Cozy murder mystery. 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.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
This one starts out like classic crime fiction with the discovery of a corpse and the possibility that a homicide has taken place. The narrator is a woman who is struggling to survive with a home-based cake baking business. The writer does a decent job of depicting some rather ordinary folk. It doesn't sizzle but it cooks nicely at a low heat. This has potential. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
When Daphne Martin, owner of Daphne's Delectable Cakes, finds cranky Yodel Watson dead on Watson's parlor sofa, Daphne knows she's stumbled on the ingredients for murder. Then she receives an odd call from Mrs. Watson's daughter, Annabelle, telling her that Yodel Watson kept a secret diary filled with gossip about most of the residents in her small Virginia town. The journal could hold clues to the circumstances of her death, so Annabelle asks Daphne to retrieve it. Upon reading the diary, Daphne is horrified to find a scandalous tidbit about her own mother and other neighborhood secrets best left buried. It turns out that practically everybody in town had reason to want Yodel Watson dead: the local pet store proprietor and his mistress, the bag boy at the grocery store, the town eccentric, and even Daphne's own sister, Violet. Cute but typical, this mystery is solid but uninspiring. The characters are likeable, although not unique. The dual puzzles are engrossing, but not particularly unparalleled. The recipes included in this book are fun but not distinctive. Overall, this is a good enough whodunit, but it lacks spice. -- manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization
Yes, the title's an unfortunate pun (a cheese cake, perhaps?); Daphne, the main character, is a cake maker. And, delivering a cake to one of her customers, she stumbles upon the dead body of Ms. Watson. It's a silly story with a lot to love. Not a detective story, not a cake-lover's diary, it's the flavorful icing somewhere in between. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
When Daphne Martin, owner of Daphne's Delectable Cakes, finds cranky Yodel Watson dead on Watson's parlor sofa, Daphne knows she's stumbled on the ingredients for murder. Then she receives an odd call from Mrs. Watson's daughter, Annabelle, telling her that Yodel Watson kept a secret diary filled with gossip about most of the residents in her small Virginia town. The journal could hold clues to the circumstances of her death, so Annabelle asks Daphne to retrieve it. Upon reading the diary, Daphne is horrified to find a scandalous tidbit about her own mother and other neighborhood secrets best left buried. It turns out that practically everybody in town had reason to want Yodel Watson dead: the local pet store proprietor and his mistress, the bag boy at the grocery store, the town eccentric, and even Daphne's own sister, Violet. Cute but typical, this mystery is solid but uninspiring. The characters are likeable, although not unique. The dual puzzles are engrossing, but not particularly unparalleled. The recipes included in this book are fun but not distinctive. Overall, this is a good enough whodunit, but it lacks spice. -- manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization
Yes, the title's an unfortunate pun (a cheese cake, perhaps?); Daphne, the main character, is a cake maker. And, delivering a cake to one of her customers, she stumbles upon the dead body of Ms. Watson. It's a silly story with a lot to love. Not a detective story, not a cake-lover's diary, it's the flavorful icing somewhere in between. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
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More About the Author
Gayle lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband and two gorgeous children. In addition to the Daphne Martin cake decorating series, Gayle writes the Marcy Singer embroidery series under the pseudonym Amanda Lee. Please visit her online at http://www.gayletrent.com.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous new cozy culinary mystery series,
By Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Murder Takes The Cake (Paperback)
Daphne Martin has returned to her Virginia hometown and is working at establishing her new business as a freelance cake decorator. When Brea Ridge dies, suspicion turns to the cake Daphne delivered. No one listens to the fact that she found the body while delivering the cake. Daphne sets out to clear her good name and find the murderer.
Who knew a small town could have so many people who wanted Yodel dead, including Daphne's family? Can she find the murderer and make a go of her business? I really enjoyed this book. I devoured it in a little over a day. It is such a fun, fast cozy read. The author has done a great job of setting it in a small town in Virginia with plenty of suspects and intrigue. Daphne is a great character with plenty of depth and smarts to be an amateur sleuth. I really enjoyed her. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the next one!
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This Cake Could Use a Bit More Prep Time,
First-person narration, as found in many mysteries, should serve to add tension and convey the narrator's emotions. Murder Takes the Cake misses the opportunity to build tension or express the uneasiness that baker Daphne Martin should feel at finding a woman dead on a couch.
The story is serviceable, with a cute premise. But it lacks tension and drama. The setup introduces both a dead body and Daphne's personal issues, but there is little compulsion for the reader to read more. A murder mystery, even a cozy, needs more than a lifeless body to intrigue the reader. A strong hook would do it. Author Gayle Trent has a firm grasp on the writing mechanics. She merely needs a stronger story to match her technical strengths.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of "Murder Takes the Cake",
By Redmond Lady PI (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Murder Takes The Cake (Paperback)
This is a comfortable, cozy mystery. We are introduced to female-sleuth Daphne Martin. She is divorced, age 40 and has just returned to her home town of Brea Ridge in southwest Virginia. She has bought a home and dreams of starting her own cake decorating business.
Daphne's first customer is Yodel Watson. Unfortunately Yodel is dead as Daphne discovers when she arrives to deliver the cake. She summons the police and tells them "I just brought the cake". Later the police discover that Yodel was poisoned. The book follows Daphne while she finds that she has to convince many of the townsfolk that her cake was not the cause of Yodel's death. Author Gayle Trent makes Daphne into a very real, likeable character. I feel like she could be my friend and I'm participating in her life. As a nice bonus, the culprit was not who I thought it would be. I'm looking forward to ready more books in the series.
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