A cup of flour, a pinch of death

A budding baker's ascent is disrupted by the murder of her high school nemesis. Former social media influencer Madison Montgomery is making her mark in the tiny town of New Bison, Michigan. Thanks to the recipes her great-aunt Octavia left her, she's revitalized Baby Cakes bakery. Attending the First Baptist Church has connected her with the local Black community, and caring for Baby, the mastiff Octavia left her along with Baby Cakes, has led to an even closer connection with handsome veterinarian Michael Portman. So why would Maddy even care that Brandy Denton, who made high school hell for Maddy, has turned up in her new hometown? Because after high school, Brandy continued to torment Maddy, stealing away her fiance. And because Brandy tries batting her Botox-enhanced eyes at Michael. But mostly because Brandy turns up dead inside Baby Cakes, threatening Maddy's newfound success and happiness. Because state trooper Robert Roberts focuses his investigation almost exclusively on Maddy, she gets to see what it's like to be fighting not for a friend but for her own hard-won reputation. It won't take long before she learns whether her success is a flash in the pan or whether her new community will abandon her at the first whiff of scandal. Her ordeal tests her growing bond with Michael, as well as her changing relationship with her father, Admiral Jefferson Augustus Montgomery, who's proud of Maddy's success but wants to protect his little girl from all harm. A protagonist who juggles self-doubts, a strong sense of self-worth, and a drive to succeed. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.