Murder by Cheesecake

[cornerofmadness]

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I scrambled to toss my ring in the hat for this one when I saw it pop up on Netgalley and was lucky enough to get an arc. I couldn't imagine how the author was going to successfully marry GG and Murder, She Wrote, basically. The answer was, not entirely successful. This was a 3.5 read rounded up.

Let me deal with the characterization first. I think Sophia and Blanche were pretty spot on (though Blanche is relatively easy) and none of this was nearly as funny as I would have wanted it to be. Dorothy was much more of a sad sack than I'm used to, about being alone and wanting a date for the wedding of one of Rose's 'nieces.' Rose was actually more intelligent/had more agency than we often see her as she arranges this wedding last minute. However, there are so many St. Olaf traditions that was worked into this that they aren't funny; they're annoying and Rose is too trying to enforce them on her young niece.

Now for the wedding and the murder. The hotel in St Olaf suddenly couldn't be used so Rose had everything shifted down to Miami vs oh I dunno going there to the next town over with a hotel which is silly enough (and not in the fun way) but now expects to pull off all the St Olaf traditions like the welcome tuna tea ceremony, riding a donkey, riding an ostrich etc etc etc because she firmly believes this is the only way for the wedding to be happy. (the bride and groom wanted to elope especially since his family runs a chain of hotels in Miami and are the type to take over everything in a miserable way). This was not funny or enjoyable. Honestly I think it would have been nicer to see her niece want a beach wedding with the St Olaf traditions because it was still all that work to do.

Part of this is making a ton of cheesecakes and stuffing them in the family hotel freezer. Hold that thought.

And then there's Dorothy trying to go on a video date which ends badly. Two guesses who the dead guy in the cheesecake is.

I think the balance of this needed to work better. It's way too heavy on the St Olaf wedding traditions and not enough about setting up the red herrings and clues. Dorothy was a bit depressing. Rose was a bit annoying. Sophia was the most amusing. Blanche was just sort of there. The police are not looking much further than Dorothy.

Don't get me wrong it wasn't horrible but I'm not sure it was entirely successful either.



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