Customer Reviews

Sprinkle with Murder (Wheeler Cozy Mystery)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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!

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.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and had a hard time putting it down. Terrific first effort from this author, and I would read other books in the series.

I think the only thing I would complain about, if I were to complain, is that not EVERY single cupcake they mentioned had a recipie listed for it at the end. Really wanted to make one of those coconut ones she mentioned, darn it!!

I preordered this book some time back because the cover was so appealing. What a treat that the inside of the book was just as appealing! I'm always on the lookout for a good new cozy mystery series, and it looks like I found a winner this one. Loved Mel, Angie & Tate. Their "3 Musketeers" friendship reminded me of people it has been my pleasure to know and the relationship rang true. The story was a good one and Christie was the perfect "truly-awful-person" murder victim. I had a good idea who the killer was early on, but the story just grabbed me right up and kept me turning pages after I should have been in bed. I'm definitely looking forward to BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF! Oh, and I'm going to try that Blonde Bombshell recipe this weekend!

I really enjoyed Sprinkle With Murder, the first in the cupcake bakery series. McKinlay has written a wonderful freshman tale. There were great characters, a fast paced story, and just enough twists to keep me guessing. I was drawn to the vivid descriptions of the Fairy Tale Bakery, with it's 50's pink and grey decor and location near the tourist area of Scottsdale. Owners Melanie and Angie have known each other since sixth grade. When their business partner Tate (and just as old a friend) asks Melanie to cater the cupcakes for his upcoming wedding, she agrees. Many things go awry, with Melanie (and her business) being wrongly accused of murder. Melanie's mother and Angie's many brothers made several appearances, hopefully they will all make return in future stories. As with any good cozy that involves food, there were some delicious sounding recipes at the end. I will be eager to read the next in the series, Buttercream Bump Off.

Jenn McKinlay has whipped up a great new series in "Sprinkled with Murder," and after reading this book, I can't wait for the next installment. One would think that with all the buzz around cupcakes these days, it would be hard to put a fresh spin on this genre, but McKinlay certainly knows baking, and her geography, which makes for an interesting read.

The setting for this cozy mystery is Old Town Scottsdale. McKinlay's description of the surrounding area is spot-on, so much so, that I can picture the bakery in my mind as I am reading the book. Her characters are so well-developed that I can almost picture Mel and Angie working away in their bakery, and sleuthing all over town for clues to who killed the bride-to-be.

While Angie's brothers are a bit over the top in their protection of their little sis, it's fun to watch this mystery unravel and finally figure out whodunnit!

This book was great! The Mel and her best friend Angie are enjoyable characters. The story was very well written and the recipes were so tempting. I did not have all the ingredients but I was making cupcakes from a box immediately after finishing the book. I would definitely recommend this for someone who likes cooking mysteries. This series looks very promising.

This first book in this new series gives us a fresh baked "who-dun-it" that will have you craving for cupcakes from the first page to the last.

A cupcake bakery, "Fairy Tale Cupcakes", is a dream come true for Mel Cooper and Angie DeLaura. They are excited about their first big order of 500 cupcakes for a wedding until Mel sits down with the bride. She puts any "bridezilla" you have ever seen on television to shame. When Mel goes for a follow up meeting she finds the bride dead with a one of her cupcakes in her hand, she then becomes the number one suspect. Mel knows she didn't do it and she has to find out who did, to keep herself from being arrested and to save their business.

Add into this mixture Angie's seven brothers, a crazy competitor, and their best friend Tate, who happens to be the groom and you have the recipe for a great cozy mystery.

Sprinkle with Murder is a great start to the new Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. Even though the main characters, Mel, Angie and Tate, have very different personalities, they are absolutely delightful together. Not only are they business partners in the bakery, they have been friends since high school, and they each share a common factor - old movies (which they watch together in Tate's home theatre). I also loved the fact that Angie's brothers were always checking up on her even though she is perfecly capable of taking care of herself

I would highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book in the series.