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Footprints in the Frosting
A Holly Hart Cozy Mystery
by Laura Pauling
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My Review
I do enjoy my cozy mysteries and this one “took the cake!” Sorry, I had to say that.
Escaping her big city life with all the glitz and glamour, Holly Hart finds the small town life appealing and prepares for the grand opening of her new shop, Just Cheesecake.
It’s the morning of, and she doesn’t have time for her pint sized dog’s shenanigans. Muffins somehow slipped out of the apartment and seeing a flash of gray fur enter her shop across the street, Holly rushes out in her PJ’s to fetch him.
Upon nearing her shop, she notices the locks are broken and hesitates before entering. Her trepidation is well founded when she discovers a dead man in her kitchen, face down in one of her cheesecakes.
Now she’s suspect number one, her grand opening is on hold, and her reputation and her freedom are at risk. So, Holly puts on her sleuthing guise and sets out to solve the murder before her business goes bust before she can even get it open.
I read this in about an hour and a half, non stop. Holly is such fun. I couldn’t help but feel for her when a female reporter splashes her name and picture all over the front page of the local newspaper, naming her as the murderer. She’d hoped people would be different in a small town, not befriend you and stab you in the back for a story.
When these two women bump into each other at a book club meeting, more than cake flies and I gave a “you go girl” to Holly. She gave as good as she got.
She didn’t take no guff from the police either. Officer Trent may be the sexy bachelor in town, but she wasn’t having any of it and hit him with both barrels. I had to laugh. She’s just so spunky.
The author did a good job at misdirecting me. There were several suspects and motives and I had to follow all of the clues, right along with Holly, to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Fun for all, with a cute budding romance, some odd and endearing characters, and a mystery that’s not easily solved, I recommend this to all cozy fans.
4 Stars
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Synopsis:
Cheesecake, Love, and Murder!
It’s the Grand Opening for Holly Hart’s new business, Just Cheesecake. When footprints in the frosting lead to a body facedown in one of her cheesecakes, Holly becomes a prime suspect.
With her opening day delayed, Holly deals with a nosy no-good reporter and the local cop, the handsome Officer Trinket, as she puts her sleuthing skills to the test to save her business and her name. With the help of her dog, Muffins, she needs to find the real murderer, before the killer looks to frost someone else.
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About the Author
Laura Pauling writes about spies, murder and mystery. She’s the author of the young adult Circle of Spies Series, the Prom Impossible Series, the time travel mysteries, Heist and A Royal Heist, and the Holly Hart Cozy Mystery Series: Footprints in the Frosting and Deadly Independence with more coming.
She lives the cover of a suburban mom/author perfectly, from the minivan to the home-baked snickerdoodles, while hiding her secret missions and covert operations. But shh. Don’t tell anyone. And she may or may not actually bake cookies. You decide.
Visit Laura at http://laurapauling.com to sign up for her newsletter and receive a free Holly Hart cozy mystery novella.
Author Links
Purchase Links
Footprints in the Frosting
Deadly Independence: Holly Hart Cozy Mystery 2
~ coming soon ~
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