Murder Takes the Cake: A Tall Pines Cozy Mystery

Tall Pines Cozy Mystery #6

by Avery Kent

An amateur sleuth, her two best friends, and a sweet dream that leads to murder…

Small town cafe owner Gabby Ramirez is thrilled when her sister Maria decides to pursue her passion for high-end cakes.

But her cake decorating class turns sour when the teacher’s assistant is Maria’s old high school tormentor. Tensions rise and soon things heat up faster than a baker’s oven.

Gabby never imagined a bully from the past would become a body in the present. But when the TA is found dead, Maria becomes the prime suspect.

With their brother, Sheriff Carlos, unable to investigate his own family, Gabby and her two best friends are ready to stir things up to uncover the truth.

From an estranged husband and bitter brother-in-law, to angry classmates and betrayed former friends nursing old grudges, the suspects pile higher than a three-tier cake.

With her beloved corgi sniffing out clues, can Gabby and her friends sift through the mess to catch the real killer or will Maria’s cake dreams crumble for good?

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2025

Reviews

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria has a passion for decorating cakes and is planning to create one for Carlos and Asley’s wedding. Maria signs up for certification class but the teacher is a tormentor from high school. When the teacher is found murdered, Maria is the prime suspect. Ashley and her friends must solve the murder and clear Maria. Another great mystery from Avery Kent.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Ramirez, younger sister to Carlos and Gabby, has found her passion in decorating cakes. Planning to create Carlos and Ashley’s wedding cake and hoping to open her own business, she signs up for certification classes. Unfortunately, the TA for the class, Sabrina, is a woman who tormented her in high school and seems intent on continuing to make life miserable. When Sabrina is murdered, and Maria is a suspect, Carlos must step aside from the case. Gabby, Rosemary, and Ashley step in as temporary TAs and investigate on the side. Sabrina left a trail of destruction in her wake, but who most wanted her dead?

Murder Takes the Cake was a page turning mystery with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. From best friends to boyfriends, a teacher who only saw the best, and blackmailed students, Sabrina’s manipulation and lies eventually caused someone to snap. The Tall Pines trio do a great job putting the pieces together and preventing further tragedy all while putting finishing touches on the wedding plans and helping to raise money to renovate the local park. Of course Bailey did his part sniffing out some clues as well. Gabby, Rosemary, and Ashley have such a strong and supportive friendship and it’s always enjoyable to catch up with them.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Giannina Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Ashley and Carlos wedding day draws closer, plans need to be finalized. Maria is taking a cake course so she can make the wedding cake and hopefully open a cake shop in the future. Unfortunately, the TA for the course was and still is a bully. Sabrina (the TA) has caused problems for several people when they were in high school and now she is trying to sabotage Maria. Unfortunely, after having Maria's frosting to be ruined and then tripping her when she brings her cake to be judged she is found murdered in the classroom. Since Maria is one of the suspects, Tyrrel has to be the lead detective. This does not stop the girls from investigating and even becoming unpaid TA's in the cake course. The suspects besides Maria are TJ, her ex, Fran, Tess and Tom. Who all have motives.

This story is really well developed and does not just relay on the murder. Ashley, Gabby and Rosemary do an excellent job in revealing the motives and elementating the suspects. We can clearly follow the clues to determine the killer and the reasoning for their action. Hard to putdown because it flows so well.

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria, little sister of Gabby and Carlos, is taking a cake decorating class with the idea of eventually opening her own shop. But her plans are derailed by the class’s teaching assistant – a woman who bullied Maria in high school. When this woman is later murdered, and Maria is one of the suspects, Sheriff Carlos is unable to officially help in the investigation. But Gabby, Rosemary and Ashley are quickly on the case! Another entertaining mystery with lots of suspects, a variety of motives, and many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Wonderful characters in a sweet small town setting, highly recommended cozy mystery series.
I received a free copy from the author, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[J Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sifting through the clues!

Maria Ramirez's dream of opening a high-end cake shop is threatened when the teacher’s assistant for her cake decorating class turns out to be her old high school bully. Maria needs to pass the class for her certification, but the TA is still the same “mean girl” she was in high school and targets her.

When the TA is murdered, Maria becomes the prime suspect. Since Sheriff Carlos cannot investigate a case involving their sister, it’s up to Gabby and her friends to find the killer in the TA’s long list of enemies.

This is an enjoyable cozy with likable characters and a good plot. I received a free copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Kara Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 6th book in this cozy mystery series; I’ve read all the previous books and they just keep getting better. This book could easily stand alone, though, with 3 main characters (young women who have grown up together)— Rosemary, Gabby and Ashley. Ashley is engaged to Carlos, the sheriff and Gabby’s brother. Gabby and Carlos’ younger sister, Maria, is featured a lot in this book. Maria is taking cake decorating classes and when there’s a murder, she’s a suspect, but there are plenty of others. There are also a lot of unexpected twists—very good ones. I can definitely recommend this book and series; I was provided an ARC, which I appreciate, but these opinions are my own.

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabby with Bailey, her dog, her friends Rosemary and Ashley plus her sister Maria are the “stars” of this book. Maria wants to make and decorate good cakes and is doing an evening class at the local school, taken by the domestic science teacher and her assistant. Big snag, the assistant is the high school bully who treated Maria really badly at school & again in these classes. She is a really nasty person & gets murdered. Maria is the prime suspect but everyone knows she didn’t do it. The sleuths with a lot of help from Bailey, do find the answer to the puzzle. I suggest that, if you cannot finish it in one go, stop about half way through.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 6 in the Tall Pines series finds the group preparing for Ashley and Carlos's wedding. Well, this is Tall Pines after all and in the midst of the planning and preparations is, of course, a murder. The suspects and theories abound as the group attempt to figure out who hated the murdered person so much that they would risk everything to rid the town of them. I thought the brain storming scenes to be quite interesting and quite enjoyed that part of the story.
I received a copy of this book via BookSprout and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.

[LaurenB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the first in the series, but I read it as a standalone and didn’t have much trouble figuring out the characters’ backgrounds. It was well written and, thought there are a lot of characters, it wasn’t hard to follow. I was expecting more of a wedding themed cozy, but I enjoy culinary cozies as well. Well paced and the ending was a surprise. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L.a.l · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking a class to get certified to create wedding cakes should not get you involved in a murder, but in this case, it did. The who-done-it is the hard part. With suspects all across the board, from family to former teachers, this one keeps you guessing from start to finish. Elements revealed at the end makes this one even more of a mystery. You cannot put this down until you find out the ties between all the characters. Waiting to see where things go next.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bully Beware!

Another great story with the Ramirez family investigating the murder, although this one a closer to home with Maria as a suspect.  As always, I loved the interaction between the family and their friends.  I can easily recommend this book.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team.  I am voluntarily writing this review.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book in this series (all can be read standalone). Lovely warmhearted friends and their family and a storyline that has a few surprises with a twist you did not see coming. An amazing cozy mystery to read and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Maria is a suspect in a murder, the gang is going to get involved. These are really fun stories and I love the camaraderie amongst the friends. The mystery brings you a long and you find out who did it at the end instead of the beginning. These are very well written and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a prime suspect was not what Maria had in mind but when her nemesis is murdered Gabby steps in to go after the truth. A captivating read with suspense, humour and a nail-biting finish to it. I received this ARC copy via Booksprouts and recommend this book to other.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a convoluted tale about a murder that takes place in the classroom of the baking class. With a lot of suspects it is hard to figure out the conclusion
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

[Penny Perse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Takes the Cake

Wow this was a really great story. Suspenseful to the end. I kept thinking more people were going to be killed o was glad that didn’t happen and wish more had been saved in the end.

[Ginny Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Lots of suspense and drama on who was responsible for the death and who was not
Surprised ending with a resolution

[Thomas C. Schildhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong plot

Plot is good. Still, lots of typos and misspellings mar the flow. Hard, sometimes, to translate what is meant. But enjoyed rrading.