Red Velvet Cupcake Murder

Synopsis: This summer has been warmer than usual in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen is trying to beat the heat both in and out of her bakery kitchen. But she's about to find out the hard way that nothing cools off a hot summer day like cold-blooded murder. . .
It's a hot, muggy evening, and the last thing Hannah wants to do is squeeze into a pair of pantyhose for the Grand Opening of the refurbished Albion Hotel. But with Hannah's famous Red Velvet cupcakes being served in the hotel's new Red Velvet lounge, she can't bring herself to back out.

The party starts off with a bang with the unexpected arrival of Doctor Bev, a Lake Eden legend who left town in shame after she two-timed her fiancé one too many times. Bev's splashy appearance on the arm of a wealthy investor is the talk of the night. But the gossip comes to a screeching halt when a partygoer takes a mysterious dive off the hotel's rooftop garden.

The victim is the sheriff's secretary, Barbara Donnelly, and she is barely clinging to life. The question is, did she fall--or was she pushed? As the police investigate, the only one who isn't preoccupied with the case is Doctor Bev. She's too busy trying to stir things up with her old flame Norman, who's reunited with Hannah.

Just as Hannah's patience with Bev runs dangerously thin, her rival is found dead at the bottom of Miller's Pond. The only clue the police have is the Red Velvet cupcake Bev ate right before she died--and the tranquilizers someone seems to have baked into it. To everyone's shock, Hannah is now the unlikely target of a murder investigation--and she's feeling the heat in a way she never has before. . .(Taken from Goodreads.com).

Review: I had to read several of her books in a row! Call this a guilty pleasure or a new obsession. At some point I see myself owning all of the books in this series.

The only think that I was a little disappointed about with this novel, was that I was able to figure out who the murderer was rather quickly and why that particular individual was the killer. Again though, this book was just delightful and I enjoyed reading every page. I also thought that the fact Hannah was stringing along two men would bother me, but that strange triangle romance did not get too much in the way of the mystery at hand, which was a good thing. I think that Joanne Fluke is a very skilled writer and it has been a long time that I have enjoyed reading a series this much!

On a bakers note: I tried out the Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookie recipe in this book and it was quite delicious. I did make a slight change to it, but that is just what I do with most recipes; tweak them to my liking : )

Again, I would recommend that people who love murder mysteries and to bake read this book.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

I bought this book at a local store; I was not asked to do a review of this book.