Everything is finally falling into place for Sally Donovan. She and her husband Mike have welcomed a baby girl, Corrine (fittingly nicknamed Cookie). Co-owner of bakery Sally Samples, Sally is adjusting to their new normal while finding their footing with their new bundle of joy. With motherhood comes new challenges and Sally has promised Mike she would stop her sleuthing into any future murder investigations. That sounded good, in theory, until her father Domenic Muccio, self-proclaimed death guru, asks for her help in digging into what happened to Eddie Phibbins, his friend and mortuary owner, who has gone missing. Eddie hasn’t been paying for his ads on Domenic’s death-related blog, and Domenic fears something sinister has happened. Rumors become reality when Eddie is found murdered in one of his own caskets and is already embalmed. Much to Mike’s dismay and her father’s delight, Sally along with best friend and bakery co-owner, Josie, dig into the case.
ICING ON THE CASKET is the ninth book in the Cookies and Chance mystery series and will not disappoint readers of this series, new or loyal. This is the first book in this series that I had the pleasure of reading and I will be adding it to my never-ending to-be-read list. The characters are authentic and entertaining. The plotline is fast-paced and well-developed. The list of suspects, including a flirty makeup artist, a fired employee, a jealous brother, and of course Eddie’s grieving wife, will keep readers speculating until the very end. Being the ninth book in the series should not deter new readers from picking up this gem. There is enough back story to get caught up quickly without it overtaking the current storyline. I appreciated the realness of all the characters, but especially with Sally. Parenthood drastically changes personal relationships and dynamics and the author does not ignore this. The lack of sleep, marriage shifting to unchartered territory, and all the ups and downs involved were portrayed with honesty and humor. I highly recommend ICING ON THE CASKET - bake some cookies and lose yourself in Sally's latest sleuthing adventure!
From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next humorous romantic Cookies & Chance mystery!
Full-time baker and sometime sleuth Sally Muccio finally has everything she’s always wanted—a beautiful baby, loving husband, and a thriving business. Now that she’s a mother, Sal has vowed she’ll stay out of future murder investigations. But when her eccentric father’s friend, mortician Eddie Phibbins, is found dead in one of his own caskets, Sal's father begs her to help find the killer.
With their famous coffins cookies in hand, Sal and her best friend Josie “undertake” the process of questioning mourners and employees at the funeral home, hoping for a lead to Eddie’s killer. Between a recently fired hearse driver, resentful family members and a wacky, love-struck makeup artist there’s no shortage of suspects. Once again, Sal’s snooping has attracted the attention of a killer, and her good intentions may have only succeeded in digging herself an early grave…