2011 April 07

Book Review: Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent

Title: Murder Takes the Cake: A Daphne Martin Cake Mystery
Author: Gayle Trent
Publisher: Gallery
Publication Date: March 29, 2011
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN: 978-1451600018
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

From the Publisher:

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 Review:

Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent is the first in her new Daphne Martin Mystery series and is a wonderful debut novel for this new series. Readers are introduced to Daphne Martin, whose abusive ex-husband is serving a prison sentence for attempted murder, and at 40, has decided to return to her small hometown in Virginia and turn her passion into a business, opening Daphne’s Delectable Cakes. Unfortunately, Yodel is found dead soon after acquiring one of Daphne’s cakes and it does not take long for rumours to spread that Yodel’s death was due to poisoning from a cake Daphne had delivered. To squelch rumours and save her fledgling business, Daphne sets out to discover who murdered Yodel. Murder Takes the Cake is an extremely delightful cozy mystery and since it is the start of a series, the reader is introduced to a lot of rather eclectic characters which I think further enhances the feel of Daphne’s new home and her fresh start on life. I truly enjoyed Murder Takes the Cake and found myself greedily gobbling up the words while solving the mystery alongside Daphne. I highly recommend Murder Takes the Cake to anyone who enjoys baking tips and recipes along with a delightful cozy mystery.

About the Author:

Gayle Trent lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband and two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. She’s a full-time writer/editor/mom/wife and chief cook and bottle washer, and she love every minute of it. Okay, not the bottle washing so much, but the rest of it is great.

To learn more about Gayle Trent please visit her website or follow her on Twitter.

I received a complimentary copy of Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent from Gallery Books. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

The Shepherd by Ethan Cross

Title: The Shepherd
Author: Ethan Cross
Publisher: The Fiction Studio
Publication Date: March 16, 2011
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1936558063
Genre: Fiction, Suspense

Book Synopsis:

Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante’s beautiful daughter -a woman with whom he’s quickly falling in love- Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world.

About the Author:

When a fireman or a policeman would come visit his school, most of his classmates’ heads would swim with aspirations of growing up and catching bad guys or saving someone from a blazing inferno. When these moments came for Ethan Cross, however, his dreams weren’t to someday be a cop or put out fires; he just wanted to write about it.

And his dream of telling stories on a grand scale has come to fruition with the release of his new book, The Shepherd.

Ethan Cross is the pen name of a thriller author living and writing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus.

For more information about author Ethan Cross or his book, please visit his website.

Ethan Cross’s THE SHEPHERD VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘11 officially began on April 4th and ends on May 27th. Visit here during the months of April and May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of The Shepherd by Ethan Cross from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.