Reviews

MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE is the second book in the Baker Street Mystery series by Valerie Burns. Take a newbie baker trying to run Baby Cakes, an inherited bakery, a 250-pound English Mastiff named Baby—also inherited—combined with a competitor murdered with the bakery’s knife, and you get a page turning, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery. The author sets the pace from the very first page with her breezy writing style. It perfectly captures the voice and attitude of the protagonist, Maddy Montgomery. Maddy, after inheriting her great-aunt’s bakery and massive dog, is settling into small-town life, trying to learn to bake. Oh, the mishaps she has! They add to the humor of the story yet never detracts from the plot. I also enjoy the supporting characters like the Baker Street Irregulars (her great-aunt’s close friends who are keeping a close watch on Maddy). And her veterinarian boyfriend, Michael, is just as sweet as can be. The repartee of the core characters adds appeal and charisma to the story.

But back to that murder… Ms. Burns writes a tightly plotted mystery and there are plenty of suspects who might have wanted the despicable man dead. Woven in from the first story, is a mysterious subplot that just might have something to do with the untimely death of Maddy’s great-aunt. And while the main murder mystery is solved (making this book easily read as a standalone), the subplot is left open, tantalizing my curiosity. I love how Maddy’s close friends all pull together to help clear her name and come up with solutions to keep her bakery viable. It makes the story all the sweeter besides all the tempting goodies offered by Baby Cakes.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.