The Look of Love

Written by Mary Jane Clark

Narrated by Thérèse Plummer

“One of the most talented story tellers around.”
—Associated Press

“Clark has perfected the suspense novel…in classic Christie fashion.”
—Booklist

New York Times bestseller Mary Jane Clark introduced readers to professional wedding cake decorator and amateur sleuth Piper Donavan in her acclaimed mystery novel To Have and To Kill. Piper’s back in The Look of Love, on cake creating assignment at a West Coast luxury spa for the wealthy and famous—where nip and tuck and murder are offered in equal measures. Clark really hits her stride with The Look of Love, providing a winning recipe for delectable mystery that combines chills, twists, humor and often very romantic suspense in the bestselling vein of Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Faye Kellerman, Elizabeth Lowell, and Jayne Ann Krentz. She even includes scrumptious pastry recipes and fabulous cake design tips.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062116208

Mary Jane Clark

Mary Jane Clark worked at CBS News for nearly three decades. Her twelve KEY News media thrillers were inspired by that experience. Envisioning the Piper Donovan/Wedding Cake mystery series, Mary Jane enrolled in cake-decorating classes and researched unique wedding locations. The daughter of an FBI agent and a mother who customized cakes for the neighborhood kids when she was growing up, Mary Jane has two grown children and splits her time between New Jersey and Florida.

Reviews for The Look of Love

[scoutlee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's About: When Piper is offered an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to bake a wedding cake for Jillian Abernathy, she's a bit hesitant. After spending New Year's Eve with Jack, the man she's seeing, she thinks it's best to leave Jersey for awhile to think about where their relationship is going.Her father is not sold on the idea of her going. Jillian's housekeeper was recently attacked⎯an attack meant for Jillian. He warns Piper to be careful and not to get involved with the investigation. Upon Piper's arrival to the elite spa where Jillian is the head director, a murder has just taken place. Soon Piper finds herself in the middle of trying to solve the crime.My Thoughts: Last year I was introduced to Piper in book one, To Have and To Kill. Having enjoyed it, I immediately accepted the pitch to review The Look of Love. The Look of Love picks up where To Have and To Kill left off. We find Piper still living at home and helping her mother in her bakery. Piper continues to pursue her acting career and is casually dating Jack. Jack, however, wants a committed relationship. Piper isn't sure about her feelings for him nor is she ready for anything serious. Jillian's offer to travel to LA comes at the right time. She'll go to auditions, she'll create and bake Jillian's wedding cake and she'll take time to think about what she wants with Jack. Little does Piper know, once she lands, she'll find herself deep in a murder investigation.Piper is a likeable character and ideal for an amateur sleuth. She doesn't rush into anything impulsively, but instead is cautious and tries to see the big picture. Each step she takes leads her in the right direction to finding the killer's identity. She's compassionate and genuinely wants to help Jillian move on from the tragic events. I figured out the killer's identity early on. It didn't prevent me from enjoying the mystery. I wanted to see how the characters would react when they learned the killer's identity and motive behind the attack. The Look of Love is a quick weekend read. Grab your favorite throw, curl up on your couch or reading chair and settle in for a light, cozy mystery.

[bookladychris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Piper Donovan goes to Hollywood to make a wedding cake for the director of a health spa. When she arrives at the spa she and the director find that the director's house maid, who was recently splashed in the face with acid, has been smothered in one of the bungalows at the spa. Piper is soon thrown into learning more about the people that own the spa as she accidentally comes upon clues. If you like the who-dunit type of murder mysteries, this one will keep you turning pages until the end.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Piper Donovan isn't the average wedding cake baker. In fact she's only made one wedding cake before, but what a cake it was. On the basis of that one cake, she has been asked to come to Los Angeles and make a cake for Jillian Abernathy, director of Elysium. A trip to LA, a wedding cake, some acid in the face and a few murders are all ingredients in The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark.Piper may not be a traditional wedding cake baker/decorator but she does have excellent skills. These skills are definitely going to be put to the test as she only has a few weeks to design and decorate the cake. Piper isn't worried, although her father and friend Jack are wary. Jillian's maid recent was the victim of an acid attack and needless to say Jack and Mr. Donovan don't feel that Piper's trip will be uneventful.Piper isn't a foolhardy young woman. She knows that she wants to be an actor and that there are more opportunities in LA than in New York. She also knows that doing a cake for Jillian Abernathy, not to mention an all-expense paid trip to California and a stay at a topnotch spa resort is an excellent opportunity. Or is it? Unfortunately there is a murder at the spa on the day of Piper's arrival. Is this a sign of things to come?I'm not quite sure why this is classified as a Piper Donovan mystery as Piper seems to be more of a bystander and not actively involved in the murders. She does get dragged into a minor investigation into the antics of one of the spa's employees by an undercover journalist. However, she's not really involved in the murders or murder investigations other than being in the same facility at approximately the same time. There's some intrigue involved in this story but it didn't really keep my interest. The characters are relatively realistic but I had difficulty accepting that Jillian could deal with having such a high-pressure job, director of an elite spa, but quickly fall apart over everything else. There were parts of the story that worked and worked quite well: Piper and her friendship with Jack, Piper's overprotective father and his worrying, and the investigation by the undercover journalist. In the end, I didn't really find The Look of Love all that mysterious or captivating a read. It's a decent read but it didn't work for me.

[thehistorychic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Received from PublisherOverall Rating 2.75Story Rating 2.50Character Rating 3.00First thought when finished: The story just coasted then bam it was done!What I Loved: I did find the characters of The Look of Love to be interesting. I did not read the first book in the series so I did not know what to expect. However, I really loved the Abernathy family. I also really loved Piper's family.What I Liked: I thought the giving of a few different suspects for the murders was very well done. Mary Jane Clark managed to set it out where you could pick apart the clues and see who fit.What made me go "huh"?: The book was just a little to choppy for me. I never felt quite connected to the mystery or Jack/Piper's relationship. I thought the end was a bit abrupt and there wasn't enough action for a mystery novel. Though it wasn't light enough to be a cozy mystery. The book just kind of fell in the middle.Final Thoughts: This is my first book to read by Mary Jane Clark so I might not have been prepared for her writing style. I do believe fans of hers will be pleased with the story and very strong characters.