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Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite
Hannah Swenson's coffee shop/bakery, The Cookie Jar, has been hired to cater the desserts for the grand reopening of the Albion Hotel which has recently undergone renovation. The celebration quickly turns to disaster when someone falls from the roof and lands in the rose garden. Fortunately the person isn't killed, but is insisting that it was no accident, and that someone was trying to kill her. Meanwhile Doctor Bev comes back to town trying to reconnect with her old beau Norman who just happens to be dating Hannah. When Dr. Bev is found dead Hannah becomes one of the prime suspects. What is going on in the tiny town of Lake Eden are the crimes connected, and can Hannah figure out who is doing it before it is too late?
"Red Velvet Cupcake Murder" is set in the tiny town of Lake Eden, MN. I think the author's descriptive writing easily lends an authentic small town feel to the book. I immediately connected with the main character of Hannah, a woman who runs a bakery and owns a twenty-three lb. cat named Moishe. She is caught in a love triangle and just happens to solve mysteries. But she is also a suspect! The author provides several plot twists along with some well placed clues making for a page turning mystery. I feel that the secondary story of Hannah and her love triangle adds another layer to the story. I always enjoy a good cozy mystery and this one fits the bill. Though I hadn't read any of the other books in this series the author provides so much background information that I was able to connect with the characters, and understand most of what was going on in the story. A smoothly written plot with interesting characters, a smidgen of romance, a murder mystery and the small town setting made this one quick easy read. The mouth watering recipes, along with the baking tips, as well as the inclusion of a few laughs and the cat scenes were an added bonus for me.
