Baker Street #2
Valerie Burns’ second book in her Baker Street series is Murder is a Piece of Cake. Madison Montgomery, known as Maddy to most, runs the local Baby Cakes bakery in New Bison Springs, which, along with her lovable English Mastiff, Baby, were left to her by her great-aunt Octavia. Together they are trying to make a life in this new town, leaving behind a life of superficial living. Her prior goals consisted of being a trophy wife to a wealthy doctor, but thanks to great-aunt Octavia providing the opportunity to do so, Maddy is making a life for herself in New Bison Springs, embracing the challenge, and loving it. She has a group of close friends, an adoring dog, and even a new relationship with local veterinarian Michael Portman. As she is learning how to bake and run a business, she also knows how to keep her social media profile active and engaged through all her #’s scattered throughout the book. With renovations going well at the bakery, Maddy does indeed seem to be #thriving.
A rather nasty individual by the name of CJ Davenport comes to town and seems set on upsetting the apple cart. Or, in this case, apple tarts. His appearance puts one of her close friends on edge and then he sets about ruining local businesses, including Maddy’s bakery! While he does not necessarily do anything illegal, he uses underhanded business tactics, including utilizing his massive disposable income. While everyone would be thrilled to see Mr. Davenport ship out of their town, no one expected how they’d be rid of him: found dead inside of Baby Cakes bakery, a knife plunged into his back. While the murder might seem fitting given his own sketchy tactics, it puts Maddy and several of her friends right into the suspect pool, at least in the eyes of Trooper Bob Roberts. While everyone would prefer April Johnson, actual head of the sheriff department, to investigate, there are extenuating circumstances that prevent her from doing so, circumstances that spur Maddy into action to investigate Mr. Davenport’s murder and put the real killer behind bars before Trooper Bob makes a wrongful arrest.
One of the most relatable things of this book is Maddy’s use of baked goods as currency for information and access. Anyone who bakes can tell you that friends and family will happily trade baked goods for favors or projects. And Maddy makes the most of that, using her baker Leroy’s talents as well as her own. As all of this is going on, she also has to keep an eye on Baby, as her English Mastiff is having some personal problems of his own…but that doesn’t stop him from adding a canine flair to Murder is a Piece of Cake. Readers will be enamored with Baby’s antics and with Maddy’s determination to make her new life a success. Reading the first book in the series will give Maddy some more background to her character, but Valerie Burns gives enough overview that if you start with Murder is a Piece of Cake then you won’t be lost as to either what is happening to her or who she’s interacting with. However, here’s a warning: when the book is over, readers will be anxious for the next. Valerie Burns leaves readers in suspense as Maddy manages to get some answers, but not all, done in a way that draws readers in and wanting more. I, for one, am looking forward to Valerie Burns’ next installment of the Baker Street Mysteries. – Carla Schantz
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Carla Schantz is a Courthouse Clerk Supervisor and has a bachelor’s degree in English as well as a master’s in legal studies. Books have been a passion of hers since she was young, and she is a firm believer in the purse book so that she is never without a book at any time.