Influencer, Maddy Montgomery is slowly becoming a successful owner, promotor and baker of Baby Cakes Bakery. As long as she doesn’t have to cook eggs, she has learned to follow some of her late Aunt Octavia’s recipes with surprisingly good results.
Except for the problem with the eggs, things are going well for Maddy and her mastiff, Baby. Then Brandy Denton, the woman who stole Maddy’s fiancé, shows up in New Bison. Before Maddy can figure out why Brandy came to town, she finds Brandy’s body in her bakery. Of course, Maddy wants to clear her name and find the murderer.
Another body on the beach, a land development scheme and a painting forgery ring have Maddy’s Baker Street Irregulars searching for clues, connections and suspects.
Humor, mystery, likable characters, an ending twist to the murder and a touch of romance all combine to make this a fun addition to this series. A solid 4-star novel

I think it’s time for me to give up on this series. I really like Burns in general and think she’s amazing at putting together a compelling mystery. While that holds true for this book, what doesn’t work is her attempt to capture a millennial voice. Maddy just isn’t pleasant to read and her perspective is just odd. She’s a strange mix of extremely shallow and emerging depth, but it just doesn’t work for me. As much as I enjoy the mysteries here, I can’t quite bring myself to enjoy the characters.

I really enjoyed this installment in the series. I think it works as a standalone if this is the first book your coming to and it works as a continuation of the series. I think that I want just a little bit more for all of the characters its like there's just something missing in all of the books and I hope the series continues so we can see more of them!

I love this series! The characters are well developed, continue to grow throughout the series, and are people that I would love to be friends with. The mysteries are always creative and keep me guessing until the end. My one issue is that she runs a bakery but never seems to be there; I get that she can’t bake and it runs on its own but it is just mentioned at times. If you’re looking for a book with good mysteries, fun characters, and a lot of humor (I will never look at hard boiled eggs the same way again), then I highly recommend this whole series.

Thank you so much for a copy of an ARC for this book. Valerie has done it again! I just loved it, and I love this world so much. Over the last year I have come to find my love again for the cozy mystery genre and I even went and bought a copy on release day. I highly recommend this book!

A smart heroine, a lovable protective dog, sexy boyfriend, and eccentric caring friends all adds up to perfect recipe for a scrumptious treat! Although, not 100% necessary, I read the first book in this series and I am really glad I did to have a good feel for how much Maddy has grown and seeing how strong and loved she is for being her true self. Unfortunately, I did miss the 2nd book in this series but, this third installment gives enough background to give the gist of what I missed. I won't give any spoilers but, we do get answers for a big question from book 1 in this one! Proud to admit, I knew it all along! Don't miss this fun and cozy whodunnit. #maddyandbabyforever

Another great installment of the Baker Street Mystery series. As per usual, this book had me smiling and giggling at the main character’s/bakery owner’s antics. Surrounded by a whole slew of supportive characters, I did enjoy that this story had more of a focus on Maddy’s personal life in tandem with solving the mystery. What also made this cozy a little more unique was the underlying mystery that was threaded throughout the series was connected with the main murder in this story. Although I felt Maddy cried way way way too often in this book to the point that I was getting annoyed, it was her family and friends that really made the story for me. I look forward to what stories are to come that involve these characters; especially about the Admiral (Maddy’s father).

A huge thanks to Kensington publishers for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are mine.

It's baby everyday for me! Valerie Burns can do no wrong. I absolutely enjoyed this delectable read.

The book follows Maddy (and yes she still owns Baby Cakes Bakery) and her love hate relationship with Brandy who stole her fiance Elliott. Nothing is great than a nemesis who isn't in the same zip code nut when Brandy shows up in New Bison feathers get ruffled. It does not help when Brandy ends up as a dead body in Maddy's bakery. Engrossing ,entertaining and fast paced. It's a must read summer book.

Maddy and Baby are back in book 3 of this charming, cozy mystery with its diverse cast of characters.
This go 'round, Maddy's ex, yes, that one, and his new love arrive in New Bison and stir up trouble. Maddy thought she had left that old life behind; she has grown up and loves her new life. Maddy is the number one suspect in yet another murder, as she is seen arguing with the victim, Brandy. Yes, thee Brandy, the one her ex dumped her for. I mean, the body is also found in her bakery, so who else could have done it?
Maddy and the gang team up to find the real killer and clear Maddy's name.
We finally meet the Admiral, which I enjoyed reading. Baby is absolutely adorable, as usual. And, we readers get a much happy ending. I also enjoyed how Burns incorporated the loose ends from previous books into this one. I'm not saying to not read the previous two books, but yeah, read the previous two books to get a full understanding of this one. Overall, I enjoyed this cozy mystery! I cannot wait to try the recipes included!

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This is the third book, so if you like the previous two then you will probably like this one too. There are two mysteries going on, one for this book and one for the series. The book specific one is definitely trying to be balanced with the over all one.

Rating: 4/5

A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns. What a fabulous book! Cheerful banter. Interesting characters. Good plot. Most of all it was fun. Sometimes I think authors get so invested they forget fun. I think I chose this book by happy accident. Maddy is learning to be a baker. All because her great aunt Octavia had left her a bakery and a house and most importantly, a dog the size of a pony. She adored the dog, liked the house, and was learning to bake. She had also fallen in love with Michael, the town vet, who was run off his legs trying to keep up with New Bison, Michigan’s animals, let alone those on the surrounding area. She had left the high-powered world she had come from and from the fiance that left her on the steps of the church and her life was nothing but better. Until Brandy Denton showed up. She was an influencer and the woman Elliott had left her for. Maddy had no desire to see her her in New Bison. What could she want? Then, she turned up dead. Guess who the police thought had done it?

This series is fresh and entertaining. Yes, murder is serious. Never forget that. But, the people and the town are fun and Maddy learns she is part of the community, something she never had been before. He father was an Admiral and he looked and spoke like one. She called him when she was in trouble and he always came. Of course, Maddy didn’t kill anyone, but we sure had a good time figuring that out. Michael turned out to be beyond reliable and the Admiral came through. Plus lots of back-and-forth and entertaining town folks! What a terrific book! Thanks, Valerie Burns!

I was invited to read A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Kensington Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonPublishing #ValerieBurns #ACupOfFlourAPinchOfDeath

Maddy was frustrating me at the beginning, but by the end I was in love with her again. She did a great job getting information out of some people. I also laughed out loud a few times as the obvious was pointed out to her. I liked the addition of Carson Law and the Admiral showing up. They were really great additions that supported Maddy through some difficult spots. The conclusion was obvious, but I realized several clues that I didn’t pick up earlier. I also really like the way this series humanizes the beautiful women and influencers. This might be my favorite of the three I have read.

A Cup Of Flour, A Pinch Of Death is the third book in Valerie Burns's Baker Street Mystery series.

It's always a heartwarming experience to catch up with the familiar faces of Maddie Montgomery and her friends in New Bison, Michigan.

One day, as Maddie was walking down the sidewalk, she was surprised to see Brandy Denton, the girl who caused Maddie’s fiance to leave her at the altar. A few days later, Maddie's life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers Brandy's body in her bakery, setting the stage for a thrilling and suspenseful mystery. To clear her anime from any suspicion, Maddie will call on her Baker Street friends to clear her name.

This book also deals with a man approaching Maddie and telling her her life is in danger. He is a friend of her Aunt Octavia. Maddie shortly after this discussion, finds the man’s body washed up on shore near her home.

After hearing about Maddie’s father in books one and two, we finally get to meet him. The Admiral is a very interesting character, and I hope that he appears in future books. And, of course, her Mastiff, Baby, is back and as adorable as before.

I love this series. The characters are all well-written and believable. The story is well-written and plotted, and one will feel like they are right there. There were enough twists and turns that I kept guessing until the killer's reveal.

Delicious-sounding recipes are also included in the book.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful series.

4.5 stars

The Baker Street Mysteries by Valerie Burns is one of my very favorite cozy mystery series, and I was delighted to return to New Bison, Maddy, Baby, and the Baker Street Irregulars in A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death!

From the beginning Maddy and her inherited 250-pound English Mastiff named Baby easily captured my heart, but honestly I love the Irregulars – including Maddy’s hunky new boyfriend Michael and his grandmother Miss Hannah – almost as much. They’re a solid cast of characters that endear themselves to me more all the time, and of course I love the chemistry between Michael and Maddy and watching their romance progress. The way everyone, including Maddy’s crusty admiral dad and several tertiary characters of New Bison (one of whom I especially enjoyed meeting), rallied around Maddy in this third book really warmed my heart and had me wishing I could pull Maddy into a ‘see? they love you!’ hug.

The mystery in A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death brings Maddy full circle in more ways than one. The LA life that she left behind collides with the new life she’s built in Michigan, and Maddy is soon suspect number one in the murder of her fiance-stealing nemesis. Cue some scenes where I’m reminded again of how much I love Maddy and how relatable she is, but also the layers to this part of the story kept me on my toes. The author also brings us back to the suspicious death of Maddy’s Great-Aunt Octavia, the same mystery that Maddy’s been investigating since the first book. The loose ends that now get tied up were, for me anyway, a mixture of “I didn’t see that coming” and “I KNEW IT” moments, and I loved it!

Bottom Line: Once again, Valerie Burns treats us to a fun and engaging mystery-solving adventure with the completely endearing (and formidable) team of Maddy and Baby and the Baker Street Irregulars. Her writing voice is perfect for this style of cozy – and for Maddy & Baby’s characters in general – and the various plot threads that make up A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death were the most delightfully twisty of the series, I think. The mysteries in this book were tightly-layered and held my interest all the way through, too. I could easily spend several more books with these characters and in this world, and even though the author brought some ongoing elements of the series to a conclusion in A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death, I hope there are at least several more books to come.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death is the third and last installment of the Baker Street Mystery series by Valerie Burns. In this culinary mystery, Maddy Montgomery, and her crew of Baker Street Irregulars find themselves yet again solving a murder in their small town of New Bison, Michigan.

The series introduces readers to Maddy Montgomery, a social media influencer from Los Angeles, whose groom was a no-show at their live stream wedding. A surprise inheritance from her great aunt in New Bison, is the perfect excuse to escape embarrassment. In order to receive her inheritance she must commit to living in her great aunt’s home, run her aunt’s bakery—called Baby Cakes Bakery, and caring for her 250lb English Mastiff, Baby, for one year. In A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death, we find Maddy has settled nicely into her new small town. She has made friends, found love—she thinks—and even convinced her overprotective Navy Admiral father that she is safe. However, her happiness is threatened when her nemesis from her life in Los Angeles, Brandy Dalton, comes to town. After a public argument, Brandy is found dead, and Maddy is the primary suspect. Can Maddy and the Baker Street Irregulars figure out who wanted Brittany dead and why would they wanted to frame her, before she loses everything that she’s come to love?

Thank you Kensington Publishing/Netgalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and was happy to see a wonderful conclusion for the beautiful characters in this series. Readers will see how much Maddy has grown. This culinary cozy wraps up the stories of books prior. It is a book about finding oneself, finding love and finding community. Readers will love the wholesome neighborhood and the characters in this book as well as the delicious recipes at the end!

Sometimes I start a series and about every third book is one that didn't seem as planned out or well executed as the others. It's like a filler episode of your fave TV series to just keep it going until we get to something big. I felt like there wasn't enough 'story' in this book.
I enjoyed the first two books in this series much more than I enjoyed this installment. I dragged myself through it, honestly. It seemed slow and uneventful to me-- it was 15 chapters before anyone died. Maddie seemed so annoyingly insecure in this installment and there was so. much. about. the dog. I don't think the murder got hardly any attention and by the time I got to the end I didn't care WHO DONE IT.
I don't do well when books straddle genre lines without a warning. This one seemed heavier on the romance than the cozy- I have to remind myself that cozies aren't my fave however I read SOME of them because of who wrote it. Unsure if I will continue this series... I'll have to see how the next book (if there are any) is received.

I loved the first two books of this series and was so excited when I received this as an ARC. My favorite thing about Madison is that everyone underestimates her and is shocked when she proves them wrong.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Baby Cakes Bakery which Maddy Montgomery inherited from her great aunt Octavia is becoming a rousing success thanks to social media.  It has also caught the attention of the woman who stole Maddy's fiancé, Brandy Denton. When Brandy goes too far, interrupting a Vlog filming Maddy can't hold her temper. The argument is filmed and posted all over the internet. Which isn't good for her reputation or the bakery, but when Brandy is later found dead in the bakery's freezer things go from bad to worse. That argument lands Maddy at the top of the suspect list.

As if she doesn't have enough on her plate, a stranger asserts he is Octavia's friend and tells her she is in danger. Then a body is found washed up on the lakeshore. With two bodies she thinks the man could be right.

Are the deaths related to her aunt's? Or has Maddy stirred up some other trouble? It's all hands on deck as Maddy, her veterinarian boyfriend Michael, Sheriff April Johnson, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even her English mastiff Baby pitch in to put the pinch on the killer.

____

When I open a book by Ms. Burns I know I am in for a treat. The first chapter had me giggling and as expected the humor popped up in all the right places throughout the story.

Maddy is surrounded by all the characters we have come to love since this series started. Trooper Bob returns and Maddy's father the Admiral arrives on the scene. The Admiral was a great addition. His love for his daughter shined in this story. Maddy has truly found her place in New Bison. Her baking is a work in progress, but she is making progress. I enjoy how everyone in her life comes together to always help her in any way they can. Whether helping with the bakery or tracking down a murderer, they give their all.

Trooper Bob, when asked to protect Maddie - "Are you joking? Her father's a naval admiral, she's dating an ex-Army commando, lives with the town sheriff, and walks around town with a two-hundred-fifty-pound horse who recently ate his way through an SUV when he thought she was in danger. Who in their right mind would come close to her? She got more protection than the freakin' governor."

The mysteries in this book are complex because a thread that started in Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder, continued in Murder is a Piece of Cake is wrapped up by the end of this story. People from Maddy's LA past have curiously shown up in New Bison and she appears to have a stalker, and then two of them are dead. Ms. Burns twisted things together in unexpected ways that tested her characters. A new friend proved to be very valuable. As did the lovable Baby. The truth was soon revealed and the takedown was epic! Part familiar from another source was executed perfectly. 

A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death is a fabulously fun read. It's filled with delightful characters, zany misunderstandings, crazy situations, mysteries with teeth, and an ending that touches the heart. The ending feels like the end of the series which makes me sad. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. I hope the author proves me wrong and there is another visit to New Bison, Michigan in our future.

 #5starread #recipes #perfectescape #murder #cozymystery #babycakes #englishmastiff #somuchfun

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is book 3 of the Baker Street Mystery series by Valerie Burns. I recommend reading the first two as the stories are connected and things will make more sense. Don’t worry because they are quick reads.

Now, if you’ve read the first two books, settle in while Maddy and Baby, the large English Mastiff, solve some crimes! I’ve really enjoyed the character development throughout the series, and this installment continues to impress. Maddy has come a long way and even has a new boyfriend, the town veterinarian.

I am so happy we got to meet Maddy’s dad, The Admiral. I didn’t think I’d like him, but I did. It seemed to be a good trip for him and her—they needed to say some things to each other.

Please snuggle up and read this fun cozy mystery ASAP!

Recommend (Yes/No/Maybe): YES!!! I love Maddy, the main FMC and her large English Mastiff, Baby. I really hope there are more in the series.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy. Review left voluntarily. #ACupofFlourAPinchofDeath #NetGalley