Daphne Martin has moved back to her home town to begin a new
life after divorcing her abusive husband. Although such
a difficult past has repercussions, Daphne is facing her
challenges with resolve and optimism. She is enjoying the
opportunity to get to know her niece and nephew, and perhaps
even find some kind of common ground with her mother. Their
relationship was greatly damaged during the turmoil of the
trial involving Daphne's ex-husband. Daphne has determined
to face her issues squarely, with as much courage as she can
muster. Even when long buried details affecting those
closest to her are revealed with the death of a neighbor,
she holds it together and determines to find the truth, no
matter the potential damage it may do to her memories of
family.
Gayle Trent has woven in plenty of interesting details from
the intricacies of cake decorating to the properties of the
weapon that killed the victim. Her judicious use of red
herrings kept me a bit off kilter as I tried to identify the
culprit before the conclusion, making this a very fun read.
Although each character is fleshed out with his or her
particularly quirky personality, none of them go over the
top into bizarre land, and they all have a role, large or
small, to play. MURDER TAKES THE CAKE is the first of the
Daphne Martin Cake mysteries and a good, solid cozy. The
details of cake decorating are handled well, slipped in
without detracting from the story line. This re-release of
the book (originally published in 2008)has added some new
scenes as well an entirely new section, Daphne's Kitchen,
with recipes and tips that pertain to the story.
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.