A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death
Baker Street Mystery #3
By Valerie Burns
ISBN 9781496738240
valerieburns.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
On the shores of Lake Michigan, influencer Maddy Montgomery has turned the bakery she inherited from her great aunt Octavia into a destination. There’s just one thing she won’t, the body in the bakery trolley . . .
Thanks to Maddy’s social media savvy, Baby Cakes Bakery is becoming a huge success—so much so that she’s attracted the attention of her former nemesis, the fiancé-stealing Brandy Denton. When Brandy blows into New Bison like an ill wind and disrupts a vlog Maddy’s filming, their argument goes viral. After Brandy’s body is found at Baby Cakes, Maddy instantly goes from viral sensation to murder suspect.
As Maddy is still reeling from the murder, a stranger shows up in the bakery claiming to have been a friend of Octavia. He believes Maddy is in danger. When a second body washes up on the lake shore, it seems clear someone’s out to kill to keep a secret—and it may have to do with her great aunt.
Maddy rallies her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars; Sheriff April Johnson; and her veterinarian boyfriend Michael—not to mention her English mastiff Baby—to do some digging and root out whoever’s behind the killings . . . (From Goodreads)
Review:
This delightful novel opened to a crisis that sent Maddy in a panic. Laughter was my next reaction as a giant kitchen “Oopsie” was discovered. Maddy and her friends pulled me in at the beginning, before they realized my kitchen expertise was similar to that of the new owner of Baby Cakes Bakery.
Maddy, a social media influencer and newcomer to small town Michigan, traded – for at least part of the day – designer clothing and accessories for a hot oven and easy to wash clothing and an apron. Had Maddie been told a year ago she would wear designer sneakers instead of Jimmy Choo stilettos, she would have thought them to be mad. Maddy has found her people in New Bison, especially at her late great-Aunt Octavia’s bakery, Baby Cakes. The huge pony that welcomes her with a hug and copious face licking? Baby, Octavia’s champion English Mastiff and lovable, overgrown pup dotes on her.
Maddy still works her social media, exploding business at Baby Cakes. New Bison was a refuge after her biggest rival, Brandy, stole her ex-fiancé, Elliott, who left her at the altar in California.
The characters were defined so well, I could almost see and hear them. I love how the clothing of the influencers reflects their personalities. Their behaviors and conversations made everyone fully three dimensional. My favorites are Maddy, her boyfriend, and Baby, the scene-stealing protective pup.
Maddy’s life is exponentially better than she imagined. She has been dating Michael, a handsome veterinarian with a growing practice. She is learning how to bake Octavia’s recipes. Her best friend and local sheriff, April, lives with her in Octavia’s former home. Distance has not changed how protective her father, The Admiral, is of Maddy. He might be halfway across the country, but can still get there quickly, thanks to his long-time naval contacts.
Some of the least humorous scenes involve Brandy, who claimed to be visiting to verify news from a “friend of Kim Kardashian” that Maddy was going to star in a new reality TV show. Not going to happen, Maddy said, yet Brandy plans to see Maddy throughout her stay.
At church that Easter morning, Maddy saw the “blue eyed stranger” who had been silently shadowing her around town and at the bakery. He was staring at her from several rows behind her, but she was unable to catch him until the following day.
Maddy got an early morning call from her head chef, who found a dead body in the bakery. It was Brandy, who Maddy publicly argued with on Sunday. As the only person in town with a history with Brandy, Maddy was the only suspect, as demonstrated in their social media posts. The state police detective wants to arrest her but he needs solid evidence.
Since Maddy moved to town, she and Octavia’s closest friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, have helped solve murders to help April and others falsely accused. Now she needs them to get herself off the hook.
Maddy learned that her ex, Elliott, was in town with another social media maven, Galina. They had begun dating after he dumped Brandy. Maddy went to see them to learn what she could about Brandy’s – and their own – time in town. Galina hated Brandy, and Brandy hated Maddy. I hated the cutthroat part of influencers’ work. The Admiral and Michael arrived shortly after. This fast-paced mystery suddenly escalated to speeding bullet pace! It was a good thing Maddy’s dad arrived at her invitation, as just hours later, another body was found, by both of them, on her private beach.
This outstanding mystery delivers serious and laugh-out-loud moments, with engaging, lovable folks and creepy liars. The murders raised even more questions, including whether the killer had been involved with Octavia’s death – accident or pushed? – and a couple unsolved murders from the earlier novels. I really enjoyed Maddy’s father, especially when he meets and dines with a new friend of Maddy, an internationally-celebrated designer.
This was a challenging set of murders without an obvious common thread. I finally identified a suspect well into the novel, even though I didn’t yet know the twisted motives. I was shocked at the motives for the murders and the depth of the deceptions played out. The end was very satisfying, and I hope the next mystery will come quickly! I highly recommend this cozy mystery!
