Beachfront Bakery: A Killer Cupcake (A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery—Book 1)
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4.1 • 2.9K Ratings
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Publisher Description
"Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!"
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Murder in the Manor)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE is the debut novel in a charming and hilarious new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, whose bestselling Murder in the Manor (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery) has nearly 200 five star reviews.
Allison Sweet, 34, a sous chef in Los Angeles, has had it up to here with demeaning customers, her demanding boss, and her failed love life. After a shocking incident, she realizes the time has come to start life fresh and follow her lifelong dream of moving to a small town and opening a bakery of her own.
When Allison spots a charming, vacant storefront on the boardwalk near Venice, she wonders if she could really start life anew. Feeling like it’s a sign, and a time to take a chance in life, she goes for it.
Yet Allison did not anticipate the wild ride ahead of her: the boardwalk, filled with fun and outrageous characters, is pulsing with life, from the Italian pizzeria owners on either side of her who vie for her affection, to the fortune tellers and scheming rival bakery owner nearby. Allison yearns to just focus on her delicious new pastry recipes and keep her struggling bakery afloat—but when a murder occurs right near her shop, everything changes.
Implicated, her entire future at stake, Allison has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. As an orphaned dog wanders into her life, a devoted new sidekick with a knack for solving mysteries, she starts her search.
Will they find the killer? And can her struggling bakery survive?
A hilarious cozy mystery series, packed with twists, turns, romance, travel, food and unexpected adventure, the BEACHFRONT BAKERY series will keep you laughing and turning pages late into the night as you fall in love with an endearing new character who will capture your heart.
Books #2 (A MURDEROUS MACAROON), #3 (A PERILOUS CAKE POP), #4 (A DEADLY DANISH), #5 (A TREACHEROUS TART), and book #6 (A CALAMITOUS COOKIE) are also available!
Customer Reviews
Absolute fun read
Ali was fun to get to know. Some of the characters are a cliche, but they add to the storyline.
Tolerable
If you’ve read good mystery books, this falls flat. It is a quick simpler read and not boring, so it works like snacks instead of a meal in this genre. I liked its sunny easy beach boardwalk setting with a baker (that vibe persists throughout the book from start to finish), that felt new and interesting compared to dark intense settings in this genre typically.
The main painpoint is that it has loose ends lacking character development. For instance, the murdered victim’s balloon obsession and mother with Alzheimer’s are underdeveloped and pique your interest only to play out into nothing at all except that he pesters people to open his store. But why is the man balloon obsessed? Why is the killer the person he is? It really leaves no impression or memorability. I can’t help but compare it to my memory of Stacy Green’s Girls in the Snow that sends chills picturing the murdered girls vividly and each character’s arc in it.
Easy Read but too far fetched
The usual cozy mystery books involve the main character, having specialized knowledge that help the police solve the case. In this story, Ali, new to the small town, doesn’t know the people, or the area’s history, yet, is smarter than the police and able to solve the murder.
I read a sample of book number two in the series and once again, Allie is the suspected murderer. I’m just wondering how many times one person can be accused of murder in a small town?