Cake and Punishment
Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast-iron skillet on the floor.
With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?
Series: A Southern Cake Baker Mystery – Book 1
Author: Maymee Bell (Tonya Kappes)
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Rating:
Cake and Punishment written by Maymee Bell (aka Tonya Kappes) and published by Crooked Lane Books http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/ is a wonderful new cozy series. The characters are outrageous enough to make readers laugh and serious enough to give them a moment’s pause. Sophia may have a broken heart and no intention of stay in Rumford, but everyone is making it almost impossible for her to go back to the city and her job of a lifetime or would be if it weren’t for her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her and ruined her happiness.
The characters in this book are wonderfully simple and complex, all at the same time. They have flaws and quirks that endear them and, at the same time, can make them a bit irritating. Or, in other words, normal. They are hard to forget, readers will enjoy getting to know them as new books in the cozy series rollout.
Sophia is heartbroken and yet determined to reclaim her dream job and forget her ex-cheating boyfriend. Her old friends gather around and do everything they can to keep her in Rumford; even her mother is determined to keep her around. She even finds that she is attracted to the local police detective, Carter.
As the story unfolds, it doesn’t take long for the reader to know what Sophia’s fate will be when it comes to Rumford or her dream job. As for the murder, that is a bit more complex, and many readers will not figure out who-done-it until the end. Which is great and not always accomplished in a cozy book.
This new cozy series with the debut of Cake and Punishment is certain to appeal to anyone who enjoys Tonya Kappes’ other series as well as anyone who loves good cooking and especially baked goods. The recipes in the back are divine and mouthwateringly delicious. This book is highly recommended to all cozy readers.
About the Author
Tonya Kappes has written more than fifty southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and Woman’s World Book Club pick twice. Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion, and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time.
Contact Tonya: tonyakappes@tonyakappes.com
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