Review of Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: January 25th, 2011

More Info: Amazon

Series: #1 Daphne Martin Mystery series

Book Blurb:

A routine cake delivery becomes a culinary nightmare when a small-town baker discovers her first client’s dead body in this irresistible new mystery series. 

It’ll take more than a little sugar to convince folks Daphne Martin’s freshly baked spice cake was not to blame for the mysterious death of town gossip Yodel Watson. Getting her new cake decorating business, Daphne’s Delectable Cakes, off the ground is hard enough now that Daphne’s moved back to her southern Virginia hometown, but orders have been even slower since she found Yodel’s body. She soon realizes, however, that just about everybody in town had a reason to poison the cantankerous busybody, from the philandering pet shop owner, to Yodel’s church potluck nemesis, to the Save-A-Buck’s cranky produce manager-turned-bagger. Now, to help prove she’s no confectionary killer, Daphne recruits her old flame, Ben Jacobs, editor of the local newspaper, and quickly stirs up a long-hidden family scandal that just might hold the secret ingredient she needs to solve the case. All she’s got to do is roll up her sleeves and get her hands a little dirty before the real culprit decides that taking sweet revenge on Daphne will be icing on the cake.

My Thoughts: 

This book was released several years ago but has been re-released with a new cover (see above) with some new material. I never read the original release so I can't compare the two.

Daphne is nice, is a bit naïve, and quite determined.  There was a wide ranges of characters in this book and Trent makes each one stand out. Daphne is starting a new life, trying to get her catering business off the ground and when Yodel's death threatens that, she finds herself investigating. She also gets involved in a family mystery which at first is intertwined with Yodel's death. While I did have fun reading this book, there were some parts in the middle where I did skim over as I felt that the story could have moved faster. Still, I enjoyed it and it held my attention.

I really liked that Daphne's involvement in the murder investigation rang true. Often in cozy mysteries, the amateur sleuths involvement requires a strong suspension of belief. This made sense and really worked. As is common with cozy mysteries involving food, there are some recipes at the back. They look relatively easy and like something your average baker could do. There are even baking tips sprinkled in throughout the book.

"Murder Takes the Cake" is a light, enjoyable, easy read.

This paperback was received from the publisher for review.