Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I only discovered Jenn McKinlay last summer but she is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I haven't read any of the other books in her Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, but I love culinary cozies so I decided to jump in with book #12, Pumpkin Spice Peril, which just came out last week.
 Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2020;  Berkley; 978-0451492654
audio, ebook, print (272 pages); cozy mystery

I had no problem with starting with book 12 as the story is self-contained. The relationship connections between characters were easy to understand and background information was naturally worked into the story. Outside of mentioning that Mel had an uncanny ability to be where dead bodies are found, knowledge of past cases is not necessary. That being said, I do hope to find the time to pick up some of the previous books in the series as I really liked the characters and would like to get to know them more.

Even though there is a murder, the overall tone of the book is light and fluffy - like a cupcake. It made for a great bit of escapism reading. I was able to figure out "whodunit" before the characters, but it was okay as the journey was fun.

One of my favorite things about culinary cozies is the recipes. The Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipe sounds so good. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused there to be a flour shortage in the grocery stores and I'm down to my last cup or so of flour. Otherwise, I would have made the cupcakes this weekend. I wrote it down so as soon as flour is available again I can make them.

If you are looking for a reading treat, then I recommend trying out this series if you have not already discovered it.

Buy Pumpkin Spice Peril at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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