The Diva Says Cheesecake! (Domestic Diva Series #15)

by Krista Davis Narrated by Hillary Huber

Overview

In a delicious new Domestic Diva Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis, entertaining guru Sophie Winston is faced with a midsummer nightmare when a celebration in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is the appetizer for murder . . .



Old Town's midsummer festivities are getting a tasty addition this year. To coincide with a public performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Bobbie Sue Bodoin, the Queen of Cheesecake, has hired Sophie to organize a dinner with a dessert buffet on the waterfront. Bobbie Sue's homegrown company is thriving, and since her baking dish overfloweth, she wants to reward her employees.



Bobbie Sue has only one menu demand: no cheesecake! But her specialty isn't the only thing missing from the evening¿Tate, Bobbie Sue's husband, is too, much to her annoyance. Next morning, however, Tate's dead body is discovered. Bobbie Sue insists she didn't kick her spouse to the curb, and begs for Sophie's help finding the real killer. Digging in, Sophie discovers an assortment of Old Town locals who all had reason to want a piece of Tate. Can she gather together the crumbs the killer left behind in time to prevent a second helping of murder?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Diva Says Cheesecake!

“In midsummer, event planner and advice columnist Sophie Winston has several big events planned…Fans should concentrate on the recipes and the familiarity of Sophie’s circle of friends.”
—Library Journal
 
“Another day, another party, another murder for Alexandria, Virginia, advice columnist/event planner Sophie Winston…Eleven appended recipes are the highlight.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The nicely delineated setting and sympathetic characters are reminiscent of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen cozies, which also include baking and a group of close friends working together to solve crimes.”
—Booklist


Praise for Krista Davis' Previous Mysteries

"Loaded with atmosphere and charm."
—Library Journal

"Reader alert: Tasty descriptions may spark intense cupcake cravings."
—The Washington Post

"Touches all the bases of the cozy mystery—including a bit of romance—and does so with style."
—Richmond Times-Dispatch

"This satisfying entry in the series will appeal to readers who enjoy cozies with a cooking frame, like Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schulz mysteries."
—Booklist

"A beautifully written, cleverly crafted mystery sure to please pet-lovers and fair-play mystery fans, alike."
—Smitten by Books

"Raucous humor, affectionate characters, and delectable recipes highlight this unpredictable mystery that entertains during any season."
—Kings River Life Magazine

Library Journal

03/01/2022

In midsummer, event planner and advice columnist Sophie Winston has several big events planned, including a dinner for Bobbie Sue Bodoin, "the Cheesecake Queen." Bobbie Sue didn't realize, when she scheduled her dinner to coincide with Old Town Alexandria's midsummer celebration, that her daughter would be in a ballet that evening, her son would be running in a marathon, and her husband Tate wouldn't show up for any of the events. When Sophie finds a dead body in the basement of Tate's restaurant, she has no reason to get involved in the case. That is, until one of her best friends is arrested for murder and Tate's family members beg Sophie to find the killer. Sophie's threatened, and continues to uncover clues, before she bumbles her way to the correct solution. VERDICT Even the best cozy series have a weak one, and Sophie seems out of sync as an amateur sleuth in this 15th "Domestic Diva" mystery (following The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit). Fans should concentrate on the recipes and the familiarity of Sophie's circle of friends.—Lesa Holstine

Kirkus Reviews

2022-03-02
Another day, another party, another murder for Alexandria, Virginia, advice columnist/event planner Sophie Winston.

Cheesecake queen Bobbie Sue Bodoin’s Midsummer Night’s dinner party is the event of Old Town’s season, at least until the Fourth of July extravaganza Sophie’s planning for old Ms. Hollingsworth-Smythe. But Bobbie Sue’s husband, restaurateur Tate Bodoin, is absent and missing the performance their daughter Jo’s ballet class is giving. Fortunately, he’s got a great excuse: He’s lying dead in the alley in back of Blackwell’s Tavern, the place he owns and manages. The obvious suspect is Sophie’s friend Bernie Frei, whose ownership of The Laughing Hound makes him technically Tate’s business competitor. Actually, Blackwell’s assistant manager, Marsha Bathurst, darkly hints, their rivalry was much more personal. Her insinuations, joined with the forensic evidence the Alexandria police dig up, lead Sgt. Wolf Fleishman to arrest Bernie even though Bernie is such a nice guy that nobody, including Fleishman, believes him guilty—except for Marsha, whose relationship to her boss may have run deeper than suspected as well. Actually, Spencer Carver, Bobbie Sue’s first husband, may have had it in for Tate, as may their teenage son, Pierce Carver. And what about Eli Dawson, the Blackwell’s bartender who was two-timing Marsha with Laughing Hound assistant manager Eva Morales? As Sophie and her best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, swing into action, they’re stunned when one of the suspects actually asks to see their credentials. Credentials? sniffs Nina. Don’t they know about the duo’s impressive record?

Suspicious but forgettable characters fill out a teensy mystery. Eleven appended recipes are the highlight.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175634755
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/31/2022
Series:	Domestic Diva Series , #15
Edition description:	Unabridged

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