A Sheetcake Named Desire (A Piece of Cake Mystery, #1)

A Sheetcake Named Desire (A Piece of Cake Mystery #1)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70  ·  rating details  ·  521 ratings  ·  66 reviews
New Orleans pastry chef Rita Lucero is out to bake her way to the top. But when she finds her almost-ex-husband killed with a chef's knife in his back, she becomes suspect number one. Now it's up to her to find the real killer before she winds up as the next victim served.

Paperback, 304 pages
Published August 2nd 2011 by Berkley
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Community Reviews

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Text Addict
Yes, the cozy mystery subgenre suffers from punny titles. That’s one of its charms, to my mind, though occasionally they work a bit too hard.

Professional cake decoration is the gimmick of this series! As a hobby baker, I always regard such confections with awe, so I was quite interested to get an “inside look” at the business. Of course I’m assuming the author has done her homework, but it all certainly sounds credible.

As the title suggests, the “Piece of Cake Mystery” series is set in New Orlea...more
Suspense Magazine
This first in a new mystery series by Jacklyn Brady is delicious from start to finish. And it’s also a real behind-the-scenes look at how those mouth-watering cakes that are featured on so many reality television shows are actually put together.
Struggling pastry chef Rita Lucero, separated from super star New Orleans pastry chef Philippe Renier, wants her divorce to be finalized so she can move on with her life. But she has one problem: she can’t get Philippe to sign the papers. So she decides...more
Jeannie and Louis Rigod
This is the debut novel in a new series by, to me, a new Author. My thoughts on both? Wonderful and a new Author to track!

You were once madly in love while you attended a Pastry school. The two of you had everything in common, or so it appeared to the outside world, then it crashed. Two years pass and it is time to move on but your spouse refuses to sign the divorce papers for reasons of his own.

Thus begins the stressful trip back to New Orleans by our new sleuth, Rita Lucero. Rita arrives on s...more
Nancy
I read it in one day because I was stuck in a hospital waiting room for about 9 hr. While the story had some good points of interest, I found too much was left unsaid to make me really care about the main character, Rita, or her murdered soon-to-be-exhusband. We learn they separated 2 yrs ago and went their different ways, but have no idea why. She was well treated and loved by her mother-in-law but had no contact (not even an address for her?) after the separation. She's a talented cake artist...more
Vickie
I have confessed in the past that I have an addiction to Food Network and the Cooking Channel and I do love a good cozy mystery, especially a foodie cozy mystery. A SHEETCAKE NAMD DESIRE combines a fix for both of these two addictions most spectacularly.


The Food Network/Cooking Channel aspect is covered with cake baking like one of my favorite shows, Ace of Cakes, since the setting of this mystery series is a cake bakery, Zydeco Cakes, where they create extravagantly crazy cakes for those willi...more
Tracey
I really liked A Sheetcake Named Desire...until the ending.
After all the build up and a host of possible suspects, I felt the author tied things up too quickly and a little too neatly.

One phone call and a message left to the investigating police detective is not enough to have said detective end up coming in to save the day at the end...since you didn't tell him where you were, or when to get back in touch with you. That he showed up in the nick of time that way was too coincidental. Also the sh...more
Fred
Sheetcake is the first in the A Piece Of Cake Mystery series.

This is a very interesting story with a good mix of characters. Brady provides the reader with characters they will love to hate and some that they will just love.

Phillipe Renier is the owner of Zydeco Cakes in New Orleans, an upscale cake bakery. His wife, Rita Lucero, a trained French Pastry chef, has been living in Albuquerque and working in her aunts and uncle's Mexican restaurant for two years. She has been trying to get Phillipe...more
Diane ~Firefly~
Other than a strange beginning, I really liked this book and look forward to more in the series.

What I enjoyed:
* Rita was a grounded character with normal flaws.
* There was no stinking love triangle.
* Miss Frankie.
* The characters were interesting without being over-the-top.
* Aunt Yolanda's Chocolate-Banana Coffee Cake recipe in the back sounds amazing, I will have to try it sometime soon.

What could have been better:
* Who decorates a cake just after finding the body of their ex? And why did the...more
LORI CASWELL
Rita Lucero has waited two years for her divorce, all she needs is for her almost ex Philippe Renier to sign on the proper line. He has been avoided her phone calls and emails so she decides to go directly to him, to his high end cake shop in New Orleans, and sit in the office until he faces her and signs the papers.

Rita arrives just a few minutes too late or at the perfect time if you are a killer. Rita discovers her husband dead with a chef's knife in his chest. Because their divorce was not f...more
C
Well-written. Easy to read. Flowed well. Enjoyed the charecters and the mystery build. Would highly recommend this book. It even has recipes in the back!

Rita and her ex-husband went to pastry school together, they grow apart and seperate and she's trying to get a divorce from him but he wasn't getting back to her. She goes to force him to sign papers so she can move on with her life. Unfortunately, he gets murdered and she's stuck staying to help his Mom. Their relationship is portrayed very wel...more
Ellie
A Sheetcake Named Desire is the first in the proposed "A Piece of Cake Mystery" series by author Jacklyn Brady. Rita Lucero has come from Albuquerque to New Orleans to get her husband (from whom she's been separated for two years) sign divorce papers. When she arrives, she gets a telephone message that may means her still-loved "ex" wants to re-unite but by the time they meet, he's dead. The detective on the case (of course a hottie), and the mother-in-law (a well-drawn, kindly aristocratic gran...more
bella
A Sheetcake Named Desire is the first book in this series by Jacklyn Brady.

Rita is in New Orleans hoping to get her husband to sign the divorce papers. However before he can sign he turns up dead and it's up to Rita to solve the murder before she turns up dead.

Looking for a mystery that will grab you from the first page? Well look no further! This book grabbed me from the very first page an wrapped me up in a fantastic mystery, that had me guessing right till the end.

I liked Rita a lot, and w...more
Kaye

All Rita Lucerno wants is a divorce and to get on with her life but her soon-to-be ex has been dragging his feet for two years over signing the papers. Finally, Rita has had it; she travels to New Orleans to confront hubby, Philippe, at Zydeco, his bakery. The bakery is in chaos; someone has sabotaged one of their largest orders and Philippe seems to be among the missing. Joining in the search, Rita is the unlucky one to find him. Needless to say, he won't be signing any papers ever again, not j...more
Toni
Currently reading....like it but find it weird that Philippe's mom does not seem all that devastated by the bad news about her son. She does not even cry. This is just not believable to me so far. Aside from that I like the fact it is set in New Orleans and the story seems interesting.

Same thing...the mother never seemed to be all that upset about her son through the entire book. Very unrealistic and the only person she has in her life now is her EX daughter in law? that wanted to divorce her s...more
Linda Lonetto
i really liked it alot. i love stories with anything to do with baking. i really(romantic that i am)phillpe to be more not the standard soon to be ex with a "blonde bimbo"who he was in love with. seems to me he would of signed the papers then. poetic justice pre-vailed tho. one thing i did not like,while rita was very believable,(who among us wants our ex to still be pining for us just alittle)alot of plot devices were used then left hanging. why was only burt punished when quinn and that other...more
Diana Leigh
Rating: 4.5/5

Jacklyn Brady is a new author to the cozy mystery genre, and her first offering, A SHEETCAKE NAMED DESIRE, is truly delectable. Brady's amateur sleuth, pastry chef Rita Lucero, has made my list of favorites. Rita is fed up with getting the run around from her soon-to-be ex-husband Philippe Renier. After two years of being in divorce limbo, she travels to New Orleans to make him sign the papers and make it final. Not long after she arrives at his upscale bakery, Rita finds Philippe d...more
Jane
From the title and its sequels, I was expecting more madcap stuff, but the book isn't noir either. Rita comes to New Orleans to get her husband Philippe to sign their divorce papers, but he's killed in the garden of his cake shop while she's sitting in his office waiting for him - he's been dodging her. Her mother-in-law relies on her to straighten out the problems at the bakery - Mama provided the funds, her murdered son the baking & designing talent. Business sabotage - missing supplies, a...more
Fanficfan44
Cute cozy mystery. Definitely a light, quick read. It has everything you need for a series cozy mystery. Colorful cast of characters, believable device to get protagonist involved, great setting (New Orleans post-Katrina), popular theme (baking) and red herrings and misdirection to keep the mystery going. The gist of the story is that Rita has traveled to New Orleans to meet with her husband, who she is separated from, in order to get him to sign the divorce papers. There is a murder and Rita be...more
CJ - Secret Charm
Jun 14, 2012 CJ - Secret Charm rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Cleo Coyle fans
3.4

Reminds me of Cleo Coyle's Coffeeshop Mysteries just set in New Orleans and minus the coffee info.

Pretty decent cozy mystery in which the main character is pretty much a prime suspect from the word 'jump'.

The author made the city of New Orleans a sort of character in this book, much more so than some of Rita's colleagues.

The character development was great for Rita and Miss Frankie but I could've used a bit more depth on Ox and the rest of the crew. Especially seeing as this book seemed mor...more
Andrea
The mystery itself was your standard "run around asking questions until you annoy the killer" plot. I really liked the idea of the cake store setting, and found the book readable, but the protagonist kept getting me off-side with an undercurrent of negative criticism directed toward the appearance of other women and a self-pitying underdog status (and I wasn't terribly impressed with the accidentally getting drunk schtick either).

Remarkable the number of extremely hot men who seemed to find her...more
Katrina Sutton
I got this book for Christmas and to be truthful, I didn't think I was going to like it. It sat on my bookshelf for 6 months and I finally decided to take it out determined to read and finish it. So I was surprised that it kept my interest since I have more of preference for the supernatural. Maybe I was judging the book by it's cover that kept me from reading it in the first place. Can't help it (I am a Graphic Designer). The story line kept me entertained for a day and I finished it surprised...more
Karen
1St book in a new series, found it very enjoyable, moved along quickly. didn't give the obvious clues as to who did it, nice receipes in the back. look forward to reading the next book in the series. The author is a pseudonym for a MULTIPULBISHED MYSTERY AND ROMANCE AUTHOR,internet guess is Sammi Carter.

I'll have to read book 2 to see if it continues to be as enjoyable. Good read for a rainy fall day
Anna
Those of you who know me know my cake past, so what could be better than a cozy mystery that takes place in a cake shop? Okay, cozy mysteries are not known for their literary merit, and I won't argue that they have much, but they are so much fun to read, and it's great to spend some time in places where life is the way you wish it was.
Sally
Just the title was enough to hook me. I wasn't interested in trying the recipes (yes, it's one of those books) but this murder mystery in New Orleans is fun to read with likable characters. I didn't guess whodunit--so that made it even better. The southern accent came through so strong it dripped.
Melanie Barbarito
I did finish the book, but I read the last 25 pages in a hurry just to get it over with. The characters are thinly developed. None of them was appealing enough for me to care much nor to want to read further adventures. Definitely mind candy, but not very satisfying.
Gretchen
This is the first book in a series. I really liked it. I liked the characters, the plot, the setting, and the style of writing. It was also an easy read that kept my attention. I will read the next one when it comes out.
Pam
A cute and entertaining beginning to a new series. I look forward to the next release to see what happens to Rita, the bakery and her crime solving skills. Not the mention Liam, the resident hunky detective.
Becky
It was good, although the ending came out of left field. Sometimes I like it when books due that but other times I like a hint dropped here and there. Easy to get into, I can't wait for the next one.
Lauren
A cozy mystery with a little bit of food fun thrown in. It was easy, fast and just interesting enough to keep me going. I would like to try a couple of the recipes in the back...
Daphne
Nice first in a series cozy. Didn't figure out who the killer was and liked the characters in this New Orleans based bakery mystery. I will definitely continuing reading this series.
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A Sheetcake Named Desire (A Piece of Cake Mystery, #1)
A Sheetcake Named Desire (A Piece of Cake Mystery, #1)
A Sheetcake Named Desire (Paperback)
A Sheetcake Named Desire (Hardcover)
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