look forward to seeing how the Clark family and Jack are getting along. I would recommend this book for those that like cozy mysteries and love anything to do with chocolate and coffee!