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The Cupcake Bakery Mystery is a cozy mystery series of novels by popular cozy author Jenn McKinlay. McKinlay published the first novel of the series “Sprinkle with Murder” in 2010 to much popularity among fans. Since then, the series has spawned more than ten more titles and is still ongoing.
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Order of Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sprinkle with Murder | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Buttercream Bump Off | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Death by the Dozen | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Red Velvet Revenge | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Going, Going, Ganache | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Sugar and Iced | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Dark Chocolate Demise | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Vanilla Beaned | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Caramel Crush | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Wedding Cake Crumble | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Dying for Devil's Food | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Pumpkin Spice Peril | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | For Batter or Worse | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Strawberried Alive | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Sugar Plum Poisoned | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Angie DeLaura and Melanie Cooper the leads in the series are two best friends who have known each other for more than two decades, having started their friendship in the sixth grade. They are now living the dream having finally managed to set up a very successful business. They run their own bakery business the “Fairy Tales Cupcakes Bakery”, where they make some of the sweetest desserts and hunt down killers in their spare time.
In “Sprinkle with Murder” the first novel of the series, we are introduced to Mel and Angie two bakers in Scottsdale Arizona who make cakes for all manner of events and functions. Among their clients is Tate their best friend who wants them to make the cake for his upcoming wedding. They are a little flustered given that he has a bridezilla for a fiancé, yet they cannot refuse him since he is a silent partner in the bakery.
But things go haywire when Melanie finds the bride to be dead on her bakery floor. The police have her tagged as the main suspect putting the business in danger. To save the business Mel and Angie have to find the real killer before he can destroy their business or kill someone else. It is an excellent cozy mystery that shows just why Jenn McKinlay is such a popular cozy mystery author.
BEST CUPCAKE BAKERY MYSTERY BOOKS
Wedding Cake Crumble: The tenth novel of the series is one of the series’ most popular. There is much excitement at the bakery as Angie and Tate are set to be married in a few weeks. While they are making preparations for the nuptials, Mel and Angie stumble upon the body of Tate’s good friend, a wedding photographer bludgeoned to death with his camera.
Just who would kill such a sweet soul and for what reason? But when they realize that several other vendors met the same fate, Angie thinks that the killings may be related to her upcoming wedding. But the death of an author seems to point to another possible motive for the murders. The author had been writing novels about the residents of an affluent sector of town and her death and that of her clients may serve the publisher who stands to earn millions from the novels. Could the publisher be that callous, or was Mel’s imagination be playing tricks on her?
Vanilla Beaned: The eighth novel of the series sees Angie and Melanie open their first franchise in Vegas. Tate Harper the business manager has managed to establish a few contacts that will enable the business make inroads into Las Vegas. But their franchise manager is a former showgirl, which makes Mel queasy at handing over all her precious recipes. But then the location for the proposed bakery is blown up and Mel gets first row seats to the determination of her new friend Holly. She is determined to help Holly make the new franchise a success but with a murderous killer on the loose how, it is double or nothing in Vegas.
Sugar and Iced: The sixth novel in the series is one of its most beloved. Angie and Melanie have never done any functions for pageants believing them to be too showy for nothing. But when a close friend asks them to do it for her they cannot say no. The “Sweet Tiara” contest may just be the publicity that they need. But then they have to deal with a pushy judge that turns up dead underneath their cake display. It is now up to Mel and Angie to find the killer if the award show winner is not to strut the catwalk in prison.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Many Cupcake Bakery Mystery fans also love the “A Mystery à La Mode” series of novels by Wendy Lyn Watson. These are cozy mysteries featuring Tallulah Jones, a recently divorced woman who takes the pain of her divorce by solving a range of murder mysteries in her small town.
Fans of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery also enjoy the “Donut Shop Mystery” by Jessica Beck. These novels are light cozies about the owner of a small donut shop in April Springs named Suzanne Hart, who doubles up as an amateur sleuth alongside her hunky cop, wacky friend and ex-husband.
What Is The Next Book in The Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series. The newest book is Sugar Plum Poisoned and was released on October, 10th 2023.
I’ll admit, I’ve read many series similar to this one before, but this one is really enjoyable! Angie and Mel are great characters; very real and you want to see them succeed. They always find themselves in interesting situations though! I do like how the solutions to the mysteries aren’t totally obvious throughout the story. You have to read until the end to find out who did it. I love that suspense!