Cake and Punishment: A Southern Cake Baker Mystery

Maymee Bell

May 2018 · A Southern Cake Baker Mystery Book 1 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

In the first of a delectable new Southern-set baking cozy series, a pastry chef must craft the perfect cake for an old friend’s wedding while sifting through the suspects in a murder

Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and JoAnna Carl, Cake and Punishment—with authentic Southern recipes!—will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor close by.

With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager, who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?

Ratings and reviews

Cake and Punishment by Maymee Bell is the first tale in A Southern Cake Baker Mystery series. Sophia Cummings, a pastry chef, has returned home for a visit to Rumford, Kentucky after finding her boyfriend, Noah in a compromising position with the maître d’ where they work. At the Rumford Country Club (RCC) she encounters her friend, Charlotte Harrington who is getting married in a few days. Charlotte’s cake baker has quit, and Sophia offers to make her a beautiful wedding cake. The next day they head to the RCC kitchen and find Chef Emile dead on the floor with a new cast iron skillet nearby. When Evelyn Moss, the RCC manager, becomes the primary suspect, Sophia sets out to prove her innocence (plus she is plain curious). To help out Evelyn and for a chance to snoop, Sophia agrees to be Emile’s replacement until a new chef can be hired (oh dear—can you see where this is heading). Emile may have been a good chef, but he was lacking in the personality department. Sheriff Carter Kincaid may wish Sophia would keep her nose out of his investigation, but he does enjoy spending time with her and Sophia does uncover some helpful information. Which one of the people Chef Emile antagonized whacked him with an iron skillet? Sophia needs to work quickly, or she will find herself the latest resident of the Rumford cemetery! Cake and Punishment is a humorous new Southern cozy mystery written by Tonya Kappes using the non de plume of Maymee Bell. It is a light-hearted story full of quirky characters and small-town charm. Gossip spreads faster than a forest fire during a dry spell in Rumford, Kentucky. Sophia’s mother, Bitsy is a force to be reckoned with. When she sets her mind upon a task, people need to watch out (especially Sophia). Sophia is a pastry chef who loves to bake and goes around with baked goods in her bag (which makes her a very popular person). It was entertaining to see her get pulled back into her hometown and the subtle hints from friends about how they would like her to stay. I thought Cake and Punishment contained good writing and a steady pace. I would like for better character development. We get to know very little about Sophia’s past and we are not given the last names of many characters. The mystery had misdirection and a few suspects. Avid mystery readers will have no problem pinning down the killer’s identity. There is flirtation and attraction between Sophia and Carter which is helped along by Bitsy Cummings. There are delectable baked good descriptions included in the book with recipes at the end. I appreciated the addition of little libraries in the story. They are a great way to get people of all ages to read. We have several in my community with one being just down in the street in my local park (I am a frequent visitor). Cake and Punishment is an entertaining story that will have you chuckling frequently.

Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor. With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him? Series: A Southern Cake Baker Mystery Author: Maymee Bell (Tonya Kappes) Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary Publisher: Crooked Lane Book Publishing Date: May 8, 2018 Cake and Punishment from Maymee Bell (aka Tonya Kappes) is a wonderful new series. The characters are outrageous enough to make readers laugh and serious enough to give them a moment's pause. Sophia may have a broken heart and no intention of stay in Rumford, but everyone is making it almost impossible for her to go back to the city and her job of a lifetime or would be if it weren’t for her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her and ruined her happiness. The characters in this book are wonderfully simple and complex all at the same time. They have flaws and quirks that endear them and at the same time can make them a bit irritating. Or in other words, normal. They are hard to forget, and readers will enjoy getting to know them as new books in the series roll out. Sophia is heartbroken and yet determined to reclaim her dream job and forget her ex-cheating boyfriend. Her old friends gather around and do everything they can to keep her in Rumford; even her mother is determined to keep her around. She even finds that she is attracted to the local police detective, carter. As the story unfolds, it doesn’t take long for the reader to know what Sophia’s fate will be when it comes to Rumford or her dream job. As for the murder, that is a bit more complex, and many readers will not figure out who-done-it until the end. This new series with the debut of Cake and Punishment is certain to appeal to anyone who enjoys Tonya Kappes other series as well as anyone who loves good cooking and especially baked goods. The recipes in the back are divine and mouthwateringly delicious. This book is highly recommended to all cozy readers.

Sophia Cummings just found her boyfriend cheating with a co-worker and decides to make a trip home to Rumford KY as an escape. She isn’t home long before being asked to help an old friend by making her wedding cake. However, when Sophia and Charlotte get together at the RCC to talk wedding cakes and food, they find Charlotte’s chef lying on the floor dead. Charlotte fears her wedding will be canceled, after all, how will they find a chef with such short notice? When Sophia finds out the RCC’s manager Evelyn is a suspect, Sophia decides she needs do some sleuthing even though it is against Carter’s, the hunky sheriff, wishes. After all, the wedding must go on and her gut feeling says Evelyn is innocent. Will Sophia be able to find the killer, clear Evelyn and make sure Charlotte has the wedding of her dreams? This is the first in the Southern Cake Baker series. I enjoyed this story and fell in love with the characters. Suspense, humor, and yummy treats, this book has it all! I can’t wait to see what is in store for Sophia and the rest of the gang.

About the author

Maymee Bell lives in Kentucky with her family and her two schnauzers. She likes strong coffee, slow-country days, and fresh-baked cookies―but she likes telling stories best of all. This is her first Southern Baker mystery.