Review: Devil’s Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack

First line: “Have you seen Thom yet?” Sadie asked, craning her neck to peer into the corners of the temporary stage set up at the front of the ballroom at the Carmichael Hotel.

From the back cover:

Calling All Book Lovers!

Please join us this Friday as the Garrison Library welcomes favorite son Thom Mortenson for a special appearance to discuss his bestselling novel Devilish Details.

It’s guaranteed to be a memorable evening!

Place: The Carmichael Hotel ballroom

Time: 6:00 PM

It’s been years since Thom Mortenson has been back to Garrison, Colorado. As part of the committee that invited the bestselling author to speak at the library fund-raiser, Sadie Hoffmiller wants everything to be perfect – right down to the homemade devil’s food cake she baked herself.

Murder was not on the menu.

When Thom’s manager ends u dead on stage, Sadie immediately offers her guidance and expertise to investigators. But when the police refuse to take her seriously, Sadie has no choice except to pursue justice on her own. 

With her son, Shawn, at her side, her reputation on the line, and a full cast of characters – including a suspicious photographer, an inquisitive reporter, and a helpful, handsome neighbor with some useful skills – Sadie Hoffmiller is once again on the case. But the devil is in the details, as they say, and as Sadie digs deeper into the mystery, she discovers unexpected ties to another tragedy as dark as the chocolate in Sadie’s world-famous devil’s food cake.

My thoughts: This is the third in the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mysteries. As in the other stories, Sadie once again finds herself in the same place where a murder happens, this time happening with a roomful of witnesses to see. Sadie finds herself ignored by the authorities and driven to crack the case herself. With help from her son, Shaun and others, she eludes the police (who are trying to arrest her) and is determined to solve the case. In Devil’s Food Cake, we are introduced to some new characters, who hopefully won’t just be making a one-time appearance. The twists were particularly well done and the romantic triangle will be fun to watch evolve in the next book. What I especially love about this series is that Josi S. Kilpack includes recipes in each of the books. This one is no different, and includes recipes for Devil’s Food Cake, Melinda’s French Chocolate, and Classic Cocoa Mix (can you tell I’m a sucker for anything chocolate!!!), just to name a few.

 

(I purchased this book.)

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2 Comments

  1. Teresa
    October 29, 2010 / 9:22 pm

    I've read the 2nd and the 4th books in this series and have found them to be highly entertaining reads. I'm looking forward to picking this one up.

  2. Julie P
    October 30, 2010 / 4:17 am

    Nice review–I have the first one or two in this series sitting on my shelf….