The Baker and the Body by Jesse Leigh Murray

 

I love this author's horror and gothic novels, so I was excited to check out her cozy mystery series, even though I don't read too many of those. THE BAKER AND THE BODY is honestly the perfect palate cleansing read, because the sunshine heroine is so likable (I want her to be my friend and bake me cakes!) and the characters of the Blythe River inhabitants are so carefully thought out. 

The book starts off with a punch with the heroine being tasked to make a wedding cake for the woman who her ex-boyfriend left her for (drama!). It only escalates from there, when someone dies at the wedding. Maddie, the heroine, ends up looking into the murder, partially because she's nosy just like everyone else in town, and partially because she and her friends are going to look like the guilty parties because they have so much to lose.

I thought this was really cute but I wish there had been more tension and atmosphere to keep me compulsively turning pages. I know that's not the point of a cozy necessarily, but it felt like something was missing from this book. That said, there was one line in here about what it's like to deal with someone who has a deteriorating disease that makes them feel like a shell of their former selves that just absolutely gutted me and made me feel so seen. So despite its bland moments, it still had a lot of heart, and I think people looking for a gentle, low stakes read will eat this up like, well, cake.

3 out of 5 stars