Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

Written by Valerie Burns

Narrated by Jasmin Walker

In this delectable new cozy mystery series, social media maven Maddy Montgomery’s perfectly ’grammable life has come undone, and she’s #StartingOver in a tiny town with one giant problem—a killer on the loose …

When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late,
great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby.

Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful.

With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife …

Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705057902

Valerie Burns

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is a mystery writer whose novels and short stories have been finalists for the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, and the Crime Writers' Association. She is also an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in the southeastern United States with her two poodles. Connect with Valerie at VMBurns.com.  

Reviews for Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

[Demetrius Graham · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this story and this group trying to figure out is there a murder among friends

[KJ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a quick read with fun characters and surprising twists. I can't wait to read more by this author and the narration was amazing!

[hicksj74 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was amazing. The narrator really got you deep into the story. Her voice held just enough rhythm and pizazz to keep you interested.

[Jeanenne Robinson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inherited business, house, and pet
Lots of endearing scenes with dog
More than one romantic subplot
Found family
Character development
Lots of suspects

[Kayla Morrison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book so much! Really liked all the characters and storyline!

[Kourtney Hurd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this, I look forward to more in the series. I especially enjoyed the dog sidekick character !

[Danneika Graise · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A "cozy" mystery for sure. Where a boujee city girl who inherits her great aunt who passed away her house/business. But there's a catch she has to stay for a year and then she can either sell both and never look back. BUT, in this close-knit community where everybody knows everybody, there is a killer/killers loose. And Maddy, great aunt Octavia seems to have been murder and she wants to solve the case. But can she? I look forward to reading book 2.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to Kensington for the book! Delightful! When Maddy moves to New Bison on the shore of Lake Michigan because her great-aunt Octavia left Maddy her house, bake shop, and Baby - a 200 lb English Mastiff. Maddy is recovering from a break-up, and has an overbearing Navy Admiral dad, so she is determined to make this work. However, once there, she finds out that her aunt suspected that there was something sinister happening in the town, and one of Octavia's friends believes Octavia was murdered. Then, more people die, and Maddy and her new friends come together to continue the bakery and solve the murders. This is a great start to what I hope is a new series! It is funny - with all of Maddy's social media posts and Baby's innate sense of who is good. There is an unsolved mystery - so I hope that Ms. Burns writes more about Maddy and her friends.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

multigenerational, murder, murder-investigation, Michigan, small-business, small-town, greed, bakery, arson, inheritance, situational-humor, verbal-humor, cooking-lessons*****The social media guru wearing Louboutin's shoes was left at the altar in front of all of YouTube. Raised by her father the admiral and never having any kind of limits she was recovering from this when she discovered that she had inherited from a great aunt. In Michigan. In a small town. Where she had to live and run the bakery (and doesn't even know how to turn on a stove) for a year. With a massive English Mastiff (worth big bucks in stud fees) who gives "droolworthy" a whole new meaning. She gets propositioned to sell the bakery by several slimy locals, but she doesn't really meet a lot of new true friends until the mayor gets killed after hours in the bakery and arson is also involved and she is taken to the police station. In a lily-white rural community. But not to worry, the chief and most of the community are totally in favor of her aunt (and by extension, Madison herself). Especially since aunt and select others read Sherlock Holmes and do sleuthing on real life cases. And that accounts for only the first third of the book! Great fun! Fine whodunit! Loved it!I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a lot of fun reading this. When a livestream disaster strikes Maddy's life, she is grateful for the chance to try to fulfill the terms of her Great Aunt Octavia's will. New Bison, Michigan is small and a great place to unplug at her own pace, while taking over her aunt's popular bakery and home. The characters are wonderful, and I can't wait to learn even more about them as the series moves forward. Of course, Baby, Aunt Octavia's Bull Mastiff, is a character all on her own, and is a sweet addition to the story. Fans of Sherlock Holmes, Aunt Octavia's friends rally around Maddy after a body is found in her bakery, with her prints everywhere. In addition to the great characters and setting, the mystery was good too and wasn't too easy to figure out.