I appreciate the relationship between Stella and her mother Millie. I love that they share an affinity for formulating scents. The Paris scenes at the beginning sets up the story well. When everyone returns to Nantucket, the site of Stella's home and Candle shop, things ramp up rather quickly. Various government agencies and possible secret agents populate a pretty wild storyline. ( )

I believe I read the first book in this series but I don't remember how I got that one. I'm pretty sure I saw this one listed in that one, however and had requested it prior to the libraries shutting down for coronavirus.

I enjoyed the trivia about candle making and scents that this book had, but I do have to wonder how the store survives since amateur sleuth Stella seems hardly there to run her shop. Granted, in this book, we do have the "excuse" that she A) left the store in someone else's capable hands while she went on a work-holiday with her mother and B) her return is near her birthday so others seem quick to offer to cover things for her as a birthday present, but still . . .

Is there really such a thing as a sleeping scent?

Perhaps most telling is that I no longer remember most of the ending since I finished this over a holiday weekend in a place I couldn't sit down right away to write a review. ( )

Stella Wright is the owner of the Wick & Flame, a candle making business in Nantucket. But right now she's on vacation in Paris with her mother, Millie, and enjoying every minute of it. Millie is attending a perfume industry show, since she specializes in scents and travels all over the world. On this, their last day, she is giving a talk about the unusual scents that she's brought back from her visit to the Amazon. But before she can speak, they hear someone scream, and run to the sound. A man is dying from a knife wound to the back, and just before he expires, he makes eye contact with Stella. Shaken, the conference is obvious over, and after being questioned by the police, they have just enough time to catch their flight home.

On the ferry back to the island, Stella notices a dark-haired woman staring at her from a nearby yacht; and it seems that Millie has met an old school friend, Nathaniel Dinks, who is there for a birthday party weekend for another school chum. Millie is afraid of cats (silly woman), so Stella leaves Tinker in the shop all night, and when she returns the front of the shop has been torn through and she blames it on her cat. But a strange note on her door is telling her different: that her mother has stolen a secret formula and if it's not returned, it will be the worse for her.

Now Stella is wondering what exactly they've gotten themselves into. Why would her mother steal anything? And when Millie has an accident and winds up in the hospital, it's up to Stella to sniff out who's after her. But finding out she's involved with spies doesn't help. Or that her boyfriend Peter is up to something. Or the fact that the guests in her cousin's B&B could be the spies, or a nice English woman they met in Paris, or even any one of the men for the party. All Stella cares about is finding the formula to keep her mom alive...now if she can do that...

This is the second book in the series, and although it's far-fetched, it doesn't matter because it's fun, and that's what books are all about. There are secrets and spies, and Stella is caught up in it, and who hasn't wanted to experience the type of things James Bond seems to be up to? (Although I can do without Mr. Bond's enemies).

Stella finds herself right in the middle of an international mystery, and her job is to keep her mom safe and out of it. Which means not telling anyone, including her journalist boyfriend Peter or her cop friend Andy. Which also means she's working on her own, besides trying to ferret out the spy who wants the formula and find the formula itself. Things are more difficult than she thinks, and she doesn't know who the killer is, and she has a lot of suspects who might be the guilty party. But when the stakes are upped she knows she doesn't have time, and it's only through the grace of a US Government agent that she's able to figure things out.

What follows is a sprightly tale of intrigue, secrets, lies, murder, and Stella's own frustration, as she's chasing down a murderer to keep her mother safe. Yes, it's rather unbelievable, but fun nevertheless, and it never gets bogged down in anything that's over the top. Stella is an interesting character who, while she tries to figure it out, goes places I wouldn't go, but in the spirit of the book it can be forgiven.

Her mother Millie is a hoot. She lives life to the fullest and has no idea what's going on with her daughter throughout the book -- although to be fair, she spends some time sleeping in the hospital. I did wonder why Stella calls her Millie instead of mom; hopefully this will be explained in another book. (If it was in the first, I might have missed or ignored it).

In the end, when everything comes together after an adventurous climax, it gives a feeling of satisfaction and something to look forward to in the next in the series. Recommended. ( )

Murder Makes Scents by Christin Brecher has Stella Wright with her mother, Millie in Paris for The World Perfumery Conference. Before Millie gives her talk, they stop so she can check her materials one more time. A commotion breaks out and Stella sees a man with a knife in his back. Stella later learns that the killer was after sensitive information, but he eluded the gendarme. Millie and Stella return to Nantucket Island where Stella notices a woman on a yacht watching them through binoculars as they depart the ferry. Unable to sleep that night (Millie snores and hogs the bed), Stella heads to her shop to catch a cat nap with Tinker. Before she drifts off, she can hear the bell on the door. Someone had been in her shop, but Stella has no clue what they were after. While trying to escape the affectionate Tinker, Millie gets injured which requires an overnight stay at the local hospital. The next morning, Stella finds a threatening note on her door. The person wants a formula hidden in Millie’s special bag or they will harm Stella’s mother. Stella intends to unravel this malodourous puzzle and catch the guilty party. Murder Makes Scents is the second book in A Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not picked up Murder’s No Votive Confidence. I like the characters and the setting of Nantucket Island. The story moved along steadily, and I liked the action that kept things lively. The mystery was unique for a cozy mystery which I just loved. There was intrigue, mysterious individuals, a special formula, international espionage and action. Your ability to solve this whodunit depends upon your sleuthing level. I like the humor sprinkled throughout (I love a book that makes me laugh). Tinker was a hoot. The author captured how a cat behaves perfectly especially when they know someone does not wish to be their friend. There is a side story involving Stella’s thirtieth birthday and the possibility that her beau might ask a certain question. There is an excerpt from 15 Minutes of Flame, the 3rd A Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery, at the end along with a recipe and discussion on making your own candle molds. Murder Makes Scents is an engaging cozy mystery with a funny formula, mold making masterclass, curious clues, a perplexing prowler, and a comical cat. ( )