Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Sprinkles of Suspicion by Kim Davis

SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION
SERIES: Cupcake Catering Mystery #1
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Cinnamon & Sugar Press
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020
PAGES: 269

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.

Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.

With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her?

Sprinkles of Suspicion is an interesting start to a new series – full of yummy baked goods & more than its share of dysfunctional characters. While it does stay true to the cozy mystery formula, I would say it’s a little edgier than most, especially at the beginning.

Our first introduction to Emory is her hungover morning-after (after what she’s not exactly sure) and catching a couple of people umm… in flagrante. Those two people being her husband and best friend (as stated in the blurb, so i’m not giving away anything new). The ultimate betrayal, one would think. But oh no, it gets much worse and poor Emory is flung into a series of events she didn’t ask for. And my goodness but our girl Emory is kind-of a hot mess haha. She’s super naive and frankly clueless for most of the book… and I wanted to shake her more than once and say a) TURN ON YOUR DANG PHONE (lol) and b) just TELL PEOPLE what Tori did to you. Emory kept a lot to herself, not even telling her lawyer all the connections and events that unfolded, and I couldn’t help but think it would have been a lot easier for her if she had. But, I’ll also add that toward the end of the book we see hints that she is finally wising up a bit, finding her voice, and standing up for herself.

I’m still not sure whether I actually like Emory or not but like i said she was growing up – and growing on me – by the end. There weren’t many characters in the book that I actually did like, to be honest. With a couple of notable exceptions – Randall, who brings a dash of romance potential & a whole lot of swooniness, and Tillie. My favorite character is Tillie – she is a hoot and I hope we see a lot more of her in future books. You’re never quite sure what she’s going to do or say next, and her heart is genuine. I loved the role she played in the story, and I look forward to knowing her better as the series progresses.

Bottom Line: This isn’t a typical cozy mystery – it’s a little edgier, for starters, and you might be surprised at how everything gets all tied up – and who does the tying – in the end. The only thing that’s predictable about the plot is that Emory will be a mostly-endearing hot mess in one way or the other, but the other characters aren’t quite as easy to figure out. Just when I had an opinion about them, something happened in the plot to tweak those assumptions a bit. It definitely kept me on my toes and frequently took me by surprise (and made me crave all manner of baked goods haha) – and I will in all likelihood read book 2 just to see what happens next.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 3.5 stars / liked it!

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Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters she can be found either writing stories or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats.  She has published the suspense novel, A GAME OF DECEIT, and has had several children’s articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

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