Death by the Dozen

Every book in this series is a tasty delight. Author Jenn McKinlay has developed some entertaining and likable characters in the personalities of Mel and Angie and “the brothers” as well as an exquisite antagonist who goes by the name of Olivia. In this third installment, a cooking contest is going on, and Mel and Angie are determined to beat the unsavory Olivia. But when one of the judges is discovered dead in a freezer, things definitely take a turn for the worse, and Mel and Angie are right in the thick of things. Though the mystery is intriguing, what really shines through in this tale are the relationships, good and troubled, between the characters. Wondering how things will be resolved keeps readers wanting that next book, but the excellent story-telling and writing will keep them reading it.

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!

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura would like to win the chef's challenge at the Scottsdale Food Festival for a number of reasons: the prize money is good; it would be great publicity for their Fairy Tale Cupcakes Bakery; and they have a chance to beat their archrival Olivia Puckett. Their enthusiasm is dampened however when the body of one of the judges, Vic Mazzota, is found. Mel is devastated by the death of her mentor and wants to find out who killed him. Will her investigation solve the murder or put her and Angie in danger?"Death by the Dozen" is the wonderfully done third book in Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery cozy mystery series. There is a lot to like about this book (and series) starting with the main characters - Mel, Angie, and Tate. The book is written from Mel's point of view but the ongoing Angie/Tate storyline is well done, well paced, and romantic (even if the two can't quite get their act together), and I can't wait to see what happens to the two of them in the next book. McKinlay is adept at adding interesting new characters to the series - in Buttercream Bump Off (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) it was Marty, in this book it is Oz. The cooking competition is a nice creative idea - the competitors have to use a unique ingredient that is unknown to them until the last minute - and there are several recipes with those ingredients at the back of the book. The mystery aspects of the book are as well done as the characters and bakery setting. There is a real sense of danger throughout the book as Mel gets a little too close to figuring out who the killer is. The book is deftly plotted - after finishing it you may want to go back to a conversation Mel had with the killer early on and realize what danger she was in throughout the book. There are plenty of suspects to pick from and more than a few surprises. Besides the tension, there is some sadness in the book (Mel was close to the victim) and as always some nice humor (Olivia is as annoying as ever but thankfully not quite as over the top as she was in Buttercream Bump Off (Cupcake Bakery Mystery))."Death by the Dozen" is another great entry in a cozy mystery series that gets better and better with each book.

Another great story about the Fairy Tale Cupcake Bakery and those that own it! This time, Mel and Angie entered in the pastry contest at the Scottsdale Food Festival. There's a different, mystery ingredient for each round and famous judges from the Food Channel, one of which is Mel's former mentor. When a judge turns up dead, Mel is close to the action once again. Determined to help find out what happened to Vic Mazzotta, she and Angie are off once again, sleuthing about town. The addition of an intern named Oz from a local school at the bakery assists the amateur detectives by being able to hold down the fort, even having some of his own ideas about how to bring in more business. I thoroughly enjoyed the latest cupcake bakery mystery! Beware of all the great recipes in the back, they look delicious, even if they do include some of those odd, mystery ingredients! And I have to ask,--will we be able to purchase some of Alma's swag for the bakery anytime soon?! Thanks for another great story, Jenn McKinlay!

I have raved and raved about how much I adore the Cupcake Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay. It's not going to come as a surprise that I absolutely loved DEATH BY THE DOZEN, the third book in this series. DEATH BY THE DOZEN sees Angie and Melanie entering the Challenge to the Chef competition, with Melanie's mentor, Vic Mazzotta, as one of the judges. Of course Melanie and Angie find themselves in the middle of a murder, soon enough, and are caught trying to find out who killed Vic, before the killer strikes again.I enjoyed DEATH BY THE DOZEN so much. Everything about it was pretty much perfect. The plot kept me very interested, as I tried to figure out the killer (and failed!). More than just the murder it is the little sub-plots, like the rivalry between Fairy Tale Cupcakes and Confections, and the romance between Melanie and Joe, that kept me glued to the pages. Jenn McKinlay writes so smoothly. Each scene flows into the next like a perfect jigsaw puzzle, and as I read on I kept turning the pages faster and faster wanting to find out how everything ended. I want to give a honorable mention to one character: Captain Jack, a la the kitty on the front cover. Oh Jenn McKinlay how did you know that aside from fantastic food, I just love kitties in mysteries? While Captain Jack didn't play a big role in this book, I know he will have many more appearances and I can't wait to see what kitty mischief he comes up with!All in all this was a super, fantastic, wonderful read. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and I would've gladly given it more if I could. Now I'm eagerly awaiting for RED VELVET REVENGE, book 4 in the series.

Death by the Dozen by Jenn Mckinlay delivers a puzzling mystery with a lot of wonderful recipes. The Food Channel comes to town with an important competition for bakers. Combining features from other reality food shows, the mystery ingredient challenges the baker to create an exquisite and delectible dessert.Melanie Cooper and Angie De Laura are the owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcake Bakery in Scottsdale, Arizona. They are excited about the competition because of the prestige of the contest, there is a $10,000 prize too and the chance to beat their arch rival, Oliva.Melanie's mentor, Vic Mazzotti is one of the judges. Even though he is married he shows up with his girlfriend. He is a very critical, exacting but talented baker. But Vic is found dead in freezer truck.There so many suspects that Melanie hardly had the time to sift through them. I found myself caring more about the mystery ingredient and what Melanie would create with it than the murder mystery. But the food sounds so great that I didn't even try to figure out who the villain was. Also, I was surprised at the end about who did it. The characters are well developed, the story will make you hungry and you will have a good time reading this cozy. I highly recommend this food cozy to all cozy lovers and lovers of baked foods.

I do like this series. The characters are so likeable you find you're interested in how their personal lives turn out. I guessed whodunit, but the plot was so intricate I found it really interesting and edge-of-seat about how it was done. Their nemesis gets on my nerves because it feels a bit over-the-top, but not so much that it detracts from my enjoyment of the book. I'm thoroughly looking forward to the next one.

Pretty good book; can't figure out the juvenile behavior of Olivia...Unnecessary character or either make the behavior more adult like.

Mel and her baking partner, Angie, are entering a local bake off contest with the chance to win ten thousand dollars and a lot of publicity for their cupcakery. But when one of the judges is found murdered and frozen in a trailer, Mel finds herself not just baking but also investigating the murder. Hopefully she can catch the killer before s/he comes after her, too!I loved this cozy! The plot was fantastic as was the diverse cast of characters. Early on the novel Mel gets an intern from the local high school, Oz, who really shakes up the bakeshop. I thought he was a great character in the novel.If there's one thing I love more than a cozy, it's a cozy with a cat, or in this case, a teeny tiny kitten named Captain Jack! The cat the author described me reminded me a lot of my own cat, Mittens, who is now unfortunately two years old and no longer a baby kitten.There was on problem I had with this book: the cupcakes! I started the book last night and when I was running errands earlier today and accidentally stumbled upon a local cupcake bakery, I had to go in. They even had cookie dough cupcakes, which were mentioned in the novel and I knew it was meant to be. And it was delicious. So basically, be warned that this book will make you crave all things sugary, not that there's anything wrong with that.What was really great about this cozy was that even though it was the third in a series, it can definitely stand alone. I haven't read the first two books in the series, but I had no problem following the plot or figuring out the different personalities of the characters. I love that! I think I'm going to have to go back and read the first two, though, just for fun.PS: Even though I was provided this book free through a giveaway, that didn't affect my review. It was really good, read it!

Mel and Angie and Tate, three good friends have become involved with the police again. It just happens they or the ones they love are at the wrong place at the right time to be suspected of wrong doing. They always save the day with the help of friends, relatives...sometimes cupcakes. Oh, once an enemy helped them out. I'm really enjoying this series and some of this author's other novels as well.

The Food Festival in Scottsdale is holding a pastry bake-off with a $10K prize so Melanie and Angie enter the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery in the contest. Surprised to find out that her mentor, Vic Mazzotta, is one of the judges, Melanie is devastated when he is found dead before the competition begins.As the contest proceeds, the danger to Melanie and Angie increases not just from their competitors but the killer apparently is threatening them too.I love the characters, the food descriptions and the mystery! Will be reading the next one soon!

In this third installment in the Cupcake Bakery series, Mel and Angie enter a pastry contest in which her mentor is one of the judges. They hired a new unpaid intern, Oz, who resembles a thug. Oz and others are holding down the fort at the bakery while Mel and Angie participate. One of the judges is found dead in the freezer, then there's a case of poisoning that sends one of the girls to the hospital. Among their competitors is obnoxious Olivia who is determined to retain her title. Another is a young girl who is obviously enthusiastic about the competition. A bakery from Phoenix is also among the top tier of competitors. Probably my favorite part of the entire story is a tiny kitten that Angie names "Captain Jack" who shows up trying to devour one of the cupcakes and finds his forever home with Mel. This was a fun installment in the series. I picked up on the killer's identity early on, but I suspect several readers will be surprised at the outcome.

Mel Cooper and her partner Angie DeLaura are competing in a baking contest – and each part of the competition features one unusual ingredient bakers must incorporate into their recipe. They’ve been practicing long and hard and are confident they can win. Before the contest can begin, one of the “celebrity” judges is murdered – Vic Mazzotta was one of Mel’s culinary-school teachers and a mentor above all. Thus are our heroines thrown into the investigation of another murder, much to the chagrin of Mel’s Uncle Stan and Angie’s brother Joe, a prosecuting attorney. Both want the ladies out of the line of fire. But that, of course, is not to be. Soon Mel and Angie discover that, despite Mel’s respect and affection for Vic, he wasn’t the exemplar she might have hoped. Death by the Dozen is a lightweight confection, with recipes, and more than a dollop of romance. The romance I could do without, especially the junior-high-like problems that seem to plague our heroines’ relationships.Oh, well, I still enjoyed it. War and Peace it isn’t … but it is a good summer read.