Decease of Cake

Delaine Baker Cozy Mysteries #1

by Patti Larsen

Welcome to the Delaine Baker Cozy Mysteries!

Delaine Baker has it all—a gorgeous, wealthy husband who adores her, an adopted family in her new Georgian hometown, a vibrant career as a famous TV actress and a heart of gold. But when her mother-in-law’s birthday party is interrupted by murder, Delaine’s years playing a homicide detective give her an edge over the local chief of police. Tapping into her professional training and her need to help, Delaine sets out to save the night—and catch the killer—before happy birthday ends in a hot getaway!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 9, 2024

About the author

I write a lot of paranormal books for someone who is afraid of the dark. And I wonder why I have to sleep with the lights on. Sometimes life is a teenaged B horror movie and I'm the one who investigates when the scary music is playing. But the voices are calling and resistance is… Yes. I am a Star Trek geek, too. And a fan of RPG’s. With a slight coolness factor since I've been told I'm allowed to join the pops.

Naw. I like being a nerdy girl :)

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retired actress, married into a wealthy Georgia family and at a reception for her mother in law’s birthday a nasty, mean caterer is found dead, nearly buried in her competitor’s cake. An investigation ensues.
A very entertaining read with interesting characters and a good plot.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

TV detective Delaine Baker ended a stellar run of her series on a high note, left the business, and moved to Georgia to marry the man of her dreams and enter high society. When her beloved mother-in-law decided to celebrate her 65th birthday, no stops were pulled, and a lavish event was meticuously planned. Unfortunately, the celebrations were ruined - in various ways, but mostly by a murder. With fingers pointing every which way, Delaine dusts off her skills and settles into to help the police catch the killer.

At first I was unsure that Delaine and I would click. She seemed too perfect, too polished. As the evening wore on, I was firmly in her corner and cheering for her. Sadly, the book had to come to a close and I reluctantly bid adieu to my new friend. I sincerely hope Patti Larsen develops this into a full series; it was a wonderful escape into a fantasy lifestyle.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Delaine, the perfect wife with the perfect rich husband, the devoted daughter in law, the TV detective, the no nonsense arbitrator, but the Delaine I grew to love most was the one who didn't suffer bullies gladly and spoke up when she witnessed bullying. That speaks of character and bravery that is all too rare. I really like this author. She writes about good people who care, whether it is cozy fiction or paranormal fiction and I have never been disappointed with any of her work. This book is no exception and I highly recommend it's reading.

[Dawn]

Unreal

The beginning of the book was too saccharin. Nobody loves her life, loves her husband,loves her mother-in-law,loves her life. Once the mystery got going it was not too bad. Of course she was not only beautiful she was extremely talented and very rich. You were right in saying she was too hard to relate to.

[Jacqui Lyon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The actual story is fine. The book was short enough that I just powered through it, but I thought about DNF after the first two chapters.

Things I disliked:
-overly verbose descriptions
-stiff dialogue
-inconsistent diary-esque story format
-weirdness between characters (Delaine and Oscar, Delaine and Mary Ellen, really Delaine and everyone…)

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. I like the main character. She was interesting and I look forward to seeing her character develop. I did have an issue with the Mother in law. I felt like the other characters were treating her like she was old and fragile. In today's world a 65 year old woman would probably still be working. I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series.

[Jean Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start to a new series. The characters are interesting and realistic, The story was interesting and entertaining. Lots of red herrings as well as more than one crime before the murderer is revealed. It was not who I expected it to be.

[Aminah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I binge read this book. It was that good. I am really good at
deciding who committed the crime before I am 1/3 of the way into the book. But I never suspected this character until this character admitted to commiting the crime.

[Jenny Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

This book was written very well, humor, murder, bullies, those that stand up to bullies, friendships and family. I couldn't put it down. I am looking for more books from this author. Highly recommend.

[Alayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story but I didn't like the overblown way of telling the tale. I read the first several chapters, then thought, there is so much description and so much repetition, that I went to the last couple of chapters and that was it. So, not recommended.

[Monz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Interesting story line. Fast paced book. Author has a sense of humour. Story written in present tense. I found the book challenging in the beginning as there were too many characters mentioned.

[Carole Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series by Patti Larsen! I like the characters, and the book was interesting and very enjoyable. Looking forward to more in the series!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read

Cute book, quick read. Would've liked. Little more information about how she met her husband and his family, but being the first book in a series, hopefully there will be more details as it continues.

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delaine is quite a character; full of extremes. Being who she is explains a lot. She is certainly interesting and fun to follow. I need to read the next book.

[Anne Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, intriguing, delightful

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept me engaged. I'm looking to read more of the author 's books. I love a good mystery.

[RAYNORA PIATT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Book caught and held my interest from the first page to the very end! Would love to read more about Delaine.

[Toni Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

Wow, Delaine really had her hands full with Bianca's birthday bash and then murder at the same venue. Love how she worked to try and figure out who did it.

[Janet Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining cozy mystery. Well written with short chapters (the best kind!). Looking forward to more. Highly recommended.

[Ginger Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This was a good page turner. I enjoyed the characters and story line. Great book for a laid back week.

[Emmy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this mystery. And I loved that this was written in second person with a 4th wall. How fun!