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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Cozy Mystery Blog Tour: Author Guest Post, Review & Giveaway: Dark Chocolate Demise (Cupcake Bakery #7) by Jenn McKinlay

The New York Times bestselling Cupcake Bakery Mysteries bake up sweet surprises, but as the series continues, Mel and Angie are in for a fresh batch of trouble…

Scottsdale, Arizona, may not be the liveliest place on earth, but it’s never been as dead as this. Hundreds of fans have gathered together for the first annual Old Town Zombie Walk, and Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew are donning their best undead attire to sell some horror-themed desserts to the hungry hordes.

But the fun turns to fright when Mel finds a real dead body in a prop casket outside of the bakery’s truck—and the corpse looks alarmingly like a zombie of their own. Knowing that Joe, Angie’s brother and Mel’s former flame, has been working on a dangerous mob case, Mel worries that the murder is a hit gone wrong and that someone near and dear was the real target. To keep any of her friends from winding up six feet under, Mel will do whatever it takes to find a killer—no matter how scary things get...

INCLUDES RECIPES



Psst!  I have a confession.  I don’t like horror movies, suspense movies, or anything that makes me jump and yell or both.  I’ve come to an age where I have been legally able to drink longer than I was unable to, and I am still afraid of the dark.  No, not kidding.  It doesn’t make me as skittery jittery as it did as a kid, but if I read something scary, I can still make myself shiver if I force myself to look outside at the dark.  And, yes, I have been known to run and make a flying leap into bed and pull the covers up over my head because as we all know bed sheets are magical and keep the monsters out.  Eep!

What does this have to do with DARK CHOCOLATE DEMISE?  Well, given that the book is set against a zombie walk, I had to do a whole lot of confronting my fears while I was writing it, the first fear being that of the undead.  I don’t like zombies!  I tried to watch the first episode of The Walking Dead and got so scared I had to leave the room and watch the show from the hallway with one eye open.

On the off chance you haven’t seen any zombies in movies or on TV, let me warn you now that they are not an attractive people.  Their complexion is a bloodless shade of gray, their eyes are sunken into their sockets, they are generally splattered with blood and in many cases they have gaping, oozing wounds.  Not the sort of guy or gal you want to bring home to meet the family.

When I was in the thick of writing about zombies and reading up on their sudden popularity, I got to scroll through bazillions of pictures of the undead.  My favorites were the zombie bride and grooms as they still seemed to have a certain optimism about them.

I did learn a few things about the current climate of zombie loving that is happening.  Several sources theorized that the zombie is popular because he’s kind of slow, he’s not very bright, and in an apocalyptical situation this gives even the most average Joe a fighting chance against the zombie, unlike say a plague that just spreads randomly through the population.  The other thing about zombies that appeals is that there is a sense that if the zombies are eradicated then humanity can start over whereas if the planet is decimated by a nuclear weapon all life could be destroyed and there is no do over.
      
While I was doing the research, it did become very clear, that a zombie event does lend itself quite perfectly to a murder and with my hooligans cheering me on, I overcame my fear and actually had a lot of fun writing the seventh Cupcake Bakery mystery, DARK CHOCOLATE DEMISE, which finds a zombified Mel and Angie in a fresh batch of trouble. Scottsdale, Arizona, may not be the liveliest place on earth, but it’s never been as dead as this. Hundreds of fans have gathered together for the first annual Old Town Zombie Walk, and Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew are donning their best undead attire to sell some horror-themed desserts to the hungry hordes.

But the fun turns to fright when Mel finds a real dead body in a prop casket outside of the bakery’s truck—and the corpse looks alarmingly like a zombie of their own. Knowing that Joe, Angie’s brother and Mel’s former flame, has been working on a dangerous mob case, Mel worries that the murder is a hit gone wrong and that someone near and dear was the real target. To keep any of her friends from winding up six feet under, Mel will do whatever it takes to find a killer—no matter how scary things get...
      
So, go get your zombie on and come with me on the latest adventure of the cupcake gang! 
     
Happy Reading,
Jenn

Jenn is the New York Times bestselling author of several mystery series. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband's guitars.  

Zombies!  Corpses in coffins!  Cupcakes!  I'm sold.  Especially when it's a book from the Cupcake Bakery series.  I adore these books.  And this one was so unique and so much fun - I can't imagine how awesome the next book will be!
From the moment that the story starts, I'm hooked. The idea of a zombie walk where themed cupcakes are being sold is brilliant.  And what a perfect setting to find a corpse - because it's perfect, right?! 

Of course Mel and her clan are familiar characters that I've grown to love and enjoy visiting, and Ms. McKinlay is a master at writing a great mystery that leaves you stumped until the final reveal. 

This is another fabulous addition to this wonderful series.  I can't wait to see what Mel has in store for us next!  

Rating: 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All conclusions reached are my own.  
 
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2 comments:

Jeanetta said...

Dark Chocolate Demise is one of the books I was most excited for! I have been reading the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, and I have been looking forward to the newest release. I adore the cover! Just too cute. :)

holdenj said...

I haven't been able to catch on to the The Walking Dead craze either! But, I have been waiting anxiously for this new release in a favorite series! Yea!

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