Wedding bells will be ringing in Weatherford, Texas, this Christmas when Phyllis Newsom opens up her home for her best friend’s wedding. And although the bride is wearing white, no one suspects that she’ll soon be wearing black…

After all the planning—and the cake tasting—the big day has arrived. Eve Turner, one of Phyllis’s boarders—and her best friend—is moving out and getting married to the affable Roy Porter. While she’s sad to see Eve go, Phyllis is more than happy to host the event in her house and to bake the bride and groom a delicious three-tiered coconut wedding cake. Even though a snowstorm in the forecast seems like a recipe for disaster, the day runs as smoothly as butter cream.

But the marriage doesn’t last long past the honeymoon. When Roy’s found dead at a Weatherford bed-and-breakfast, Eve’s the top suspect. Now Phyllis must find out who iced Roy before her friend finds herself behind bars…

Includes recipes!

Series: Fresh-Baked Mystery

Review

For fans of:  Joanne Fluke

Phyllis Newsom has gotten used to sharing her big old home with fellow retirees Sam, Carolyn, and Eve, so when Eve announces her plans to move out and marry Roy Porter, Phyllis is happy for the couple, but sad that the life to which they’ve all grown accustomed is changing.

The ceremony is held on New Year’s Eve, and after the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, they start shopping for a house.  Unfortunately, though, just a few weeks into their search, Roy is found dead – stabbed in the neck with Eve’s letter opener.  Eve swears she’s innocent of the crime, but once the D.A. uncovers evidence that this isn’t the first time Eve’s been widowed – or even the third – the police stop looking for other suspects. Can Phyllis, Sam, and Carolyn clear Eve’s name and put the real killer behind bars, or will Eve spend the new year shackled to a ball and chain of her own?

Wedding Cake Killer is the seventh of Livia J. Washburn’s Fresh-Baked Mysteries, and it’s her best to date.  The pace is quick, the plot is twisty and tight, and the mystery is guaranteed to keep you guessing.  Washburn does a great job establishing the stakes and keeping the tension high, and she doesn’t distract from the drama with any unnecessary characters or superfluous storylines.  I do wish the book were just a bit longer; fifty more pages would allow Washburn to build in a few more clues and to take a little more time building up to her big reveal.  That said, I’d rather be left wanting more than wishing for the end, so my quibble is a minor one.

At the start of the series, Phyllis was a decidedly unlikable character.  Moral? Sure. Determined? Absolutely. But she was also prudish, stodgy, and incredibly judgmental, which made her rather difficult to root for.  Somewhere along the way, though, Phyllis started to undergo a personality change.  Her feelings for Sam took a turn toward the romantic, she started to keep more of her opinions to herself, and while she’s still a "prying, meddling, self-righteous old snoop," I’m forced to admit that after seven books, I kind of like the old broad.  She’s a lioness when it comes to protecting her friends and her family, and she’s willing to take one for the team when the situation warrants, appearances be damned, and that makes her all right in my book.

As for the rest of the cast, Carolyn seems to have taken over the role of bitter, dour shrew, but if somebody needs to play the part, better it be a supporting character than the heroine.  Sam is (as always) the perfect Southern gentleman; sweet and affable, he softens the edge of any scene in which he appears and is proving a perfect sidekick and love interest for Phyllis.  And now that we know some details regarding  her past, Eve has become a deeper and more interesting character than she ever was before; I can’t wait to see what Washburn has in store for her with future books.

Verdict: if you’re looking for a quick, light, entertaining read to distract you from the stress of the holidays, look no further than Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn. 

Reviewed by Kat

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