March 1, 2022
A cupcake baker's day goes from bad to murderous. A bridezilla has refused to pay Melanie DeLaura for her wedding cupcakes because they're the wrong color, even though she changed the color without telling Mel. As Mel leaves Fairy Tale Cupcakes after working late into the night to re-ice 350 cupcakes, a dark figure shoots at her. She's saved when her friend Oz, who lives above the store, throws a potted plant that scares off the shooter. Mel calls her Uncle Stan, a homicide detective, who dispatches Scottsdale patrol cars that quickly arrive on the scene. Does someone want to kill Mel, or is the target her husband, Joe, an assistant district attorney who's made a dangerous enemy? Since Mel refuses to play it safe, Joe hires bodyguards and depends on his extended family for help. At a meeting of the Old Town Small Business Association, Mel is shocked and hurt when some of the members try to force her to close her bakery. Then Naomi, a neighboring shop owner who looks a lot like Mel, is shot, putting pressure on Mel and her friends, who are well experienced in crime-solving, to find the shooter. Their investigations reveal that many of the business owners are in financial trouble after having taken out loans with a dubious company that charges astronomical interest. As more business owners are attacked, a stubborn Mel and her posse have to figure out whether the motive is financial or personal. Quirky, cupcake-fueled characters add to the joy of this long-running, semimysterious series.
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April 1, 2022
Melanie ""Mel"" DeLaura, part owner of Fairy Tale Cupcakes in Scottsdale, Arizona, is shot at while leaving the bakery late one night. Was the shooter someone out for revenge due to her past work solving crimes, or was it related to her husband's job as an assistant district attorney? When businesswoman Naomi Sutter, who looks a lot like Mel, is shot and killed, Melanie is whisked away to a safe house. Meanwhile, Nikki Guthrie begins a petition to close Mel's bakery, and to Mel's disbelief, other business owners, supposedly her friends, sign it. When additional attacks follow, Mel jumps into the investigation, hoping to protect both her bakery and the other businesses in the area. She connects the victims with a possible motive, gathers the suspects, and explains the crimes in a Hercule Poirot-style denouement. Readers who love baking-themed cozies will relish this entry in the popular series. Suggest to fans of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen, Sarah Graves' Jacobia Tiptree, Lucy Burdette's Hayley Snow, and Ellie Alexander's Jules Capshaw.
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