My first ever experience with cozy mysteries and I must say that I quite enjoyed the ride. Was it the perfect mystery book? Well not really but then you can’t expect cozy mysteries to have the hard core elements that define a mystery and a thriller right?Melanie Cooper and Angela DeLaura are the proud owners of a cupcake bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes and are quite happy with their business. Their other partner, major investor and best friend Tate is getting married to Christie, who is proving to be quite the bridezilla! She gives them an order of 500 cupcakes for her wedding, wanting specially created flavours that have never been created before. While working on this order and getting her fledgling business to soar to great heights, Mel stumbles upon the Christie – dead by cupcake! To make matters worse or rather obvious, Mel finds herself being suspected of murdering her. Now Mel is faced with the task of not only running her business but also of finding the real killer, who is out there loose somewhere!The plot was predictable and so was the killer. It was pretty obvious at the first instance. Of course Mel and the others have to go about their own way and stumble upon the truth in a truly melodramatic way, which I guess is the style used in these books (I am not really sure). So, if the plot was predictable and the mystery nothing great, what is it that made this book a really nice read? Well, very simply the way in which it was written, the dialogues, the characters and the numerous funny moments, where you simply can’t help but laugh out loud. Few characters will stay in your mind the way Joyce, Mel’s mother does, who was rip-roaringly humourous in this book. I simply loved her! She was completely over the top but it was so beautifully done that you had to love her. The interactions between Mel and her mom were exceedingly funny and made for a good laugh, something I desperately needed. The friendship between Mel, Tate and Angie, although not really gone into very deeply in this book made for a pleasurable reading as well. Their constant exchange of movie dialogues and the appropriate use of them made it a fun read. Incidentally, the slightly simmering chemistry, which was not full blown but still somewhat anticipatory in nature between Mel and Joe was also nicely done, making the book a romance within a mystery. Yeah okay, I can hear you say that there is no need for a romance within a mystery but do remember this is a cozy mystery, where everything is accepted and even encouraged! All in all, the dialogues in this book were really great in some places while being quite obvious in others. So, where the book does not score in plot or even the mystery part of it, it sure does by way of its dialogues. And finally, what’s a cupcake mystery without a few recipes right? Don’t worry, the author does give you a few at the end, which make up for a really sweet finish. All in all, I found it a really breezy and cozy read, one that gave me a lot of pleasure and some laughing moments. Will definitely recommend it to those who want a light read and are not too bothered by a lack of plot; someone who wants to laugh while getting some sweet treats in return; for all of you – this is a good book but hardcore mystery fanatics – do stay away else you might be disappointed. As for me, I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of such books and also this series, who knows the series might just tempt me to bake some cupcakes :P. Fun first in a series. Well written with a fun trio of main characters, Melanie, Angie and Tate. Melanie and Angie are co-owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcake Bakery. Tate’s fiance is murdered and that puts both Tate and Melanie directly in the path of the investigation. Melanie start investigating to save herself and Tate. There are several probable suspects and Melanie does conduct her own investigation into the murder.I did figure out the mystery far before the end, so perhaps a one of the clues was a little too obvious, but I still enjoyed reading it to the end. The only other issue I had was the relationship between Angie’s brother Joe and Melanie. It seemed to me unrealistic that Melanie was Angie’s best friend and yet had not had contact or interaction with Joe since she was in middle school and so had never gotten over her crush. This romance was a pretty light element in the book though so this is not that big of a problem.I will read more in this series and see where it goes.
Do You like book Sprinkle With Murder (2010)?
Good friends. Good mystery. Cupcakes! A delightful start to a series I look forward to continuing!!!
—Aprilar
Quick fun read. Should have tried some of the recipes
—Ali_1
A good beginning to a series. I liked the story.
—Susan
