CARAMEL CRUSH is book nine in Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake
Bakery cozy mystery series. As with other books in
this
series, Jenn McKinlay provides a plausible reason for
cupcake maker and businesswoman Melanie Cooper to get
involved in a murder investigation. While Mel is biding
her time until she finally ties the knot with her
longtime sweetie Joe, and quietly going crazy helping her
bridezilla friend Angie plan her upcoming wedding, in
walks the kind of trouble out of a Dashiell Hammett
novel. What starts out as a straightforward, if extremely
odd, favor for an old college friend takes a deadly turn
when Mel discovers a dead body. Jenn McKinlay superbly
balances laugh-out-loud slapstick humor with sinister
shenanigans and moral depravity.
Despite her own misgivings, as well as those of her
friends and co-workers, Mel sets out to prove that Diane
Earnest didn't murder her estranged fiancé Mike Bordow.
As Mel's investigation progresses, it becomes evident
that there are just as many reasons for Diane to want her
fiancé dead as there are other suspects. This healthy
amount of doubt makes this mystery even more interesting
for readers to try to puzzle out. It's usually a given,
in detective novels, that the suspect who comes to the
detective looking for help is not the murderer. However,
in CARAMEL CRUSH, Jenn McKinlay evokes the same kind of
uncertainty that is present in the classic film ANATOMY
OF A MURDER. Prickly Detective Tara Martinez and Mel's
uncle - Detective Stan Cooper -- make an entertaining good
cop/bad cop routine, coming in and out of the story at
opportune moments without stifling Mel's investigation.
CARAMEL CRUSH has many elements -- humor, mystery, and a
dash of romance -- that work together to make an
exquisitely balanced cozy mystery. The themes of
friendship and family are skillfully woven throughout
CARAMEL CRUSH. Mel's friends and co-workers make an
entertaining and loyal extended family. I love the
relationship between Mel and her fiancé Joe in CARAMEL
CRUSH. Joe listens, supports, and offers suggestions to
Mel without acting in a condescending way toward her, or
bossing her around. Joe's slightly sketchy, yet lovable,
brother Ray is a quirky character and I'd like to see
more of him in future books. Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake
Bakery books are delectable cozy mystery confections for
readers, and I can't wait for the next one!
When a breakup via cupcake threatens to crumble their
friend's life for good, Mel and Angie race to solve the
murder as this New York Times bestselling series
continues...
Love is in the air at Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Angie
prepares
for her wedding, but co-owner, Mel, is preparing for a
breakup. Her old friend, Diane Earnest, is dumping her
fiancé after discovering he's only marrying her for her
money. She wants Mel to personally deliver a batch of
caramel breakup cupcakes to the louse and give her a
play-by-play of his reaction.
When Mel finally tracks the man down, the look on his
face
isn't the reaction she was expecting: he's dead. After
the
police arrive and see the incriminating cupcakes, Diane
becomes their prime suspect. If she hopes to taste
freedom
again, Mel and Angie must make sure the real killer gets
their just desserts...
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