Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Self-Serve Murder by D.E. Haggerty (Book Blast & Tour / Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book blast and tour events for Self-Serve Murder by author D.E. Haggerty!









Book Review




Self-Serve Murder by D.E. Haggerty
Book 3: Death By Cupcake Series
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: December 4, 2016
Format: Paperback - 130 pages
               Kindle - 1111 KB 
               Nook - 227 KB
ISBN: 978-1540620712
ASIN: B01M8K0RYR
BNID: 2940153788715
Genre: Cozy Mystery


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: Death By Cupcake Series
Book 1: Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker
Book 2: Bring Your Own Baker
Book 3: Self-Serve Murder



Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book blast and tour events hosted by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours.



Book Description:

Book 3 in the Death by Cupcake series. Can be read as a standalone.

Kristie is kind with a capital K, so it’s quite the surprise when she wakes up next to a dead man with no recollection of the previous night. Even worse? She’s naked. Kristie may be a sweetheart out to save the world, but sticking her nose into an investigation of rapes across campus makes her the target of a murderer. Before she knows it, Callie is smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation with her colleagues Callie and Anna. If that’s not enough to drive a sane person up the wall, a friend has decided he’s going to keep her safe whether she wants him to or not. And, oh yeah, he’s her man and that’s that.

Come join us at Callie’s Cakes, where murder investigations are on the menu. You are most welcome, but you may need to serve yourself as our barista Kristie is busy trying to save the world.

Warning: Although there are plenty of moments that will make you shake your head and laugh at the antics of the ladies of Callie’s Cakes, the subject matter – rape on college campuses – is very real and somewhat darker than your usual cozy mystery.



Book Excerpt:


I’m wiping down the counters when I get ambushed by Callie and Anna. Callie grabs my arm and together with Anna she pushes me into the corner furthest from the students. “What in the world of coffee beans are you guys up to now?” I cross my arms over my chest to make it perfectly clear that I’m not okay with whatever cockamamie scheme they’ve cooked up now.
Anna looks at me and smiles in an obvious but unsuccessful attempt to look innocent. “It’s just that we think it’s time we see the Youth Center where you spend all your time.”
Yeah, right. I roll my eyes at her. “You don’t really expect me to believe that you want to see the Youth Center to check out my life’s work.”
Callie bobs her head. “We’ve been meaning to go down there for ages.”
“Yeah,” Anna jumps in. “Logan always made it sound like the first circle in hell.”
I raise an eyebrow at the troublemaking pixie. Of course, she would want to jump into the first circle of hell. “Most people try to avoid Dante’s Inferno.” I don’t know why I bother trying to dissuade her. She obviously has no fear of things ‘normal’ people avoid like gangs and violence and such. She even admits to starting to fall for Logan before she realized he was an undercover cop.
“We just need to make sure we can eliminate anyone from the Youth Center as possible suspects. You know – up close and personally – then we need to find this rapist before he strikes again. It’s time to get to the bottom of this.” Callie makes an impassioned speech. I look down but, to my surprise, no soap box has magically appeared under her feet.
“I thought you guys promised not to go to the Youth Center.” I make one last ditch effort to keep Callie and Anna safely away from this investigation.
“I promised to not go running around. I will definitely not be doing any running.” Anna shakes her head and points at her feet. As if those high-heeled boots would ever stop her from running head-on into turmoil.
Callie shrugs. “I never actually said the words ‘I promise’. There’s definitely some kind of loophole there.”
“Fine!” I throw my hands in the air in defeat. “We’ll head over in my car after the bakery closes this afternoon.”
The dynamic duo immediately jumps up and down before rushing back into the kitchen giggling. And I’m the young one?





My Book Review:

In Self-Serve Murder, the third book in the Death By Cupcake Series, author D.E. Haggerty continues to weave a delightful cozy mystery series that follows the amateur investigative adventures of Kristie, Callie's Cakes twenty-three year old barista and social work grad student.

Kristie is a social work grad student who works part time at the local youth center and part time as a barista at her friend Callie's bakery, Callie's Cakes. Kristie wakes up naked and next to a dead guy in bed, and she has no recollection of what happened the night before. Kristie has been conducting a secret investigation the past few months into a string of college rape incidents where all the female victims have the same MO, they were all drugged (roofies) and woke up in their dorm rooms not remembering what happened, but having been sexually violated. As the latest victim (but not violated), Kristie is determined to find the rapist/murderer, so with the help of Callie, Ben (Callie's detective boyfriend), Anna, and Logan (Anna's detective boyfriend), they embark on a murder investigation adventure that is sure to stir up the pot on the college campus.

Self-Serve Murder is a thoroughly entertaining cozy mystery that will keep the reader in stitches. Written in the first person narrative, the reader follows the humorous trials and tribulations of Kristie, Callie, and Anna on their latest amateur investigative adventures.

This was such a fun book to read! The reader can't help but get drawn into the quirky trials and tribulations and intriguing suspense that Kristie and friends encounter during the college rape and murder investigation. I really enjoyed Kristie's sassy humor and wit, you can't help but feel compassion for her determination to bring the rapist to justice, and when you add in the hilarious antics that follows these three cheeky chicks and their detective boyfriends Logan and Ben, you get a delightful cozy mystery that will leave you wanting more!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I really loved how the author used clever coffee facts and quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Cozy mystery fans, I would highly recommend that you read the entertaining Death By Cupcake Series, you won't regret it!



RATING: 5 STARS 




About The Author



I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage, every once in a while, to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t my thing either. I decided to follow the husband to Istanbul for a few years where I managed to churn out book after book. But ten years was too many to stay away from ‘home’. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

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Book Blast Event



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Book Tour Event



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12 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking time to read & review Kristie's book. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for helping me spread the word about the Cupcake series.

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    1. Hi D.E.! Thank you for the opportunity to feature Self-Serve Murder on my blog. I really enjoy reading this series, keep em coming! :)

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  2. What intrigues me most is the pure chutzpah of these ladies as they get involved in one mess after another yet always manage to help catch the bad guy/girl.

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    1. Hi Nora, thank you for stopping by my blog. I completely agree with you, these three ladies have a lot of chutzpah. lol :)

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    2. It's a good thing the ladies have some hot, detective men at their backs ;-) Thanks for stopping by

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  3. Replies
    1. Hi Rita! Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you put the book on your TBR list. This is a fun cozy mystery series to read. :)

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    2. Thanks! Finding an excerpt that doesn't give away too much of the mystery is always a challenge.

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  4. Thank you for posting

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  5. These look fantastic! 💙👍💯

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    1. Hi Tara! Thank you for stopping by my blog. This is a really fun cozy mystery series to read. :)

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