Cupcakes and Crime

Moonstone Bakery #2

by Nova Walsh

The ovens are warm, the cupcakes are frosted, and Ginny Malone is about to bite off more than she can chew... Ginny and her mischievous cat Shortcake are finally settling into life in Moonstone Bay. Her coastal bungalow might still need a little TLC, but her bakery is open, her friend Lois is never far away, and she’s even landed a big cupcake order to boost business. Everything seems to be falling into place—until her charmingly grumpy landlord, private investigator Vince Rinaldi, takes on a client whose problems lead straight to murder.

With Vince pulled into a tangled web of lies and secrets, Ginny can’t resist lending a hand—or her legal expertise. But balancing bakery orders with sleuthing isn’t easy, especially with renovations going sideways, quirky locals causing a stir, and a killer who might be closer than anyone suspects.

As Ginny, Lois, and Vince dig deeper, they’ll need to rely on teamwork—and maybe just a little luck—to solve the case before someone else gets hurt.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2025

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

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex-lawyer Ginny Malone removed herself from the rat race which was New York, arriving in Moonstone Bay and had never looked back. Opening her bakery with her landlord and PI, Vince Rinaldi, in the same building, with James (baker) & Mari (jill of all trades) helping her out, Ginny was content. Her little cottage was old and rundown, but she loved it. And Ginny's spritely and mischievous cat, Shortcake, loved nothing more than a scratch around his ears, while keeping his owner in order. But when Vince took on a new case, and a murder happened, life changed in an instant.

Ginny and her good friend Lois joined forces with Vince to work out what was going on; what they discovered was lies and secrets that had been held close for some time. With another death the clock was ticking and Ginny was one step closer to confronting a murderer. Would they discover who it was before another person died?

Cupcakes and Crime is the 2nd in the Moonstone Bakery series by Nova Walsh and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I haven't read #1 it didn't seem to matter as this one was a complete story of its own. Fun and entertaining, I recommend this cosy to fans of the genre.

[Kay Haraguchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems to have been written too fast and carelessly edited. Some details differ from the first story. The male co-protagonist was clad in two different outfits in 2 paragraphs in the same incident. The female protagonist has gone in the space of month from a sharp attorney in charge of her own life to an average business owner looking to the male for leadership. Additionally supposedly in 4 weeks she remodeled an old building and installed equipment for a bakery, started up the business and became so successful yhat she had to hire 2 employees? All while solving murders. I find that hard to believe.

[Jeannie]

Very Interesting!

Book two was interesting and intriguing. Life in Moonstone Bay is humming along with renovations, friends, new employees, another mystery, and a romance that just might be heating up. More glimpses into the lives of the people who live there, fun moments involving bakery display windows and sweet fur babies. Looking forward to more books in this series.

[Serina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

The Trio solves the case again. I loved the warm smells and new recipes from the bakery. Along with the new character Faye, the story was small town charming.

[Skater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Environmental murder

Bakery is up and running, but bodies are dropping left and right. This fun, well written mystery with great characters, is a fast escape.