
Member Reviews

Icing on the Murder takes us back to New Bison and the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of friends who love to solve mysteries. While planning her own wedding, Maddy, owner of Baby Cakes Bakery, is excited to attend a Bridal Expo hoping to win the grand prize, the expertise of the headliner wedding planner. When a murder occurs at the Expo, the Baker Street Irregulars are on the job working to solve the mystery. I thoroughly enjoy these books and the antics involved with Maddy, her amateur sleuth friends, and her lovable 250 pound mastiff, Baby.

This 4th book in the Baker Street Mystery series is a fun read, complete with plenty of potential suspects, a cast of delightful amateur sleuths, and a lovable mastiff. What starts as a visit to a wedding fair and a contest to win the services of a wedding planner ends with murder and more questions than answers. This is an entertaining, quick read and I enjoyed it immensely.

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery is getting married to her prince charming (veterinarian/former soldier) Michael Portman. Her first non-wedding cost a fortune but Michael just wants something very simple. But Maddy enters a contest hoping to win a consult with a famous wedding planner who turns out to be VERY unpleasant. Then very DEAD. Let the investigating begin, but NOT with Trooper Bob! Great fun!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Kensington Publishing/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Available Jul 29 2025
#IcingOnTheMurder @vmburnsbooks #BakerStreetMysteriesBk4 @kensingtonbooks #cozymystery #weddingmadness #amateursleuth #baker #Michigan #CrimeWritersOfColor #unpleasantvictim #fun
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I absolutely loved this book! The perfect mix of romance and mystery kept me hooked. Maddy is such a strong, determined character (although it's taking her some time to realize it), and I couldn’t help but root for her as she juggled wedding plans and a shocking murder.
The characters truly shine, especially the witty and Hannah, who I absolutely adore. The rest of the Baker Street Irregulars and Baby also bring charm and humor to the investigation.
Through it all, Maddy and Michael’s love story remained the heart of the book, making me even more excited for their upcoming wedding. Aunt Octavia would be so proud!
I can't wait to see what happens next in Maddy’s journey. This book is a delightful treat for fans of cozy mysteries with a dash of romance!
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Maddie Montgomery's big day is coming soon! She's excited to marry her army vet, Michael Portman. All she needs is the perfect wedding planner, who she is hoping to snag at an upcoming bridal fair. However, not all goes to plan when wedding planner extraordinare, Serafina, is found dead and instead of planning her wedding Maddie is hunting down a killer.
I love this series so much!!!! It is easily in my Top 5 favourite cozies. I've enjoyed watching Maddie go from embarrassed, jilted bride and slightly spoiled to the business woman of Baby Cakes Bakery, fur-mom to Baby, her English Mastiff, and loving life in New Bison. Every adventure she throws herself into, and every book is just fantastic.
This one was especially good! Serafina wasn't a nice person when she was alive and Maddie and the Baker Street Gang are going to have a difficult time finding a killer!!
My favourite part of Icing on the Murder is the inclusion of figuring out which policing jurisdiction is responsible for solving the crime, which takes place at a casino, which is on Tribal land. Valerie Burns always includes a wide variety of inclusion in her books, and I just loved this. I found it really realistic that it might not be as easy as the local police finding a killer, and it's just another reason that I love her books.
I absolutely never hesitate to recommend this series. It's a perfect series to show what we all love about cozy mysteries, and if you haven't read a cozy before this is a great start. I can't wait for the next one.

Valerie Burns has to be my fave cozy mystery writer, and this series is my fave. I loved this installment. I kinda figured out the suspect early on but that's just me, no reflection of the writing overall.

Another sweet addition to the Baker Street series! Maddy and Baby are back and better than ever! I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Maddy go from spoiled to independent! But luckily, with that independence she's also gained the kind of friends and family that she can always depend on.

When Maddy first showed up in this series, she was a shallow, entitled social media influencer running from public embarrassment to a mysterious legacy in a small town. In order to accept her legacy, she had to take on responsibilities, including a business and an enormous mastiff. By this title, she has matured into an influential member of the community, supporting friends and family and learning a lot along the way.
She's still fun and great at the hashtags, but the more mature Maddy is a lot more loveable.
In this novel, she's repping her bakery at a bridal show and hoping to win a contest for time with an Insta-famous wedding planner. When a murder takes place, Maddy and her posse have no choice but to snoop, at least until the various law enforcement agencies figure out the jurisdiction issues. The story is lively and fun, with lots of great wedding details and plenty of love.

#IcingontheMurder #NetGalley is a fantastic addition to this series.
I've grown to love the characters in this story, and joining Maddy on her wedding planning is quite the adventure.
Serafina, the wedding planner everyone is talking about, isn't who she pretends to be, and her actions cause quite the commotion at the bridal expo.
While her death is not surprising, the investigation reveals secrets and lies, leading up to the identity of the killer.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.