Suspense/Intrigue
A Wedding Cake Mystery, Bk. 1: To Have and To Kill
By Dottie
Jan 28, 2012 - 3:33:51 PM

Despite having dated a lot of losers, aspiring actress Piper Donovan still believes in love, following her dreams and happy endings. With her character in the soap A Little Rain Must Fall getting killed off, her recent engagement called off and worrying about making the monthly rent on her place, she is moving back in with her parents temporarily…at least she hopes it is temporary. Moving back in with her parents, she will also be able to help her mother at her bakery called The Icing on the Cupcake. Lately, she has noticed that her mother is having problems with her sight and her memory, even turning down some wedding cake orders due to the intricate work involved and her eye problem. Fortunately, Piper has learned a lot from her mother during her growing up years and is able to help with the intricate work. The star of the soap A Little Rain Must Fall, who is also Piper’s best friend, Glenna, has just gotten engaged to a teacher, Casey Walden, who comes from a wealthy family involved in jewelry.

Casey was happy that Glenna had accepted his marriage proposal, but it bothered him that his wife would make more than he would. Of course, he could get more money from his family…if only his brother did not stand in the way.

Glenna is happy and in love, but there is just one flaw; she has suddenly started getting strange notes warning her away from Casey. Piper takes the notes to her FBI friend Jack, a man I would like to see her get romantically involved with. With the wedding planned for Christmas Eve, Piper agrees to have her mother bake the wedding cake. But her mother, still acting strangely, refuses to do it, so Piper takes on the job herself.

As the wedding draws near, an auction is held to benefit a local private school and a number of the actors from the soap are present, providing a number of suspects to the ensuing murder of one of the show’s stars. As the bodies begin to mount, suspicion falls on someone close to the bride-to-be, even as another threatening note surfaces. Then Piper finds herself in the middle of the danger. Will this mystery be solved before she is next?

TO HAVE AND TO KILL, the first book in talented author Mary Jane Clark’s A WEDDING CAKE MYSTERY series, is a witty contemporary mystery that will keep you guessing. Just when you thing you have it figured out…guess again. Prepare to be surprised. This is a cozy mystery, for those who like their mysteries a little lighter. Besides this novel, Ms. Clark has a novella, THE BRACELET, which is also part of this promising series and her second book in this series, THE LOOK OF LOVE, which just came out this month.  With a plethora of realistic suspects, scrumptious concoctions, danger, intrigue, murder, romance and suspense, this story will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. I highly recommend this story and look forward to reading the next book in this series; THE LOOK OF LOVE. Do not miss TO HAVE AND TO KILL!