Cake Popped Off! by Kim Davis

Emory Martinez works for the Skyler family along with sharing a catering business with her twin sister, Carrie. At a Halloween costume party hosted by Tillie Skyler, Emory discovers a dead body. The police deem the death a homicide, and circumstances point to Emory’s brother-in-law as a viable suspect. Emory and Tillie team up to prove his innocence. The detective in charge of the case is not happy with them questioning people and wants them to stop. However, Emory and Tillie have no intention of backing off in their efforts to find out who is responsible for the murder. After Emory discovers a second body, she wonders if the deaths might be connected. With a number of potential suspects and threatening behavior geared toward Emory and Tillie, will they figure it out before any harm comes to them or Emory’s beloved dog? "Cake Popped Off!" is a second great installment in the Cupcake Catering Mysteries Series. Kim Davis has penned an entertaining story with a solid mystery and well-developed characters with likable and unlikable personality traits who are believable in their reactions and behaviors to one another. The story takes place in Southern California and is not only about a mystery to be solved but also includes romantic attraction, friendship, and family angst while at the same time Davis wonderfully shows how the characters deal with real-life emotionally charged situations, whether they are of their own making or outside of their control. Readers will find pleasure in unraveling the clues planted by Davis in this appealing mystery that includes scenes with Emory working on cupcake recipes that sound wonderful, and the list of ingredients and directions can be found at the end of the story, along with some of Carrie's recipes that were featured at the Halloween party. An easy-read mystery that can be finished in one sitting, and it is not necessary to read the first book in order to enjoy this novel. The ending sets it up quite nicely for another volume in the series.