Laura Pauling

Footprints in the Frosting (Holly Hart, #1) by Laura Pauling

Holly is opening Just Cheesecake. She is new to town, wants a nice life, then she finds a dead body. She becomes the prime suspect. She begins investigating to solve the mystery and clear her name. She is also dealing with a disruptive reporter, the local police office, and a nosy neighbor.

A fast paced fun cozy murder/mystery. Holly is very likable as well as her dog Muffins. There are some twists and turns and several suspects. A classic "who-done-it" that had me hooked from the first page. I highly recommend Footprints in the Frosting to those who love a good cozy murder/mystery.… (mehr)

I do enjoy my cozy mysteries and this one “took the cake!” Sorry, I had to say that.

Escaping her big city life with all the glitz and glamour, Holly Hart finds the small town life appealing and prepares for the grand opening of her new shop, Just Cheesecake.

It’s the morning of, and she doesn’t have time for her pint sized dog’s shenanigans. Muffins somehow slipped out of the apartment and seeing a flash of gray fur enter her shop across the street, Holly rushes out in her PJ’s to fetch him.

Upon nearing her shop, she notices the locks are broken and hesitates before entering. Her trepidation is well founded when she discovers a dead man in her kitchen, face down in one of her cheesecakes.

Now she’s suspect number one, her grand opening is on hold, and her reputation and her freedom are at risk. So, Holly puts on her sleuthing guise and sets out to solve the murder before her business goes bust before she can even get it open.

I read this in about an hour and a half, non stop. Holly is such fun. I couldn’t help but feel for her when a female reporter splashes her name and picture all over the front page of the local newspaper, naming her as the murderer. She’d hoped people would be different in a small town, not befriend you and stab you in the back for a story.

When these two women bump into each other at a book club meeting, more than cake flies and I gave a “you go girl” to Holly. She gave as good as she got.

She didn’t take no guff from the police either. Officer Trent may be the sexy bachelor in town, but she wasn’t having any of it and hit him with both barrels. I had to laugh. She’s just so spunky.

The author did a good job at misdirecting me. There were several suspects and motives and I had to follow all of the clues, right along with Holly, to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Fun for all, with a cute budding romance, some odd and endearing characters, and a mystery that’s not easily solved, I recommend this to all cozy fans.… (mehr)