Just Desserts: Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent

Murder Takes the Cake: A Daphne Martin Mystery by Gayle Trent (F TRE Main)
Reviewed by Jeanne

I had seen the book Murder Takes the Cake several times, but it was being checked out by other people. I wanted to read it, but that cover with its photo of luscious-looking frosting, topped with a maraschino cherry made me terribly hungry. I craved cream cheese every time I saw that book. However, when I heard that Ms. Trent was going to appear at our library, I gave in to temptation.

I also read the book.

Daphne Martin is a young divorcee who left an abusive husband to start her own cake baking company, not an easy thing to do. She’s hoping that if she can impress prickly Yodel Watson with a cake that her business will take off—after all, Mrs. Watson is one of the biggest gossips in town. The downside is that if the cake doesn’t suit, she’s afraid the whole town will hear about that, too. Armed with her latest offering, Daphne goes to Mrs. Watson’s house, only to discover that her client is dead and the circumstances seem to be a bit suspicious.

While Daphne isn’t exactly a suspect, the police aren’t sure she was just a bystander. People seem more than a bit leery of her cakes, but at least Mrs. Watson’s out of town daughter doesn’t seem to blame her. In fact, she enlists Daphne to retrieve her mother’s diary as soon as possible. Daphne complies but can’t resist reading a bit. It turns out that Mrs. Watson knew a lot of secrets—including some that will rock Daphne’s view of her own family and leave her wondering which secrets are worth killing for.

Trent writes with great attention to character, always a plus in my book. Daphne is a very appealing character and the supporting cast is well done. Trent manages to make them feel familiar, like folks we all know. We can relate to Daphne, her friends and family.

If the fact that the book has a Tri-Cities setting is the icing on the cake, then Trent’s sense of humor is the garnish. She treads that fine line between slapstick and comedy easily, using some humor but not descending into silliness. Also, some of the little touches are things I can identify with, such as the names of Mrs. Watson’s siblings: I’ve known of families who did similar things, so that makes it all the more amusing. Daphne is a reluctant sleuth but her involvement comes about in a believable manner: it’s her interest in finding out if there’s any truth to some of Yodel’s gossip that draws her in, not any burning desire to solve a murder. Tips on cake decorating are included but aren’t intrusive. I have no idea what a #5 tip is or how to do piping, but those sections don’t bog the story down. It did make me pause a moment and think about those lovely decorated cakes I’ve seen. Next time I promise to take a moment to appreciate the artistry involved in a cake before I go straight to the slicing and consuming.

Murder Takes the Cake is a fun book for a summer afternoon. Just be sure to have a nice slice of cake nearby: you’re going to want some after spending time with Daphne.