Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay
Narrated by Susan Boyce
Series: Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Publication Date: December 14, 2016
Date Read: May 3, 2018
Length: 7 hours 52 minutes
Source: Library via Hoopla
★★★★☆
Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel’s mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic’s dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.
I had a good time with this cozy. I listened to the first two books in the series last year and I was really excited to spend a little more time in the cupcake bakery. I was entertained from the very start and ended up listening to the book for hours at a time. I was completely entertained and I worked to solve the mystery along with Mel and Angie.
I love a good mystery but I also love a good cupcake. I am not really sure which one I like more but it might be the cupcakes. One thing that I loved about this book was the cooking contest. Mel and Angie participate in a contest where they had to use a mystery ingredient. I loved the description on what kind of desserts these two would make using some rather strange ingredients both in the contest and as practice. I loved that baking was really a part of this story.
The mystery was able to keep me guessing and I wasn’t quite sure who the murderer was until the big reveal. Vic and Mel had a special relationship but not everyone was such a big fan of the man so there were quite a few suspects. When things started happening that brought the danger closer to Mel and Angie, everything became a little more serious. I thought that the mystery aspect of the story was very well done.
The characters in this book were great. It was really nice to be back with both Mel and Angie as well as their friends and family. This book does introduce a new character, Oz, who starts working at the bakery as an intern from the local high school. I wasn’t sure how Oz would fit in at first but it quickly became apparent that he was meant to be a part of their group. I was also thrilled to have a kitten added to the mix of characters. The kitten, Jack, didn’t have a whole lot of time in the story but I did enjoy the scenes he was in quite a lot.
Susan Boyce does a fantastic job with this series. I love all of the voices that she uses in the book. I thought that she was able to add just a bit more excitement to the story through her narration. I thought that she read the book at the perfect pace and her voice was very pleasant to listen to throughout the story. I had no problems listening to this book for hours at a time and look forward to more of her narration in the future.
I do recommend this series to others. This is the third book in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series but it could easily be read as a stand alone. Readers of the series will enjoy seeing things move forward in the lives of the characters. I can’t wait to read more of this entertaining series!
About the AuthorNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenn McKinlay is the author of About a Dog, the Library Lover’s mysteries, the Cupcake Bakery mysteries, and the Hat Shop mysteries.
This sounds wonderful and the mystery and characters seem like ones I would definfiely enjoy. Cupcakes, Yum!
It was a fun story!
I am a fan of this author and series. I am so glad that you enjoyed this book as much as I did. I just love the covers of these books. Great review!
These covers are great!
I love Jenn McKinlay – you need to try the Library Lover's series. I see you're reading Undead Girl Gang. Are you liking it? I'm loving it!
I will probably move on the Library Lover's series once I finish with this one. I liked Undead Girl Gang but not quite as much as I had hoped to.
I seriously need to read more cozy mysteries! I love a good mystery novel and seeing everything unfold until you know who dunnit. This one sounds lovely 🙂
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I think that cozy mysteries work really well in audio. This one was a lot of fun!
I love a good mystery and this sounds perfect. Great review.
Thanks, Nadene!
I'm glad the series is still going strong for you. I added the first one to my list when you reviewed it before. Ha! I think the cupcakes would grab my focus, too.
I loved how they actually talked about baking quite a bit in this one. I thought it was really well done.
That car is eating my cupcakes! mmmmmmm
The cat doesn't want to share the cupcakes 🙂
That cover is really cute too.
Cozy mysteries have the best covers!
I read the first couple and then the most recent one and I do really enjoy the series. I need to try it on audio to catch up since the narrator is good.
I am really enjoying the narration of this series. Susan Boyce does a great job with the characters.
Mysteries and cupcakes seem like a fantastic pairing. Yum!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
They do go together nicely!
I haven't read any of this series yet, but I do want to. I really enjoyed the one book by her I've read. Of course, now I feel like having a cupcake!
I spent the whole book wanting to eat a cupcake 🙂
Not going to lie, was totally drawn into this because of cupcakes haha. It sounds like a fun series! Great review!
That was a big draw for me as well 🙂