Raised by her Navy Admiral father, spoiled-rotten social influencer Maddy Montgomery’s life is pretty cushy until she is left at the altar by her successful doctor fiancé, and her dreams of being the perfect housewife are dashed. Coincidentally, Maddy has just inherited her Great-Aunt Octavia’s home and bakery. Because Octavia lived in New Bison, Michigan and not L. A., Maddy decides she will sell the lot to get back on her feet.
Upon arriving in New Bison to handle the sale, however, Maddy learns that her inheritance has strings attached. Per Octavia’s will, Maddy must live in the house and run the bakery for a full year before selling. Octavia has also left Maddy a not-so-little something else – in the form of a loving and fiercely protective, 200-pound slobbering English Mastiff named Baby!
Maddy doesn’t know the first thing about dogs, and she can’t even boil an egg. Lucky for her, she is welcomed with open arms by the delightful group of workers at Baby Cakes Bakery. They’ll even let Maddy continue hosting their monthly Sherlock Holmes mystery club and try to teach her to bake. But not everyone is happy that Maddy has come to town, and within 36 hours of her arrival, she is accused of murder and will need all the help she can get solving the crime.
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns is a delightful cozy mystery with a well-developed cast of characters, plenty of humor, delicious recipes to try at home and the most adorable giant dog I’ve read about in a long time. Don’t miss this fantastic start to a new series that will leave you eagerly awaiting the sequel.
-Carol
Read it or Weep 