Sugar and Vice

Cupcake Truck Mysteries #1

by Emily James

Who would kill a hundred-year-old man at his own 100th birthday party?That’s what cupcake truck owner Isabel Addington is left asking herself when she’s hired to cater a birthday party where the guest of honor dies before he can even taste her cupcakes. But it’s none of her business. She needs to focus on preventing her abusive husband from finding her and on keeping her struggling food truck afloat. When the police declare the dead man’s death a murder, neither of those goals seem likely. Her fingerprints were all over the murder weapon…if you can call a bottle of ketchup a weapon. Now the woman who hired her is refusing to pay, a nosy reporter is putting her true identity at risk of discovery, and the dead man’s handsome grandson wants to prove she killed his grandfather.Her future holds either a casket or an orange prison jumper unless she can find out who really went to all the trouble and risk of killing a hundred-year-old man.Sugar and Vice is the first book in award-winning and bestselling author Emily James’ Cupcake Truck Mysteries. If you love cozy mysteries with found family, amateur sleuths, and food, then you'll want to sink your teeth into this story today!Cupcake recipe included!This book is a clean mystery and contains no swearing, gore, or steamy bedroom scenes. While the series is best enjoyed in order, each book is a complete mystery on its own.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2018

About the author

Award-winning and bestselling author Emily James writes cozy mysteries with quirky characters, twisty plots, and a touch of romance.

Reviews

[Kellie]

Such a fantastic cozy mystery and I really enjoyed it!! It's very well written and I could not figure out the killer.

Isabel is the cupcake 🧁 lady and she's running away from her abusive husband and gets tangled up in the mystery of who killed the 100 year old man at his 100th birthday party. Does she solve the mystery or did time run out before they all accuse her of murder? Very suspenseful and keeps you turning the pages to figure it all out!

I really highly recommend this one!

Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫🎉

[Lise]

Isabel Addington, now known as Amy Miller, was grateful to receive a commission to provide her signature cupcakes for a 100th birthday party. But when she arrived on site and found that some of the contract's details had been misrepresented, she felt uneasy. And rightly so, as the guest of honour suddenly succumbed to a fatal allergy to one of the evening's foods. Who would want to kill a centenarian? With the police looking in her direction and unable to withstand the scrutiny of her new identity, Isabel needs to find the real killer before her own life is over.

The subject matter of this story is much more sombre than the usual cosy - and it is treated with the respect it deserves. I fully appreciated the gravitas of the situation, as it transformed the usual trope (an amateur sleuth solving the crime ahead of the police) into a believable and tense set of circumstances. Isabel/Amy had my full support as the pages turned, and her empathy and sheer goodness won my heart.

The Cupcake Truck Mysteries are a spinoff from another series, the Maple Syrup Mysteries. It isn't necessary to read the older books to gain an understanding of this new one; there is plenty of detail in Sugar and Vice to give the main character's full story.

I highly recommend this cosy for those readers who enjoy a more sensitive and serious treatment of our beloved genre.

[Karin]

Just because he is a cop doesn’t mean he is good, does it??? I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.

[Emmalynn]

This was a great book

[Tari]

I really enjoyed this book so much! I'd stumbled across it on Amazon, so I borrowed it with Kindle Unlimited. Now that I've finished it and loved it, I'm hoping the author is working on a second book for the series. I read her note at the end of the book and hadn't even realized before that this is a spin-off from the Maple Syrup series and the Nicole that Isabel is friends with is the main character in that series.

Isabel had such a good heart and despite needing to get away from the town she was in to save herself from her abusive ex who happened to also be a cop possibly showing up, she put her needs aside while taking care of the needs of a little girl named Janie who happened to be a local cop's daughter. When she met Dan, she soon found out that most cops were nothing like her ex. There was a twist about the murder that had occurred that Isabel figured out, but I won't say anymore because it's a good one. The showdown was scary for both Janie and Isabel, but they got through it like champs. While waiting on the next in this series, I think I want to start the Maple Syrup series to meet Nicole and her characters now.

[Tess Ailshire]

Note: I did not know until I finished the book and then read others' reviews that this is a spinoff series. I felt comfortable enough with the story that it did not bother me at all; the backstory seemed clear enough to me.

This story contained sufficient detail to make one think twice. Things most people would have no concern about lead Isabel to convoluted worries based on her previous experiences, and remind us that so many people have pieces of life we know nothing about. I cannot imagine having to live in this kind of fear, and that drew me. I did find it a bit surprising that with all her knowledge of her apparent inability to read character, she chooses one who could case so many more problems. But her choice is to place a child's welfare over her own, so it makes sense.

I needed this, as I was about to start a true story about evil child abuse and i needed something easier. Yet as much as I liked this, I don't think it was sufficient to make me want to read the rest of the series.

[Tita]

2.4. I rounded down. I felt as though I'd started the story somewhere in the middle. This story should come with a disclaimer that this is a spin-off of another series where the character's backstory can be found. While the author mentions other separate stories that clear up information alluded to in this story, the back story of the main character is in another series. Very frustrating.

The main character is still living in fear of everything after living with an abusive husband . She makes decisions that any other woman would not make and lets herself be tricked by a man's kind smile. Her last decision is mind-boggling. Always when you think a female protagonist is growing into her own, she has to have a man (and one who tricked her) convince her to do something she would not have done otherwise. 🤷‍♀️

[Valorie Hunter]

Running away, danger seems to find you.

20 stars!!!!
Wow, what a great story, and to know people actually go through this type of things. Maybe all of it, but most of it.
Isabel had a lot of things she had to go through and then some. Boy, I had so big surprises thrown at me. I felt I was right there with her going through all that stuff.
Dan, Claire and Janie really made this a very successful story. This is a new author for me and I love this story line. I didn't sleep much and I had to actually put Amazon kindle on my phone to keep reading this book that I have 3 different kindles to read from also.
You won't be disappointed!!!! Please check out this book I can't wait for more. Hurry up!!!! Emily James

[Andrea Stoeckel]

Too close to truth

[TW: spousal abuse/ child abuse]

"The pain felt like it was crushing me, but I knew pain. If Fear and I were frenemies, then Pain and I were archrivals."

In the run from an abusive police husband, Isobel has begun to make a name for herself as an innovative baker in her cupcake food truck. However, a job gone wrong may break open her entire new life and make her have to run again.

The idea for Isobel must have a kernel of some truth for the author because Isobel's backstory rings loud and clear. Unfortunately stories like this are not unusual and happy ever after isn't always attainable. Here's hoping Isobel, Dan and Janie are the exception. Highly Recommended 5/5

[Victoria]

While I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, I felt almost the second half of the book could’ve been avoided based on her growth and internal monologue that not everyone was like Jarod…so she could’ve gone to the police to give her statement. Granted things wouldn’t have played out the way they did but that still bugged me. I dropped the rating by a star when I found out the plot twist involved a child crime (non descriptive). I am repulsed by that in real life and do not care to read about it in my leisure reading no matter how non descriptive it is. The writing was interesting enough to want to read the next in the series but I hesitate to do that based on what was included in this one.

[Normalee M.]

Not bad, not bad at all

This was a fun read. Sure, there were times when Isabel (aka Amy) was a bit too in her head, but with all she'd been through, that wouldn't be too abnormal.

Something that really bothered me was the author's emphasis on nut allergies. I'm not saying this isn't an important issue – because it is, but I felt like the point was stressed for a little too long.

All things considered, though, this was a good read that kept me guessing. It's not often that you find a mystery where you make it to the end before you discover both the killer and intended victim.

[Sharon]

Struggled through

I really enjoyed the Maple Syrup series but I could not get into this book series. Although I made it to the end, I basically skimmed a lot just to see how it ended. There was so much emphasis on exhusband and past that it took away from the story. I couldn't tell if we were solvong a mystery or just trying to stay hidden. While I understand the need for the reader to know about Isabel/Amy's past, we didn't need to be reminded with every thought or action that was made.

[Cheri]

I enjoyed this book and thought it had some nice twists to the plot. Isabel is on the run from her husband who is in law enforcement and an abuser. Because of this she has trust issues and is always in survival mode. She works through this to help solve the murder. I would have given it 5 stars but there was a big plot hole left at the end, the motive of the killer. Otherwise, it did come to a satisfactory conclusion at the end.
I would recommend the author and would like to continue with the series.

[Deanna]

Interesting read about a woman running from her abusive husband and has reinvented herself as Isabel the owner of a cupcake food truck. She is catering the birthday party for a man celebrating his 100th birthday but is killed when his food is tainted with nuts (severe food allergy). A young girl with the same allergy accidentally eats it too. Luckily Isabel recognizes the symptoms and is able to use the epi pen to save her. Unfortunately this causes some unwanted publicity due to her heroic deed putting her on her husband’s radar.

[Tara | Mercyandgracereads]

Isabel Addington is the owner of a cupcake truck that has been asked to cater a 100th birthday celebration that turns into the scene of a murder. Now, Isabel must prove her innocence while also keeping her real identity a secret. Her life is in danger in her present and also from the past that is tracking her down. More than a typical cozy mystery, this book has an intriguing mystery as well as a suspenseful backstory for the main character.

[Rhea]

I read this book, because it met the prompts for a reading challenge I was doing. Even though it is Book #1 of the Cupcake Truck Mysteries series, I did not realize when I read it that it was actually a spin-off of another series. Now I need to find that series, before I read any further on this one! Even so, I was easily able to follow the plot, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story's twists and turns.

[Aimee]

Sugar And Vice is first book in the new Cupcake Truck Mysteries series. Although Isabel and Lakeshore couldn't be more different than Nicole and Fair Haven, but it is just as enjoyable.

I gave Sugar And Vice 4 Stars only because the beginning was a bit slow. Once Isabel realized she must find the culprit, instead of allowing the police to focus their investigation on her, the pace picks up.

[Linda Kay Orpet]

Very enjoyable

A story to read snuggled with a blanket and a cup of cocoa. I appreciate characters with integrity. Isabel and Dan have it. I especially enjoy the dialogs Isabel has with herself only to discover her own moral code won't take her advice. Dan matches her very wel!.

[Maggie]

A Sweet Mystery

WOW! This story had me hooked, holding my breath as Amy tried to solve a murder whilst keeping her identity under wraps. Trying to escape a violent husband and in fear for her life, I could not put this down. Whilst having a sad theme there was a glimmer of hope. I'll have to read the next instalment to find if Amy can solve her problems, can't wait!

[Suzatm]

Not as good as the Maple Syrup series. I read that series back to back and really enjoyed it and the characters. I was excited to start the new series but haven’t been able to get as involved with it as I did the start of the Maple Syrup books. I will finish this series but unlike the Maple Syrup series I am finding other things to do instead of reading reading.

[Vivian]

Sweet and Sour

I have read books by this author before, so I was curious about her new series. Until the very end, I kept hoping Isabel would change her mind about running. You must read it to find out what she did!!!

[Leah Sabes]

Believable characters

I absolutely love this series. The author is well-written and knows how to pique your interest to keep read long into the night. Passionate characters that are wholesome. Enjoy a fast read.

[Dustin]

Obsessive

Good plot, bad delivery. She obsessed over her ex husband to be, every page mentioned him. I get he abused her and she was hiding but wow. I have been in that actual situation and this is just crazy bad.

[Jen Bury]

Cute, entertaining, but mostly fluff. Besides a super annoying scene where the character ignores the obvious way out of her predicament in order to fill the story’s perimeters, which is never pointed out-argh!, this is an enjoyable light read.

No swearing, or bedroom scenes that I can recall

[Jeri L]

Mmmm Carrot Cake

Great Characters and a bewildering mystery. Definitely not an easy who done it to figure out. I’m looking forward to more cupcake mysteries.

[Rondia Sexton]

Good read

Interesting characters and good plot line with an unexpected twist. I like the refers to why Isabelle is on the run, but hope that even fuRther gets resolved also.

[Linda Walters]

Review

Very good story line. I am looking forward to reading more books by Emily James and I hope we can see Amy free of Jared.

[James Zimmerman]

Another neat story

I like a good mystery & this one is pretty good. Emily James has got me hooked on her stories. I look forward to reading more of her work.

[Trish]

Well, for a random act of reading for a book that came up in a search for something else, that was actually pretty good. I'll have to try more by the authre.

[Karin Tillotson]

Who killed grandpa and why??? AND who is trying to kill Janie and why??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.