by Cynthia Chow
Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a copy of Dying for a Cupcake. There is also a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and a link to KRL’s fun food column How I Met My Dinner, for more food related fun.
They may call their meetings the Saturday Night Prayer Circle, but in actuality the women of Shadow Bend, Missouri gather in the Gossip Club nightclub to down margaritas and vent about their lives. Their latest confab has an actual goal: new bed-and-breakfast owner Ronni Ksiazak has a plan to attract tourists to their tiny town. The famed owner of Kizzy Cutler’s Cupcakes was once a local resident, and Ronni has convinced Kizzy to hold a baking competition in Shadow Bend to coincide with the debut of her new cupcake line. The competition will tie in local businesses with a fashion show, nightly entertainment, and a reception held in Devereaux’s Dime Store upper floor. 
Kizzy’s assistant is found dead before the competition even begins, but the self-centered cupcake maven barely misses a step in her plans to promote her latest creations. Dev is far more worried that the death was nefarious, and she begins to conduct her own investigation into the many secrets of both local and visiting bakers. Dev has a smart mouth that matches her sharp wit, and she will do all she can to protect the town she has always loved.
The investigation provides a welcome distraction for Dev from her own personal situation. For a woman ostensibly dating two very available men, Dev is spending most of her evenings alone. Smoking-hot Deputy U.S. Marshall Jake Del Vecchio is off attempting to rescue his ex-wife from a serial killer, while Dr. Noah Underwood is nobly working with Disasters Doctors in Haiti. Dev may have loving feelings and electric attractions for both men, but their continued unavailability has her open to yet another appealing suitor—this time in the form of an investigating fire chief. Narratives showing their viewpoints will have readers just as confused as Dev over whom to choose. Dev also has to face her feelings of guilt over the release of her father (who was in prison for 12 years) and his return home; technically guilty of one crime, he was falsely accused of another, and Dev doubted his innocence.
This third in the series perfectly captures the small-town atmosphere where cooking skills are a matter of pride, grudges endure for years, and change comes slowly but inevitably. The tiny population of blue-collar workers and farmers is often at odds with newer, wealthier residents, and there is a struggle for the local businesses to survive. Humor always takes the forefront in prolific Denise Swanson’s mysteries, and she continues to incorporate her one-liners and funny aphorisms into her stories. Quirky characters drive this fast-paced novel, and its unpredictable conclusion will have readers anxiously looking forward to the next in this entertaining series.
To enter to win a copy of Dying for a Cupcake, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Cupcake,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 28, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.
And for more food related fun and recipes check out our How I Met My Dinner column, which includes recipes!
Click on this link to purchase this book and you will be supporting an indie bookstore & a portion goes to help support KRL.
Love it. Cute cover.
Sounds like a wonderful read and the cover is fantastic!
i have been reading all about this book everywhere and trying to win i love the cover and the writer! I am from Calif and moved to iowa 12 years ago and i am now on a Calif site trying to win the book i have wanted since it came out!
Thanks for the giveaway! I love this series!
just started the 2nd book of this series……….
thank you for the giveaway!!!
You had me at Cupcake, sounds like a great series. Thanks for the chance to win
Sounds like a great book!! Thanks for the contest!
Looks like a good book! Love this series.
Love this series 🙂 can’t wait to read this one.
I loved the book. In fact I like her other books as well…
Sounds like a fun read! I would enjoy this, and probably have to hunt up some cupcakes to help. The cover art is appealing – cupcakes and kitty. What’s not to like? Thanks for the chance to win!
Sounds like a good read! Thanks for introduction to it!
Good Cover and even better idea for a story.
Looks like a clever read. Agree cover is a great lure.
What could be better than a cozy mystery? A delicious cupcake cozy! Sounds like an excellent book. Thank you for the chance to win.
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you.
Sounds like a fun cozy!
Denise is a terrific writer, and I love this series. I will buy a copy ASAP. I encourage you all to do the same if you do not win a copy here.
Yes! Yes! Would love to read one more Swanson book!!
I just finished the latest Scumble River book (Murder of a Needled Knitter) and am ready for a new Denise Swanson fix!
We have a winner
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher