The Death By Cupcake Series - Boxed Set by D.E. Haggerty
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: January 20, 2017
Format: eBook / Kindle - 490 pages / 640 KB
ASIN: B01N4JBZYX
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy The Boxed Set:
Book 1: Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker
Book 2: Bring Your Own Baker
Book 3: Self-Serve Murder
Amazon (Free On Kindle Unlimited)
Book Descriptions:
Cupcakes not included.
Get all three books of Death by Cupcake series in one bundle! A cozy mystery series with a heap of laughs, a generous portion of romance, and just a smidgeon of suspense. The bundle includes Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker, Bring Your Own Baker, and Self-Serve Murder.
Come join us at Callie’s Cakes, where murder investigations are on the menu.
Warning: This is NOT your mom’s cozy mystery. The books in this series may be a ‘clean’ reads, but if gangs, illegal gambling, strip clubs, and pimps make you turn your nose up at your e-reader, you might want to skip it. The final book in the series also deals with the very real issue of rape on college campuses.
Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker
Callie’s life is rather awesome. She owns a successful bakery and teaches German literature at the local university. There’s just one tiny problem. She has no self-confidence when it comes to her body. And then there’s the little matter of her being accused of murdering her pole dancing instructor. There’s no way Callie’s going to risk losing her teaching position and thus she embarks, with her best baker bud Anna, on a journey to discover the real killer. Between stripper auditions and a detective who insists Callie is the woman of his dreams, it’s a roller coaster adventure.
Bring Your Own Baker
Anna just wants to earn enough money on the side to buy into the bakery, Callie’s Cakes, where she works together with her best nerd pal Callie. The last thing she expects to see when she walks into Arthur’s apartment to do some moonlighting is a blood bath. Callie’s ready to jump into the investigation into Arthur’s murder, and she’s bringing another bakery worker, Kristie, into their hijinks whether Kristie wants to or not. But things aren’t as they seem. There are gang affiliations, illegal gambling dens, and ladies of the night to wade through. Will Anna and Callie discover who murdered Arthur or will Callie’s detective boyfriend and Anna’s self-appointed protector put a stop to such aspirations?
Self-Serve Murder
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, Kristie is smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation with her colleagues from the cupcake bakery. 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.
Book Excerpts:
Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker
“Why don’t you sit back down, Ms. Muller?” Detective Duchamp’s use of my last name concerns me. I sit back down and stare at him, hoping my elevated heart rate isn’t obvious. “Why did you rush off after class on Tuesday without showering?”
“I never shower at the gym.” I shiver. “I’m not comfortable with showering in front of other people.”
The detective sneers at that. “You better get used to it. No private showers in prison.”
I throw my hands in the air. “I know you’re trying to goad me into making some sort of confession or slip up or something, but I didn’t kill anyone. Why in the world would I kill Dolly? She’s not even a blip on my radar. I’m a successful business owner, I have a PhD, I teach at the University. Why would I risk all that for someone like her?” Unfortunately, my voice has turned condescending. Probably not the best attitude when accused of murder.
That’s when Duchamps pulls a card out of the file. It’s in a clear plastic bag, which I assume is an evidence bag, but it’s still obvious what the card is – a Callie’s Cakes postcard. The yellow and white striped postcards are free with a gift box. “I assume you know what this is.”
“Of course, I know what that is.” There’s no sense denying the truth even though I’m a bit apprehensive as to why they have a card from my bakery.
The detective pushes the card across the table, and I look down. “Sorry about your car, Callie.”
I push the card back and stare at the detective. “Seriously? This is your evidence?” The detectives look smug. I’m going to enjoy bringing them down a peg. “First of all, I can prove that I didn’t key her car.” I count off on my fingers. “And secondly, that’s not my handwriting. Not even close.”
I see a moment of doubt in Duchamps face before he recovers, and his face is once again a mask. He grabs the evidence bag and puts it back in the file. “We’ll see about that.” He stands. “In the meantime, you’ll be rotting away in jail.”
The door opens, and a man I don’t know enters. “Oh no, she won’t.” He turns to me and holds out his hand. “Dr. Muller, if you will.”
I will!
Logan grabs my wrist
as I’m about to face-plant on my bed. He pulls and twists, turning my body
towards him. Before I have a chance to ask him what in the world he’s doing,
his lips are on mine. There’s nothing gentle about this kiss. It’s desperate
and possessive all in one. I hang on for the ride. Before I realize what’s
happening, I’m lying on the bed with Logan over me. He releases my lips but
keeps me trapped by his own body on top of mine.
“I’ve been dying to do
that all night,” he whispers as he closes his eyes and buries his head in the
joint connecting my neck and shoulder.
“I’m keeping this
dress,” I proclaim.
Logan chuckles. “Babe,
the dress is hot and you were scorching in it, but you always turn me on, even
dressed in your cupcake pajamas.”
I roll my eyes and
huff. “Whatever.”
“Now.” He sits back on
his heels while pulling me up so that my back is leaning against the headboard.
“Fill me in on what happened in the hallway.”
There’s a knock on the
door before I have a chance to open my mouth, probably because it’s taking me a
while to form thoughts with Logan’s hard muscles on full display. When did he
lose his shirt? Logan immediately jumps off the bed and stalks to the bedroom
door. “Stay here,” he orders as he leaves. Yeah right, that won’t be happening.
Self-Serve Murder
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 Reviews:
Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker
In
Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker, the first book in the
Death By Cupcake Series, author D.E. Haggerty weaves a delightful cozy mystery that follows the amateur investigative adventures of bakery owner / college professor Callie Muller.
Callie owns a successful bakery and is a professor of German literature at the local university. But there is only one thing missing in her life ... a non-existent love life. After getting dumped by her ex-boyfriend for being overweight in his eyes, Callie's self-esteem and self-confidence is extremely low, even though local hottie police detective Ben has asked her out numerous times. Callie's best friend and bakery co-worker Anna signs them up for a pole dancing class at the local gym, but when Dolly, the obnoxious pole dancing instructor is found murdered, Callie finds herself accused of the murder. Callie is determined to clear her name and prove her innocence in order to save her teaching position. So with the help of Anna, Callie embarks on a murder investigation adventure to find the real killer.
Never Trust A Skinny Cupcake Baker 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 Callie's 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 Callie and Anna encounter during the investigation. I could relate to Callie, she is a normal woman with everyday issues, and I really enjoyed the humor and wit between Callie and Anna. And when you add in some romance with the hot police detective Ben into the mix, you get a delightful cozy mystery that will leave you wanting more!
RATING: 5 STARS
Bring Your Own Baker
In
Bring Your Own Baker, the second book in the
Death By Cupcake Series, author D.E. Haggerty weaves a delightful cozy mystery that follows the amateur investigative adventures of baker Anna Moore.
Anna is a sassy little pixie with spiky pink hair, who works as a baker at her best friend Callie's bakery, Callie's Cakes. She has been working on the side doing finance and invoicing for her friend Arthur, a genius computer programmer / hacker, in order to get enough money together to buy into fifty percent of the bakery. When Anna goes to Arthur's apartment, she finds his door ajar and he is lying on the floor dead with his face covered in blood. Anna is determined to find Arthur's killer, so with the help of Callie, Ben (Callie's detective boyfriend), co-worker Kristie, and a hot undercover cop named Logan, Anna embarks on a murder investigation adventure to find the real killer.
Bring Your Own Baker 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 Anna and friends 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 Anna and friends encounter during the murder investigation. I really enjoyed Anna's sassy humor and wit, she makes following her madcap adventure so much fun, and when you add in some romance with the hot undercover cop Logan into the mix, 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 very clever and intriguing step-by-step recipe ingredients to solving a mystery 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
Self-Serve Murder
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 grubby 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 on the odd occasion I did manage 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 before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.
Picture Not Perfect is my fourteenth novel.
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