Cappuccinos, Cupcakes and a Corpse: A Light, Cozy Read

Overview:

Author: Harper Lin

Genre: Light read, Cozy Mystery

My Rating: 3/5★

Blurb:

Francesca Amaro moves back to her hometown of Cape Bay, Massachusetts, and takes over the family business, Antonia’s Italian Café. She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect.

The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town.

The first thing that caught my eye while browsing through the Kindle catalogue was the pretty cover of the book. I was in the mood for a quick, fun read and this was right up the alley. It was also free when I ordered so that's there :D. I read this as a part of a read-a-thon where one of the prompts involved reading a book with food on the cover.

The book is a first book in the series entitled "Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries" and appropriately sets the base for the sequels. This is set in a fictitious small town and has the characters sketched accordingly. I really enjoyed the setting of a seaside cafe and the detailing of the delicious cupcakes had me drooling me a bit. The book details on baking and also has a few recipes at the end, something that I really enjoyed.

The lead is an amateur detective and I liked how she sets about her investigation 'as a means to aid the police' instead of thinking her better than the authorities with zero experience- a refreshing change. Matt was also written in a decent manner and I appreciated how their reunion and the rekindling of friendship was done in a gradual manner. Props for portraying a realistic take!

The book was fast-paced with only a few characters recurring, something I found enjoyable as it didn't waste time on unnecessary characters. The mystery is pretty weak though, so please don't get in this expecting a solid mystery.

This was a light, breezy read from the start to finish. If you're just getting started in the world of reading or are in a mood for a quick, fun, non-serious read, this is a must-try.

To sum it, this seems like an older Nancy Drew for people who are into baking and light mysteries.

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~Reviewed by Kaveri (@bibliophilerants)~

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