Review: Arsenic and Old Cake (Giveaway too!)

Arsenic and Old Cake
(A Piece of Cake Mystery)
3rd in Series
Cozy Mystery
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery (November 6, 2012)
The Berkley Publishing Group
A Division of The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425251720
Cover Illustration by Chris Lyons
Cover Design by Diana Kolsky

The bad economy is hurting business at Zydeco Cakes. Rita is trying to come up with ideas to keep her business afloat and her employees working full time. Her attention is drawn away when a friend, Old Dog Leg Magee, a blind trumpet player, asks her to be his eyes and help him solve a mystery. She can’t say no. She has juggled a variety of issues before, she can do this.

Old Dog Leg has received a letter from someone claiming to be his long lost brother and needs Rita to find out if the man is really his brother Monroe. He has set Rita up with bartender Gabriel Broussard to pose as newlyweds to check in to the same bed & breakfast where Monroe is staying. Staying in a room with the handsome bartender worries Rita plenty, but the dead body found outside their room’s windows means there maybe two mysteries to solve. Could the man they are investigating be a murderer? Rita is determined to find out, even if it means putting herself in danger.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This is my favorite book in this series! The quirky characters, residents of the B & B, are fantastic and funny, and full of secrets, some deadly secrets.

Using the real state of economics right now and how it is hurting luxury type purchases like the pricey custom cakes made at Zydeco gives the story a credible and relevant feel. Businesses are tightening the belts and being innovative to add and keep customers just like Rita and her employees. Some ideas are better than others and having a well off partner makes things a little easier for the New Orleans bakery. Miss Frankie is a peach.

The romantic tension jumped up a notch in the edition as well. I loved it and I don’t know who I really want to see Rita with but both Rita and I were quite drawn to the sexy Cajun bartender. It sure makes me anxious waiting for the next installment.

I highly recommend this story and this series. They are full of mystery, mayhem and way too many delectable treats. Recipes included. Yummy!!!!

I am giving away my gently read copies of

There will be two separate winners in case you already have a copy of either book.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”