Death and Wedding Cake

Sugar Creek Mystery #1

by Nova Walsh

A small town with big secrets. A caterer turned amateur detective. A wedding weekend plagued by murder and mystery.

Home is where the heart is for Abby Hirsch, a chef returning to her small Texas hometown to cater a wedding at her aunt's charming bed and breakfast. But homecoming turns deadly when Abby finds the body of the bride's rival dumped on the grounds.
With the wedding in jeopardy, a killer on the loose, and sparks flying with the new sheriff in town, Abby teams up with her best friend Cassie to get to the bottom of the murder. Amateur sleuthing leads them down a trail of secret affairs, shady business deals, and even more bodies. Can Abby cater the perfect wedding feast while narrowing down the suspect list? Or will the killer crash the wedding cake before Abby can serve justice?

Filled with delicious food, longtime friendships, mysterious twists, and lots of laughs, Death and Wedding Cake is a culinary cozy mystery with plenty of humor couched in the comfort of returning home. It's the perfect read for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, and Jenn McKinlay.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Ebooks, Romance, Mystery Thriller

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2023

About the author

Author Nova Walsh writes culinary cozy mysteries full of humor, shenanigans, and friendships that last a lifetime. She mixes in a healthy dose of amateur sleuthing, some slow-burn romance, and a pinch of comedy in every book she writes.
Nova is a former chef/caterer who still loves to cook but loves to write even more. She’s an enthusiastic, if not totally successful gardener who loves travel, wine, and hanging out with friends.
Nova grew up in the southwest, and now lives in Galveston, Texas, with her husband, son, and dogs. When she isn’t writing, she’s often cooking, spending time with family, or reading a good book with a pup by her side.

Reviews

[Mystery, She Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

Mood/Seasonal Reading: no specific time but I think spring or summer as I’m pretty sure it was warm

This just had far too many silly decisions and impossible plot lines to be believable or very enjoyable sadly.

Want to say I’ll give the next in the series a shot but I’m not sure. I really enjoyed it to start but there were some glaring issues that were hard to look past.

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abby ruined this and Cassie was second. They are not amateur sleuths, they are incompetent busybodies ruining investigations.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good start to a new series if you ignore certain things that are incredibly implausible, number one being that a culinary student right out of school, before she has even started her first job, is asked to come home and cater a large wedding BY HERSELF! And in the midst of the preparations, that also include sourcing linens, silverware, etc., she has time to investigate a murder. For that matter, how do you start an event business without having someone to help with the prep besides the chef? The story moves along at a good pace and the characters are likeable enough despite making terrible decisions. I will probably read the next two as the library has them.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A good start to a new series. I enjoyed the characters even though some of their actions were questionable

[Issy · Rating 3 out of 5]

in for a fun time, not a great time😉

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

This first in the series has all the elements of a terrific cozy mystery. There were many red herrings that led me to suspect the wrong people as the murderer and I was so surprised to discover who really committed the crimes. So well written! I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read anything by this author, so this was a definite treat for me.
I like all the characters and the story itself was well done.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mystery

Abby returns home to the Texas Hill country from culinary school to help her aunt at her B&B. But the bride is seen fighting with the tents/table rental woman. The next day, the rental woman ends up murdered, and the blame seems to be on the bride. Abby investigates because if the wedding is canceled, the B&B will go bankrupt.

It's a nice mystery and fun for me, as Texas Hill country is one of my favorite places. 😍

[NANCY WADE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disastrous culinary cozy

Nova Walsh created interesting characters and a promising setting but her plot and storyline was predictable and the terrible number of typos and mistakes were distracting. The author would have benefited from a proofreader.

[Janelle]

DNF. Was just bored

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters and the small-town setting. The mystery was good. However - the author used the plot device that I hate - with the main female character(s) trying to solve the murder alone - risking the official investigation and their safety! I will read the next one but if it uses the same plot then I'm done!

Amazon synopsis:
Home is where the heart is for Abby Hirsch, a chef returning to her small Texas hometown to cater a wedding at her aunt's charming bed and breakfast. But homecoming turns deadly when Abby finds the body of the bride's rival dumped on the grounds.

With the wedding in jeopardy, a killer on the loose, and sparks flying with the new sheriff in town, Abby teams up with her best friend Cassie and dives into amateur sleuthing to get to the bottom of the murder before the big day. Her investigation soon reveals secret affairs, shady business deals, and more bodies in this quaint small town.

Can Abby cater the perfect wedding feast while narrowing down the suspect list? Or will the killer crash the wedding cake before Abby can serve justice?

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

The real mystery...

Input from a professional caterer/wedding/event planner would have benefited the story greatly. The real mystery was how was a rookie caterer going to pull off a wedding reception for 200 guests (gourmet steak dinner and all) at a old country farmhouse turned B&B with no commercial kitchen and part time help and Aunt Meg all while solving a murder. I really wanted to love this book, having lived for several years in Austin and the surrounding Texas hill country and having worked in the wedding industry. I was much disappointed.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

suspend all disbelief

This story was so messy. Abby made decisions that are just plain insane. What amateur caterer takes on a 200 guest fancy wedding then almost shoot’s herself in the foot by getting involved in sleuthing to find a murderer?

Aside from being the person who found the victims, there was never a reason to get involved at all! No one asked for her help and the reasoning given was weak! She also made the most unbelievable decisions including breaking into a victims house and a suspects car, then confronting two people she thought were murderers ALONE!

The emotion was also wrong. I can get being upset about finding two dead bodies, but her emotions were far too intense for people she didn’t know at all. Then the budding relationship with the sheriff? Come on. That was way too quick and not at all believable.

Plus, this author made the police seem totally incompetent!

So many threads were left untied at the end, including any sort of explanation of how the murderer was strong enough to strangle one person and hang another?

I was looking for a new cozy series to get into but I just don’t think it’ll be this one!

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having finished culinary school in Los Angeles and landed a position at a prestigious restaurant, Abby Hirsch looks forward to a fulfilling future. When Aunt Meg asks for assistance with catering a wedding at her B&B, Abby has just enough time to go to her small hometown in Texas to help. Unfortunately, a worker is found murdered on site, and the bride is accused, putting the wedding in jeopardy. Abby and her best friend must work together to keep the wedding on track.

Even though these amateur sleuths take chances with their lives and liberty, the story is pure charm. The story was so readable, and I was drawn from page to page. The main characters are eminently likeable, and there is the start to a sweet romance for those people who enjoy that sort of thing. Death and Wedding Cake is a delicious beginning to a new series.

I'm looking forward to more adventures with Abby and Cassie.

[kathleen dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy simple, stupid and boring books, this one is for you! The summary I read made it sound like it would be fun…..NOT! It was too stupid! Abby, a caterer, gets involved in murders. She breaks laws repeatedly by interfering with the investigations, yet the sheriff who she immediately has a crush on, does nothing about it. The book could have been 1/2 the length it was had it not been for the redundancy (if Abby said one more time “I have so much to do for this wedding…”, I would have slit my wrists!!!). The characters had no appeal, personalities nor chemistry whatsoever. The most boring characters in any book I’ve ever read. And one of the worst lines in the book was when Abby rubbed in the sheriff’s face that she solved the mystery before he did! He should have told her to go to hell! But instead he laughed and kissed her! OH COME ON!!!

Stupid!!!

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 1 in the "Sugar Creek Mystery" series. This was a pretty good read. Abby Hirsch is a chef returning to her small town of Sugar Creek, Texas hometown to cater a wedding at her aunt's charming bed and breakfast. But homecoming turns deadly when Abby finds the body of the bride's rival dumped on the grounds. With a murder on the loose she teams up with her best friend Cassie to find the murder. This was a pretty good read that I found to be too long at times. I loved all the secondary characters in this book. This book had secret affairs in it along with blackmail and a Bridezilla. I also liked the romance between Abby and Sheriff Ryan. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Natelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby Hirsch returns to her small town to help her aunt run her very first wedding at her B&B. With skills acquired in culinary School, Abby feels assured she is up to the task. And she might be if she can stop getting distracted. But who wouldn’t be distracted by cat fights, bad wedding karma, dead bodies, and handsome sheriffs? With all that on her plate, how will she find time to plate the perfect menu for the bride and her guests?

The pacing of this story didn’t flow right for me. I also found how little time she had to order supplies and get them together exceptionally optimistic even in a small town. At least the storyline stayed true to itself and we all got answers in the end.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Culinary graduate Abbey has returned to her hometown to cater the first wedding event to be held at her aunt's B&B. A tight schedule and an indecisive bride don't deter Abbey from wanting to solve the murder of one of the vendors. Her sleuthing puts her at odds with the handsome local Sheriff, someone she is attracted to. Great characters, nice blend of small town life, mystery, and a budding romance.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story, though I believe indicative of someone who's never worked as a chef or run a B&B -- but then that's most of us. A heroine who in my opinion makes some very sketchy choices about how to accomplish her business, nevertheless accomplishes the objective while winning over the local sheriff. What more could a cozy mystery ask for? One minor plot inconsistency surprised me (Abby has to room with her aunt, but gets settled in her own room before once again rooming with the aunt) but overall the story was cute. The villain was no surprise to me, but since I read several cozy mysteries a week, it's to be expected.

[Kamyl Palma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scored this book during Stuff Your Kindle day. It’s my first time learning the cozy mystery genre, hence I had zero expectations for this. It was just okay, in the sense that even though it lacked thrill and suspense, I got to finish it still. It’s a quick read, and it got me curious enough.

I just hope Abby’s character was written in a different way, or snooping too much was just a pet peeve of me. 😅

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas and wedding

Enjoyable first book in a new series. I'm from Texas and loved that this book was set in Texas.

Abby is helping her Aunt with a wedding when someone ends up murdered. Abby and her best friend, Cassie decide to find who the murderer is. Love their friendship. The mystery didn't seem to be focus in this book which I kind of enjoyed. This was a great way to get to know the characters and Sugar Creek, Texas. I plan on reading the next book in this series.

[Dale Zweibohmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a culinary cozy mystery with humor, shenanigans and amateur sleuthing. Abby just returned
home to help her Aunt Meg do a wedding event at her B & B in Sugar Creek, Texas. On the first morning home , she finds the dead body of a woman who had a fight with the bride-to-be the day before. Abby and her friend Cassie try to figure out who killed the girl while still preparing for the wedding. Will they find the killer ??

[zainab · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a really good book, and the beginning kept meme very interested. but it kinda went downhill, the ending felt so rushed and the romance between her and ryan felt artifical. and i know there HAS to be more cops than ryan and ty kinda got sick of that. abby was a 10 but then kinda became off at the end. it’s like a solid 3 star book, was a nice breath of fresh air

[Patricia Brennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Explain to me how somebody just coming out of culinary school can handle a wedding for 200 people with an ordinary kitchen that doesn’t have enough supplies. This is just like any hallmark series where the girl goes off by herself to try to find a killer instead of giving the information she finds to the police.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. It's definitely a faster read than my last book. What turned me off was the bashing of California that some Texans are doing right now. As a native Texan who's lived in both states, I have to say it's getting old. And of course, it has to be a "central" Texan that's doing it. 🙄 it definitely was very predictable as to who killed the lady.

[Adria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

Walsh did a credible job in this mystery as I was a couple chapters from the reveal before I figured out the criminal. On the other hand, many of the characters were a bit flat and predictable. It may have been the basic storyline or that they are new characters, so I hope she digs further into them as the series moves forward.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another typical story about someone coming back to their home, feeling they can solve a murder, and finding a romantic interest. While I liked the book for the mystery part (who was the murderer???), I felt it was a bit formulaic and I thought the ending was abrupt. Unless there's another freebie and I have nothing else to read, I probably won't continue the series.

[Elizabeth Leleux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start for a series

I enjoyed the first book of this sweet cozy mystery series. The main female character is completely relatable and lovable. I love her Aunt Meg, her best friend, the sheriff, and other side characters. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy mystery where Abby comes home to help her Aunt with a wedding at her B&B
Of course, you have a hysterical bride who gets arrested days before her wedding for murder.
Abby, has to deal with the bride who changes her mind on the menu almost every other day and
of course Abby is busy trying to clear the bride of murder.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had issues

This book had a good story line with a well written mystery. However, the last third of the book was disappointing. We heard about how much work still needed to be done but, also, the really stupid choices were being made.
As a side note, there were typos and poor grammar in a few places.