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126th out of 201 books
—
107 voters
Murder by the Slice (A Fresh-Baked Mystery #2)
by
Livia J. Washburn (Goodreads Author)
At this year's school carnival fund-raiser, the obnoxious president of the Parent Teacher Organization is found stabbed through the heart with Phyllis Newsom's own knife, with traces of incriminating frosting. Clearing her name will be no piece of cake...
Paperback, 252 pages
Published
September 25th 2007
by Signet
(first published 2007)
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I discovered cozy murder mysteries relatively recently, and they’re perfect for reading on a cold dark winters’ night, wrapped in a blanket, warmed by a cup of hot cocoa perhaps. Murder by the Slice by Livia J. Washburn is set around Halloween, so perhaps some seasonal cookies or cake would help too—a slice of jack-o-lantern cake perhaps, with orange and green frosting. The author provides some interesting recipes in the back of the book, and her decorated cake reminded me of days when I used to...more
I don't know if it is a case of 'overkill' on my part (no pun intended) but "Murder by the Slice" seems to be nothing but a knock off of the Laura Childs tea house mysteries.
It has the same format even down to the recipes in the back of the book. But, somehow, I feel that a 'recipe' for a Giant Hostess Cupcake that calls for 2 cake mixes and a jar of marshmallow creme really doesn't qualify as a recipe.
While Livia Washburn's writing is pleasant enough, it tends to rely on 'page filling'. By that...more
It has the same format even down to the recipes in the back of the book. But, somehow, I feel that a 'recipe' for a Giant Hostess Cupcake that calls for 2 cake mixes and a jar of marshmallow creme really doesn't qualify as a recipe.
While Livia Washburn's writing is pleasant enough, it tends to rely on 'page filling'. By that...more
Murder By The Slice, the second book in the Fresh-Baked Mystery series, was a delightful read. Back in Weatherford TX, Phyllis Newsom and her friends are enjoying a warm autumn day when they are enlisted to take part in the local elementary school fund-raising carnival. Their assigned job will be to run a bake sale which rapidly turns into a cake auction and healthy snack contest. As the competition between Phyllis and her long-time rival Carolyn heats up, the controversy begins too. The quick-t...more
Themes: cozy mystery, school setting
Setting: Weatherford, Texas
Phyllis Newsome, retired schoolteacher, is recruited to help with the local elementary school's fall carnival bake sale and cake auction. She owns a large house and rents rooms out to fellow retired teachers, so they get involved in the school activity. But in the middle of the cake auction, the body of the PTO president is discovered - murdered.
The woman managed to fight with everyone who knew her, so there's no shortage of suspects...more
Setting: Weatherford, Texas
Phyllis Newsome, retired schoolteacher, is recruited to help with the local elementary school's fall carnival bake sale and cake auction. She owns a large house and rents rooms out to fellow retired teachers, so they get involved in the school activity. But in the middle of the cake auction, the body of the PTO president is discovered - murdered.
The woman managed to fight with everyone who knew her, so there's no shortage of suspects...more
Every now and then I don't look closely enough at a book before I buy it; this time, I ran out of reading material in NJ two weeks ago and needed a quick fix. I can't recall whether I noticed that the protagonist was a retired schoolteacher, rather than a current teacher, but even if I had I doubt that I would have expected the moral high horse she rode in on. Apparently there's a market for these books (yes, she's written more than one in the series) -- probably elderly women who despair of tod...more
This could maybe rate a 3.5. It was better than I had anticipated perhaps because of the setting: an elementary school, with all the memories that provides.
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So recently I got some good deals on Amazon & Barnes & Noble gift certificates.
So, what did I buy?
Well, books of course!
I decided to try out this new baking/cooking mystery series.
Recently, I reviewed the first book in the series, A Peach of a Murder.
Today I will be reviewing the second:
Murder By The Slice by Livia J. Washburn
As I said, this is the second book in Livia J. Washburn's A Fresh-Baked Mystery series.
You can read my review of the first book A Peach of a Murder, here: http://bo...more
So, what did I buy?
Well, books of course!
I decided to try out this new baking/cooking mystery series.
Recently, I reviewed the first book in the series, A Peach of a Murder.
Today I will be reviewing the second:
Murder By The Slice by Livia J. Washburn
As I said, this is the second book in Livia J. Washburn's A Fresh-Baked Mystery series.
You can read my review of the first book A Peach of a Murder, here: http://bo...more
October in Texas means Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) fundraising carnivals at many of the elementary schools. Retired teacher Phyllis Newsom always takes an interest in school happenings, but helping to organize the carnival for Oliver Loving Elementary School wasn't part of her plan. However, when a friend of Carolyn Wilbarger comes to her with a desperate plea for help with the bake sale, Carolyn and Phyllis reluctantly agree to assist.
Carolyn suggests a "healthy snack" contest in additio...more
Carolyn suggests a "healthy snack" contest in additio...more
Phyllis isn't the main suspect, nor is she the one to find the body this time. But she still manages to get involved. Phyllis and Carolyn and Sam all end involved in a school fund raising event. When the president of the PTO is found dead and the thereof them are nearby Phyllis starts asking questions. The mystery was good, the dialogue was solid. I enjoyed it. The book was good comfort food. A mystery that kept me interested and a culprit that wasn't easy to guess but still believable.
I liked this book in the "Fresh-Baked Mystery" series but not as much as the first one. Phyllis and her band of housemates are involved in another murder, this time at an elementary school. Maybe that is what bothered me, having the murder happen at the school while a winter carnival was happening with all the children in attendance.
The recipes sound good, the mystery was tight and I didn't guess the killer, so all in all I liked the book, there was just some things that bothered me.
Still, I'll...more
The recipes sound good, the mystery was tight and I didn't guess the killer, so all in all I liked the book, there was just some things that bothered me.
Still, I'll...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Unlike the first book, it took a while until a murder actually occurred which was fine by mean. I can understand why some readers can get annoyed when the author dives into a page or two describing the recipe being made step-by-step. It only bothers me when it's done more than twice (even though once is enough). The murder suspect didn't quite surprise me or catch me off guard like in the first series. I wasn't expecting it, but it seemed almost obvious and there wasn't much of a twist. I still...more
This is my favorite kind of book - good solid mystery, interesting characters, no offending language or situations, just easy and fun to read - with some recipes at the end. I eagerly look forward to reading the rest of this series. (These "Fresh Baked Mystery" books, borrowed from the Library, are several years old but look brand new - is no one else reading these?)
I'm really loving this series and can't wait to read the next one. In Murder by the Slice, Phyllis and her teacher friends help out at a fall/Halloween festival at a local school- and find the president of the PTO dead in the hallway. The book kept me guessing until the end and when I found out who the killer was it connected up nicely. A great fall read!
I had started reading this book before and gave up on it. But I decided to give it another try. It was ok, nothing super. It is set around Halloween, and I love Fall, so thats why I wanted to read it, but I just didn't get the cozy Fall feeling of the book. And Phyllis still annoys me. She just seems mean. And she and Sam just need to hook up and get it over and done with. In this book, the rude president of the PTO ends up dead, and since everyone hated her, everyone is a suspect. The PTO group...more
I have not read the first book in this series. At first I decided that maybe I had outgrown cozies of this type, and the book was not holding my interest. By the end, however, I found myself wondering where some of the characters were heading next.
I am enjoying this murder mystery series. It revolves around a retired school teacher, Phyllis Newsome. She owns a large house that she shares with her roomates - who are also retired school teachers. Phyllis' love of cooking and contests end up getting her involved in murders that happen during the contests or events going on in the book. Since she is retired she has plenty of time to think about the murders and meddle a bit. This series is like reading about the Golden Girls as detectives.
I'm enjoying this series - it's lovely seeing a group of school teacher retirees (old geezers) get together, solve a crime and show the world us old folks are still valuable in more ways then one!
Phyllis once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation after assisting at a PTO fundraiser. There were lots of twists & turns, an unexpected ending. Phyllis and her new 'side-kick' have this underlying romantic tension that is almost palpable. Phyllis is never lacking for suspects once she puts her mind to finding the culprit.
Aug 06, 2012
Cathy Hendren
added it
Part of the plot revolved around a school carnival. They were going to auction off the cakes for part of their fund raiser. I wonder if Idlewild could do that for their carnival.
I love this series. It is so much fun. I just discovered it last month at a book club. Now I have to read all of them. I think that there are four of them now. The main character is really smart and a good cook.
Jul 28, 2011
Michelle
added it
The mystery was enjoyable, but I disliked the protagonist. She is an older woman, and has a very judgmental attitude towards younger people.
A good story, but a little slow moving and the characters just didn;t grab me
Seems that each book gets better and better. Will definitely read the rest of Livia's books.
A fun series. Retired teachers sharing a house and solving local mysteries.
Can not wait to read th rest of the series.
Nice little cozy series that I wouldn't mind reading more of.
some light summer reading I suspect
light fun read
Excellent, second novel in the series, so I'm on to the next!
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