WEDDING CAKE MURDER

Even in the world of desserts, competition can be murder, as Hannah Swensen discovers on the eve of her nuptials.

Having ditched both of her longtime suitors for former college sweetheart Ross Barton (Double Fudge Brownie Murder, 2015), Hannah has nothing left to do but marry the guy. Before she walks down the aisle, though, she’s scheduled to appear on the Food Channel’s Dessert Chef Competition, pitted against seasoned restaurateurs like Gloria Berkeley, Brooke Jackman, Loren Berringer, and Rodney Paloma. Her upcoming marriage is a plus, allowing her to wow judges Jeremy Zales, LaVonna Brach, Helene Stone, and Christian Parker with her Double Rainbow Swirl Cake while sporting her bridal veil. Even hard case Alain Duquesne melts a little at her Magic White Chocolate Soufflé. But Hannah’s luck on the cooking show does nothing to diminish her corpse magnetism, and sooner or later—actually it feels like much later—she’s staring down at another dead body. Technically it’s her sister, Michelle, who makes the grisly discovery, but the result is the same: Hannah’s just got to investigate. Unlike former flames Norman and Mike, Ross doesn’t even try to convince her to keep her floury nose where it belongs. The result is predictable. Hannah asks one question too many, and then it’s a close thing whether death do her part from Ross even before they manage to tie the knot.

Since the interplay between Hannah and Ross has even less sex appeal than the Baking Conversion Chart at the end of the volume, any interest in whether they do finally get hitched is strictly pro forma. At least there are 22 recipes.