Synopsis (from
the publisher):
To help boost ratings for her show, Della Carmichael agrees to enter a
televised cake competition sponsored by Reggi-Mixx, even though the
company’s owner, Regina Davis, is an old college nemesis. When
she finds someone drowned in a mixing bowl of batter, Della realizes
solving this murder will be no cakewalk.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Death Takes the Cake
A Della
Carmichael Mystery
Melinda
Wells
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22642-5 (0425226425)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22642-1 (9780425226421)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $7.99
— ◊ —
Review: Death Takes the Cake is the second
culinary escapade for cooking school owner and new cable television
personality Della Carmichael. The series is written by Melinda Wells.
When she is told by her boss Mickey Jordon that she is to participate
in a baking contest, Della is all for it. That is, until she finds out
she must use as a base for her creation Reggi-Mixx. Della not only
believes that Reggi-Mixx is the worst cake mix available, but her old
college adversary, Regina Davis, is the owner of the company. Over
twenty-five years ago someone was stealing money from some of the
college dorms. Della was able to prove that Regina was the thief. When
Regina was expelled she vowed to someday get back at Della. It’s
been more than twenty-five years; would Regina still be out to seek
revenge? When Regina is found murdered on the set of the cooking show,
Bill, one of Della’s closest friends, is taken in for
questioning. Another dear friend, Iva, Mickey Jordon’s wife,
afraid she would be accused of the murder, tells Della that Regina had
hired a private investigator by the name of Taggert who had threatened
to expose her sordid past to her husband. Della confronts Taggert and
presses him into giving her the file he had prepared for Regina. Just
hours later Taggert is found dead, murdered. Are the answers to the
questions of who killed Regina and Taggert in the private
investigator’s folder that Della now holds in her possession?
Death Takes the Cake is
full of good humor, engaging characters, and flawlessly planned
suspense. It's a real treat (pun absolutely intended). Readers will not
only be charmed and seduced by a solidly plotted culinary mystery with
some light romance on the side, but also be in possession of a list of
exquisite pastries in the form of recipes included at the end of the
book.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Death Takes the Cake and to Melinda Wells for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Death Takes the Cake? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Killer
Mousse
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-425-21981-X (042521981X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21981-2 (9780425219812)
Death Takes the Cake
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), February 2009
ISBN-10: 0-425-22642-5 (0425226425)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22642-1 (9780425226421)
The Proof Is in the Pudding
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), February 2010
ISBN-10: 0-425-23311-1 (0425233111)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23311-5 (9780425233115)
Omnimystery keywords for Death Takes the Cake ...
Location(s) referenced: Santa Monica, California.
