Sprinkle with Murder (Wheeler Cozy Mystery) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Jenn McKinlay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2010 | Series: Wheeler Cozy Mystery

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Their first big order is a sweet deal, too -- five hundred cupcakes for a fashion designer's wedding. The only sour note is the demanding bridezilla who insists on original recipes for the cupcakes. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead by cupcake, she immediately becomes the prime suspect. To clear her and their business, the ladies must find the real murderer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. McKinlay (who writes decoupage mysteries as Lucy Lawrence) pens a tender cozy full of warm and likable characters and a refreshingly sympathetic murder victim. Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura have just opened their cupcake bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, with financial help from their best friend, Tate Harper. It seems like a dream come true, with the exception of their resentful competition and the excessive demands of Tate's vapid fiancée, fashion designer Christie Stevens. When Christie is found dead in her studio holding a sample wedding cupcake, the bakers become suspects. Melanie has faith the police will solve the case, but she's less sure about the motives of Angie's handsome DA brother, Joe, and concern for Tate and Christie's family drives her to launch her own investigation. Readers will look forward to more of McKinlay's tasty concoctions. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; Large Print edition (June 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141042622X
• ISBN-13: 978-1410426222
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,185,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jenn is the New York Times
bestselling author of the
Cupcake Bakery mystery series
and the Library Lover's mystery
series. She also writes the
Decoupage mystery series under
the name Lucy Lawrence and the
Good Buy Girls mystery series
under the name Josie Belle.

Her main interests are reading,
writing, baking, knitting and
skateboarding. She lives in
sunny AZ in a house overrun
with kids, pets and guitars.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Cozy Mystery Any Cupcake Lover Will Eat Up, March 2, 2010

By 

Rachel Kramer Bussel "Cupcakes Take the Cake ... (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Who knew cupcakes were so dangerous? This fun, well-plotted mystery centers around two best friends, Melanie and Angie, who've just started a cupcake business, and are set to cater the wedding of their longtime male friend, Tate, whose fiance, fashion designer Christie, is, to put it mildly, not well-liked by almost anyone save for her fiance and one fawning assistant. When she insists on owning control over the original cupcake flavors that Fairy Tale Cupcakes is making, they almost balk, but agree...until she winds up dead, with a cupcake in her hand. This wreaks havoc on their business and Mel decides she's going to find out who the culprit is to save her business, and her reputation since rumors are swirling that she was the one with the fatal cupcake.

This is a page turner that certainly kept me guessing, and the horrors of Christie's manipulation are related with an almost gleeful detail. The author's done her homework on what it takes to run a cupcake bakery, and there's an entertaining rivalry with another shop (complete with frosting splattering!) as well as cupcake recipes at the end. A very promising start to this mystery series; I look forward to reading the rest!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet Treat for Cozy Readers, March 2, 2010

By 

SuzieQ "cozy in pottsville" (Pottsville, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This cozy was a fun book about a recently opened cupcake bakery and its owners, Mel, Angie, and Tate. When Tate's unpopular fiance is murdered, the mayhem begins. Mel conducts her own investigation because she believes that she or Tate will be arrested for the murder. The tale was well crafted; I had no idea who was the murderer until the end. Angie's brothers, Mel's mother, and the rival bakery owner Olivia are a hoot. This is a great beginning to new series. I am looking toward to number 2!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully Delicious Cozy Series!, March 8, 2010

By 

LaLuna "Carolann" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I absolutely loved this book for the complex and realistic characters, and the well-paced story that kept me guessing until the end. I also got a huge kick out of the fact that this story is set in my home town! I've lived and worked in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area since 1981 and I am very familiar with the streets and landmarks mentioned in the book. Any cozy fan will love this story. The main characters, Mel and Angie, are well-rounded with virtues as well as flaws, and the dialogue is crisp and laugh-out-loud funny at times. There's plenty of conflict to keep the story moving, including the murder investigation of Mel's and Angie's business partner's fiance, and a hilarious rivalry with a fellow bakery's unstable owner. The movie quotes add a fun flavor to the book and another dimension to the main characters, who are big-time movie buffs. I was surprised by the murderer's identity when it was revealed. The only downside to this book is that I craved cupcakes obsessively while reading it! I am looking forward to reading what I hope will be many more books in the Cupcake Mystery series.