Book Review: Chocolate Can Be Deadly by Kim Davis (Cupcake Catering Mysteries #7)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in another fun mystery

Cons: A couple small things, but nothing major

The Bottom Line:

Killer chocolate

In Valentine’s set entry

Series fans will love

Death By Chocolate is Real

I’ve enjoyed Kim Davis’s Cupcake Caterer Mysteries from the start, so I was quite happy to see that book seven was out. Chocolate Can be Deadly is another delicious entry in the series. 

This series follows Emory Matinez as her business catering various events gets her involved in murders. She lives in Orange County and over the course of the series, we’ve gotten to know quite a bit about her family and friends. Having said that, we don’t have as much of the ongoing stories here, so if you want to jump in here, you won’t be lost. A small thing or two might be spoiled, and there are references to past cases (but without spoilers there), but nothing will be truly ruined for you. 

Emory has reluctantly agreed to cater a post Valentine’s Day bash. The hostess is horrible to Emory since she has a long-standing feud with Emory’s friend Tillie. The theme also puts her off since Dying for Chocolate hits a little too close to home given all the murders Emory has found herself involved in. Just as she is thinking that she might pull off the event, the hostesses new finance is found dead clutching one of Emory’s cupcakes. With the rumors of poison in a cupcake destroying her business, not to mention a cop that wants to arrest her, Emory has to find the killer. Can she do it?

Obviously, the bustling Orange County is not the normal choice for a cozy mystery setting. But, living in Southern California myself, I love it. And, despite the larger population, this still feels like a cozy in every important regard. 

A big one of those is the characters. Emory leads a cast of regulars we can’t help but love. A few of them just have cameos here, but that’s okay since the time spent with the rest is fantastic. I loved checking in with them and getting updates on their lives. The suspects are also strong. 

The plot is great. It wastes little time before the murder happens, and then we are off and running trying to figure out exactly what happened and why. I did figure one thing out early, but I still needed Emory piece everything together.   And the climax? I might have read a little extra on my lunch hour because I just couldn’t put it down. 

As you’d expect, there are chocolate themed recipes at the end of the book. By my count, we have 10, with plenty of gluten free options and a few vegan options as well. 

If you are looking for a fun culinary cozy series, I highly recommend you check this one out. Chocolate Can Be Deadly is a book that will keep you turning pages and craving chocolate. 

Check out the rest of the Cupcake Catering Mysteries. 

Note: I received an ARC of this book. 

I'm reviewing this book as part of a blog tour with Great Escapes.  Stop by here to check out the other stops.

And enter the tour wide giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway