Sweet Success can be a motive for murder.
There aren't many things pastry chef Rita Lucero hates more than losing. But two years after her marriage to fellow baker Philippe Renier fell apart, she's still trying to get him to sign the divorce papers. Exasperated, Rita visits Philippe's high-end New Orleans shop, Zydeco Cakes, to get his signature--and discovers that her marriage is already over when she finds Philippe dead with a chef's knife in his chest.
Rita is shocked to discover the body, and overwhelmed to learn that since the divorce wasn't final, she now inherits part ownership in Zydeco Cakes. But it's a mixed blessing: the gorgeous shop is actually in financial trouble, and Rita's windfall sets her up as a prime suspect in Philippe's murder. Her former mother-in-law demands that Rita find out who killed her son, and his former employees don't know whether to trust her. The feeling is mutual--especially since the real culprit is still out there, and Rita may be the next victim served.
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When pastry chef Rita Lucero hops a plane to New Orleans, she’s not expecting to stay in town for any longer than it takes to get Philipe Renier’s signature on their divorce papers; the couple’s marriage ended two years ago and she’s desperate to make things final so she can move on with her life. But alas, it seems closure is not in the cards for Rita, for when she arrives at Philipe’s shop, Zydeco Cakes, pen and papers in hand, she finds her ex dead in the garden, a chef’s knife buried in his chest.
The police launch an investigation into the murder, but in Rita’s opinion, they’re focusing on all the wrong people – herself, included. Not only do they consider the timing of her visit suspicious, but the fact that she now stands to inherit everything Philipe owned – including his share in Zydeco Cakes – means she had motive. Determined to clear her name and bring her estranged husband’s killer to justice, Rita starts taking a good hard look at the people in Philipe’s life. Who had it in for him? And now that she’s in charge at Zydeco, is she in the killer’s sights, as well?
A Sheetcake Named Desire is the first in Jacklyn Brady’s new Piece of Cake Mystery series. It’s Ace of Cakes meets a Wendy Lyn Watson novel, chock full of quirky characters, fabulous cakes, and southern charm, and it’s one of the better debuts I’ve read this year. Brady writes with a witty grace. Her narrative drive is strong, her mystery is clever, and she flavors her tale with just enough New Orleans quirk and culture to help to set it apart from the culinary cozy pack.
Brady’s character development is first-rate. Rita’s a strong, funny, sympathetic heroine, and you’re inside her head from page one, witness to the complex emotions she feels with regard to the end of her marriage and the death of someone about whom she used to care a great deal. The book’s supporting cast is no slouch, either; from the sweet yet steely Miss Frankie, to predatory sleaze Dmitri Wolff, to tarty drama queen Quinn Goddard, to sexy NOPD Detective Liam Sullivan, nearly every person who populates Brady’s tale is realistic and unique.
My one complaint about A Sheetcake Named Desire is that Brady doesn’t really earn her ending. The final showdown is kind of anticlimactic, and while her mystery kept me guessing, I found its resolution wholly unsatisfying. To me, the killer seems arbitrarily chosen and lacking in motivation. If Brady had dedicated as much time to crafting her book’s conclusion as she did to developing its plot and characters, I wouldn’t have hesitated in rating this book a nine; as it stands, however, the (comparatively) weak ending caused me to downgrade my score to a very solid eight.
~ Kat |
