For Batter or Worse

April 15, 2021
With her wedding fast approaching, Melanie Cooper, co-owner of Fairy Tale Cupcakes, is sidetracked when her friend and former employee, master pastry chef Oscar ""Oz"" Ruiz, becomes the chief suspect in executive chef Miles Gallway's murder. Oz and Gallway had a recent public altercation, and Oz finds Gallway's body in his pastry kitchen. Melanie, with the help of her best friend and business partner, Angie; Oz; octogenarian employee Marty; and Angie's numerous brothers, uncovers other suspects and motives. Complicating matters, Melanie learns Oz has a secret that affects her and may lead to a change in their relationship. The large and appealing cast of characters drive the story, with wedding preparations and the details of operating a bakery framing this thirteenth entry in McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, which will draw readers who enjoy similar baking-themed crime novels, including those featuring Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen, Sarah Graves' Jacobia Tiptree, Lucy Burdette's Hayley Snow, and Ellie Alexander's Jules Capshaw. Delicious-sounding cupcake recipes append the text.

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