cupcakes and murder

Has anyone heard of this mystery series? I came upon this image randomly (as I do most things) and the cover alone had me wanting to read the book. I looked up the author on Amazon.com and read the reviews and description of the book.

After reading the description I began to lose some interest.

From Publishers Weekly

In Fluke’s scrumptious fifth culinary cozy (after 2003’s LemonMeringue Pie Murder), Lake Eden, Minn., bakery owner Hannah Swensen discovers the fudge-stained corpse of overbearing, unscrupulous Sheriff Grant in a trash receptacle near her cooking school. Hannah’s brother-in-law Bill is the prime suspect in the bludgeoning of his rival for the upcoming sheriff’s election, so Hannah’s about-to-deliver pregnant sister, Andrea, frantically begs her investigative assistance. And to kick it up a notch, Hannah’s currentred-hot squeeze, the acting sheriff, suspends Bill from the force, causing Hannah to come to a rolling boil. Moishe, Hannah’s engaging cat, gives her more grief than comfort as he adjusts stubbornly to his dotage. While Hannah tries to identify the essential ingredient of a certain cupcake formula taken to the grave by a deceased local homemaker, most readers will have figured out who the real killer is long before Hannah does. Mix unsavory small-town scandals, an annoying marriage-minded mother and quirky, sweet-toothed locals; add a generous dollop of humor and romantic foible; sprinkle with intriguing recipes; and you have a slightly cloying though satisfying fireside read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Perhaps it's just the description that is awful and not the book. The above review is chalk full of food related puns. The storyline doesn't seem all that intriguing but this woman has a really creative idea of mixing (damn was that a pun?) mystery, murder and food along with actual recipes. Although, I'm sure she's not the only one to write culinary novels.

I viewed other selections from the series and I suppose it is just the covers that seem enticing. The storylines seem bland.

















If any of you have read any of these books and found them enjoyable let me know.