(3.5 rounded up) This is for a specific subset of people, and that is people who have watched and loved Golden Girls. If you have, you’ll find this book to be a hoot. The mannerisms, fashion sense, dialogue, and location all make clear that the author is an avowed Golden Girls fan. Everything feels comfortingly familiar. The writing isn’t mind-blowing, the mystery is fairly easy to solve, and the dialogue can occasionally be cringey, but I didn’t mind any of that. As an adult woman who watched a lot of Golden Golden Girls with her grandma when she was younger, this was the perfect cozy mystery. I hope this will be a long-running series.

Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage is an absolute delight. Ekstrom Courage perfectly captures the wit and charm of Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia, bringing their distinct voices and humor to life. It feels like you’re right there with them as they work together to solve a mystery—clearing Dorothy’s name and ensuring Rose’s niece’s wedding goes off without a hitch. The plot is fast-paced, funny, and full of surprises—drag queens, outrageous disguises, a thrilling chase, and yes, a whole lot of herring and St. Olaf stories. But what really makes this book shine is how Ekstrom Courage nails the deep, unbreakable friendship between these women that has made them beloved for 40 years.

'Who's that you're talking to, Rose, a new beau?'
'Oh, it was just one of those prank calls.'
'For twenty minutes? I've had dates that ended quicker than that.'

WOOHOO WHAT A RIOT!!! I hope every Golden Girls fan has a chance to read this, it's just as fun and witty as the show, with great heart. I expected a lot because it's my favourite thing on TV, but this was even better.

My favourite Goldenverse episode is an episode of The Golden Palace, the sequel to The Golden Girls where Blanche, Rose and Sofia decide to run a hotel in Miami. In the best episode of Palace, a food critic drops by to test their restaurant and ends up dead at the table - the girls spend the next 20 minutes of screen time trying to hide the body from other hotel guests, journalists, and a health inspector. I only laugh this much reading P.G. Wodehouse. It's THE BEST and I've always thought a cosy mystery version of the show would do so well!

Enter Murder by Cheesecake, which is everything I hoped for - deeply funny with killer lines, our four girls being their own fabulous selves and a plot that's so bonkers it works. Rose decides to throw the perfect St Olaf wedding for her niece in Miami while Dorothy tries to find a plus one. When her date is found dead in a freezer full of cheesecake and Dorothy is the main suspect, our girls have no choice but to investigate, with hilarious consequences.

I LOVED THIS!!! It's so brilliant, I don't know how the author managed to get each voice right but every girl is perfection and even though we get a lot more of Rose and Dorothy's perspectives than Blanche and Sofia's, the dialog felt exactly right and razor-sharp. Rose's catalogue of St Olaf traditions had me kicking my feet laughing and the writing is incredibly immersive. This is a must-read for any fan of the show and of cosy mysteries, I'm BEGGING for a sequel!

My endless gratitude to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC! Thank you for being such great friends!

This is cute, like a warm hug honestly- especially if you gree up with the golden girls (lots of memories watching Saturday nights with my mom then on lifetime with my girls) it uses the main characters who obviously need no introduction- if they do im sorry for your life this far, Rose is hosting a true St. Olaf wedding in Miami - and she's nervous Dorthy needs a date for the wedding she finds out unfortunately he ends up dead at a wedding event in a cheesecake-uhoh everyone is a suspect so the girls become detectives to find the killer and make sure to clear our Dorthy its a fun read and I'll definitely read more if they add to them ( assuming bonus is while your reading you can hear their voices exactly in your head )