title: Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery Mystery)
author:  Jenn McKinlay 
description: Starred Review. McKinlay (who writes decoupage mysteries as Lucy Lawrence) pens a tender cozy full of warm and likable characters and a refreshingly sympathetic murder victim. Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura have just opened their cupcake bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, with financial help from their best friend, Tate Harper. It seems like a dream come true, with the exception of their resentful competition and the excessive demands of Tate's vapid fiance, fashion designer Christie Stevens. When Christie is found dead in her studio holding a sample wedding cupcake, the bakers become suspects. Melanie has faith the police will solve the case, but she's less sure about the motives of Angie's handsome DA brother, Joe, and concern for Tate and Christie's family drives her to launch her own investigation. Readers will look forward to more of McKinlay's tasty concoctions. <i>(Mar.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  A Cupcake Criminal
  
  
  by
  
  
  Sara Bourgeois
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter One
  
  
  
  
  
  The finale was a close-up shot of me plopping the perfect dollop of caramel
  whipped cream on the freshly baked and gooey turtle cheesecake cupcakes, and
  that was a wrap. We nailed the shot on the sixth take. The cast-offs would
  still be delicious, but that particular cupcake was frosted with the perfect
  amount of flair.
  
  
  When the camera stopped rolling on the final take, I let out an overly
  dramatic sigh of relief. The cooking segment was only ten minutes twice a
  week, but it felt like so much more. Ten minutes of usable show took a lot
  longer than ten minutes to produce. Not to mention that being in front of the
  camera was not a comfortable place for me. I was good at pretending like I was
  okay, but that came at a considerable emotional cost.
  
  
  As I walked back to the dressing room, I got lost in the daydreams that
  buffered me from the exhaustion of reality.
  
  
  Before I got ma