Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent

Murder Takes the Cake (Daphne Martin #1)
by Gayle Trent

Culinary Mystery
260 pages, softcover
Target reader: Adult women

Bell Bridge Books
978-0980245363
September 30, 2008



From the publisher:

Yodel Watson was dead. And some people blamed my spice cake.

When the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to cake decorator Daphne Martin. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting–and find Yodel’s body. Now Daphne’s got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her Virginia hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne’s whole family is among them.

I got this as a free book from Kindle. You have to watch out for those free books—sometimes they're good and sometimes not so much. But this was a culinary cozy, and I like those, so even though I'd never heard of Gayle Trent I thought I'd give it a try. What did I have to lose?

Well, the ebook formatting was kind of sloppy, but the story was wonderful! I loved it! It was clean, a fast and easy read, there were lots of red herrings to throw me off, and I didn't guess the real killer until the very end.

Daphne Martin is divorced with no kids. Her ex-husband is in jail. She moves to a small town where her sister lives and starts a cake decorating business. When she takes a cake over to Yodel Watson, the town gossip, she finds her dead. Poisoned. Turns out a lot of people aren't that fond of Yodel and several have good motive to kill her.

Daphne has a cute personality, and like the heroines of all culinary cozies, she can't help but get in the middle of the murder investigation. With the help of Ben, an attractive and single news reporter, Daphne starts to look for clues. Along the way, she begins to suspect that her mother may have had an affair and that she may have a half brother. There are secrets buried under secrets in this little town, and they're all starting to unravel around Daphne.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes culinary mysteries.

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Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Some threatening remarks, but no physical violence—unless you count the murder.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality: References to two affairs—her mother and the owner of the local pet shop. No description at all.

Values/Themes:

Age Appropriate:

Writing Mechanics: The cake decorating descriptions go on a little long for my taste. Could use a little more tension.

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