As the food and cocktails columnist for the Island Times, Hayley Powell attends a lot of events—but this one will be murder… flaunting her success is just the icing on the cake.
But maybe the prom queen should have been voted Most Likely to Die. At the reunion, Ivy is found murdered, cupcakes scattered around her. Is a killer out to teach the mean girls a lesson? As Hayley tries to get the scoop, she’ll have to be careful…or someone may be writing this columnist’s obituary next.
Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!
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Events from the past are brought into the present day in this fun 6th cozy in the Hayley Powell series, loved it! 🙂
So much is happening in Hayley’s life right now. Gemma is graduating high school , Hayley has a 20 year class reunion and 2 mean girls Hayley went to high school with are murdered. (Is it any wonder she drinks?). Anyway Hayley being well, Hayley she looks into things and discovers secrets from high school have a way of coming back to get ya.
This series continues to know exactly who it is, with its overboard situations and caricature characters. Less likable and more ridiculous entertainment, it isn’t my favorite cozy mystery series, but it’s amusing brain candy, which I know going in, so the expectations are realistic for what I’m going to get.
What I liked about “Death of a Cupcake Queen”:
It’s an easy read – I mean, most cozies are, but this is somehow even more “beach read”-y than the usual fare of this particular genre. In a year where I have set out on a mission to get current in all the various series I have in progress — which is ripe with cozy mystery options — this manages to break some of it up with its, shall we say, quirky personality.
The mystery was clever – This is actually the thing that keeps me coming back to the Hayley Powell series. The mysteries and motives have some unique qualities, and even though I correctly suspected who was the murderer this time around, the twists and turns always throw me off the motive until its reveal. This one was right on target.
What I didn’t care for:
The coarseness – Most cozies, at least the ones I’ve picked up, I find to be pretty tame. There is often some romance and maybe some vague allusions to “bedroom activities,” but this series tends to be a little more saucy and elaborate with the details than the others. I always feel it is unnecessary to the story being told, so why include it?
I wish there were at least one likable character – That shouldn’t be so much to ask. But either they are annoying or ditzy or just somewhat unpleasant, possibly one-dimensional, that I don’t actually find that I am rooting for anyone or care what happens to them.
Better research PLEASE – A character puts on a red Celtics cap…when the Boston Celtics’ colors are green and white. In a church, it’s called a lectern, not a podium, and the ministers’ chair is placed in the Chancel (the area around the altar), not the pulpit, which is where he would stand to preach the sermon. Also, I have never seen a minister wear only his undergarments under his robe. They are either dressed in typical clerical collar and dress pants or business casual under their robes…which you can tell because you can see shirt collars and pant cuffs showing. I realize that not everyone is going to pick up on these inconsistencies if they aren’t exposed to them, but for crying out loud, would it kill the authors to make a little effort in researching what they write?
Six books into this series, I’m unlikely to fail seeing it through, even though there are qualities about it that grate on me just a bit. The pros continue to outweigh the cons for me, so I will stick with it, but it isn’t a series I ever find myself recommending when friends ask for a new cozy series to reach for.