Dark Chocolate Demise: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery by Jenn McKinlay

    What is the fascination with zombies?  It is a phenomenon I don’t understand.  Dracula.  Frankenstein’s monster.  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Those I get.  Maybe because these characters are part of literature, I understand people’s fascination with them more.  There might be a book about a zombie, I just don’t know it.  But zombies as a whole, and wanting to walk around like one on a day other than Halloween, I just don’t get. 

    It’s Zombie Walk time, and the owners of Fairy Tale Cupcakes have decided to sell their cupcakes during the festivities.  Things do not go well from the start.

    First, co-owner Angie’s rock and roll ex-boyfriend shows up to perform.  Then two kids follow bakery employee Marty around because they think he’s a ghost.  Co-owner Tate gets in a fight because of a false accusation cast at employee Oz.  And co-owner and head baker Mel finds a dead body in the shop’s prop coffin.  A body that looks just like Angie.

    Everyone is relieved when they find out Angie actually isn’t in the coffin.  Unfortunately, it is a woman they have a connection with.

    Joe, Angie’s brother and Mel’s ex-boyfriend, is a prosecutor.  He is working on a dangerous case.  One so dangerous, he has cut ties with all whom he cares about.  The body is the wife of his co-worker, and it is believed because she and Angie were wearing a similar costume, Angie may have been the true target.  Meaning Angie could still be in danger.

    The thing is, Joe cutting off all ties is actually a false statement.  It is what he wants Mel to believe in order to keep her and Angie safe.  In truth, Joe has been in communication with his brothers.  They have even gone so far as to put hidden cameras in the bakery to keep an eye on the two women.  Now that Angie may have barely escaped with her life because of mistaken identity, Joe and all those around Mel and Angie want them to leave town.  Both of them refuse.

    If someone really is after Angie, Mel is not going sit quietly and let others figure things out.  She is going to uncover who is out to get Angie.  Implying Angie was the true target in the first place.

Friendship Bracelet/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

    I will say, at first Mel does try to stay out of the investigation.  But that is a hard stance to stay with when seeing Angie upset over what happened.  It doesn’t help that Joe is keeping her in the dark about what is going on.  The only way for Mel to feel satisfied someone is doing something is for her to investigate herself.

    Apart from helping Angie and solving the case, there is the romantic situation Mel must deal with.  There are two men in Mel’s life.  Joe, who she was engaged to at one point, and Detective Martinez.  Martinez I felt came on too strong at first, but the more I read about him, the more I see he truly cares about Mel.  Joe, I can’t say I feel the same.  He has a tendency to concentrate only on himself and make everything about him.  From these statements, you can probably guess which man I’m voting for to be with Mel.  Sadly, I don’t think my vote is going to win.

    Amongst all the confusion of the investigation and the romantic situation, we are able to see, for the first time, the personalities of all Angie’s brothers.  Each and every one of them.  All seven.  Each brother is a character in his own way, with Joe being they stiffest.  They were around to protect Mel and Angie, driving the two women crazy in the process.  I don’t know if I would want each of these men to be my brother, but I hope they make many more appearances in these books.