Going, Going, Ganache Read online

  Praise for

  Red Velvet Revenge

  “You’re in for a real treat with Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mystery. I gobbled it right up.”

  —Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author of

  the White House Chef Mysteries

  “Sure as shootin’, Red Velvet Revenge pops with fun and great twists. Wrangle up some time to enjoy the atmosphere of a real rodeo as well as family drama. It’s better than icing on the tastiest cupcake.”

  —Avery Aames, Agatha Award–winning author of

  To Brie or Not to Brie

  “[McKinlay] continues to deliver well-crafted mysteries full of fun and plot twists.”

  —Booklist

  “Wonderful . . . This is entertainment that’s as light and fluffy as Mel’s buttercream frosting.”

  —CA Reviews

  “[A] delectable treat . . . Jenn McKinlay has written another charming mystery with her usual cast of scrumptious characters. I enjoyed every morsel.”

  —MyShelf.com

  Death by the Dozen

  “It’s the best yet, with great characters, and a terrific, tightly written plot.”

  —Lesa’s Book Critiques

  “Like a great fairytale, McKinlay transports readers into the world of cupcakes and all things sweet and frosted, minus the calories. Although . . . there are some pretty yummy recipes at the end.”

  —AnnArbor.com

  Buttercream Bump Off

  “A charmingly entertaining story paired with a luscious assortment of cupcake recipes that, when combined, make for a deliciously thrilling mystery.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “It is the characters and their interaction and dialogue that make this a standout mystery . . . Buttercream Bump Off is another tasty entry, complete with cupcake recipes, into what is sure to grow into a perennial favorite series.”

  —The Mystery Reader

  “A hilarious story with smart heroines . . . If this series doesn’t leave you hungry for more of Melanie and Angie, or for a baker’s dozen of cupcakes, then shame on you!”

  —The Romance Readers Connection

  Sprinkle with Murder

  “A tender cozy full of warm and likable characters and a refreshingly sympathetic murder victim. Readers will look forward to more of McKinlay’s tasty concoctions.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “McKinlay’s debut mystery flows as smoothly as Melanie Cooper’s buttercream frosting. Her characters are delicious, and the dash of romance is just the icing on the cake.”

  —Sheila Connolly, national bestselling author of

  Buried in a Bog

  “Jenn McKinlay delivers all the ingredients for a winning read. Frost me another!”

  —Cleo Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of

  the Coffeehouse Mysteries

  “A delicious new series featuring a spirited heroine, luscious cupcakes, and a clever murder. Jenn McKinlay has baked a sweet read.”

  —Krista Davis, national bestselling author of

  the Domestic Diva Mysteries

  Praise for Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mysteries

  Due or Die

  “[A] terrific addition to an intelligent, fun, and lively series.”

  —Miranda James, New York Times bestselling author of

  the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries

  “McKinlay’s writing is well paced, her dialogue feels very authentic, and I found Due or Die almost impossible to put down.”

  —CrimeSpree

  Books Can Be Deceiving

  “A sparkling setting, lovely characters, books, knitting, and chowder! What more could any reader ask?”

  —Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of

  Sentenced to Death and the Booktown Mysteries

  “With a remote coastal setting as memorable as Manderley and a kindhearted, loyal librarian as the novel’s heroine, Books Can Be Deceiving is sure to charm cozy readers everywhere.”

  —Ellery Adams, author of the Books by the Bay Mysteries

  “Fast-paced and fun . . . Don’t miss this charming new addition to the world of traditional mysteries.”

  —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of

  the Bibliophile Mysteries

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Jenn McKinlay

  Cupcake Bakery Mysteries

  SPRINKLE WITH MURDER

  BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF

  DEATH BY THE DOZEN

  RED VELVET REVENGE

  GOING, GOING, GANACHE

  Library Lover’s Mysteries

  BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

  DUE OR DIE

  BOOK, LINE, AND SINKER

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

  GOING, GOING, GANACHE

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer McKinlay Orf.

  Excerpt from Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay copyright © by 2013 by Jennifer McKinlay Orf.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ISBN: 978-1-101-61974-2

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / April 2013

  Cover illustration by Jeff Fitz-Maurice.

  Cover design by Lesley Worrell.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

  For Annette (Nettie) Amaturo, the Mel to my Angie or the Angie to my Mel depending upon the day, your friendship is one of my greatest joys. Thank you for being the sister of my heart and for giving this book such a cool title. And, of course, to the rest of the Amaturo crew, Fonz, Dom, Mike, Andrew, and Alyssa, you inspire me in so many ways and are without a doubt the coolest family ever! I love you all!

  Acknowledgments

  Without my readers, I am nothing. So I want to give a big, sloppy thank you to all of the readers who have been on this journey with Mel and Angie since the beginning. Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement. It is so very appreciated.

  An extra heaping of thank-yous to Kate Seaver, my amazing editor who makes my books sparkle and shine; Katherine Pelz, her fabulous assistant edi
tor; Andy Ball, a truly gifted copyeditor; and Kayleigh Clark, public relations guru. Also thank you to Jeff Fitz-Maurice, the artist who creates these spectacular covers. Truly, I am in awe of your talent. Much gratitude to Jessica Faust, my wonderful agent, I feel so very lucky to have you in my corner.

  And as always, hugs and kisses to Chris, Beckett, and Wyatt, there simply are no words to express how grateful I am to have my Hub and the Hooligans in my life. You are everything to me.

  Contents

  Praise

  Also by Jenn McKinlay

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Recipes

  Special Excerpt from SUGAR AND ICED

  One

  “No, I’m not feeling it,” Amy Pierson said. “Do it again, and this time try to give it that southwestern city-girl flare. This photo shoot is for Southwest Style magazine, after all.”

  Angie DeLaura looked at Melanie Cooper as if to ask if she could please hurl a cupcake at the bossy butt in the couture suit. Mel gave a slight shake of her blond head in the negative. She didn’t want to move too much and have Amy yell at her again.

  It was mid-October in Scottsdale, Arizona, and although the sun was hot the breeze was cool, keeping the inordinate amount of makeup Mel had on from melting off her face. She and Angie were outside their bakery in the small patio area, posing for a picture to run alongside the piece that had been written about them for an upcoming issue of Southwest Style, the premiere magazine about urban living in the desert.

  What Mel had assumed would be a staff photographer snapping a picture of them behind the counter in the bakery had turned into a full-on spread, featuring Mel and Angie in poofy retro-fifties skirts, with crinolines, and starched cotton blouses with pearls.

  Because Scottsdale’s heyday had been the fifties and because the bakery was decorated in a retro-fifties style, Amy Pierson, the magazine’s art director, had decided to run with the fifties theme, and thus Mel and Angie found themselves outfitted like June Cleaver in stilettos.

  The makeup artist had teased Angie’s long brown hair into an updo á la Audrey Hepburn, while Mel’s short blond locks had been styled in lush waves reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. They were tricked out in an ultra-feminine chic style that made them positively unrecognizable.

  “My head itches,” Angie whispered.

  “My feet hurt,” Mel returned. The high heels they had been put in were arch-crampers, and Mel longed for her beat-up Keds, her comfy jeans, and a simple T-shirt.

  “Okay, ladies, let’s see those smiles,” the photographer said. He was a young guy named Chad, who happily snapped away while Mel and Angie stood frozen, surrounded by tiers and trays of cupcakes, trying to look like they were having the time of their lives.

  Fairy Tale Cupcakes, their bakery in Old Town Scottsdale, was in the heart of the tourist district, which was one of the many reasons for their success. They did loads of special orders, but their walk-in traffic kept them steadily busy with drop-ins who wanted to fortify themselves with a cupcake or two before, during, and after a day of doing the tourist thing.

  Mel observed the crowd gathering to watch and hoped that Marty Zelaznik and Oz Ruiz, their two bakery employees, were inside preparing for the crush once the magazine people departed.

  The magazine had asked Mel to design cupcakes that would reflect the Southwest, so she had used bright fondant to create cupcakes devoted to cactus-flower blossoms. Each cupcake sported a flower, so magenta prickly-pear blooms blended with white and yellow saguaro flowers in several tiers of cupcakes that were festive and lovely and very southwestern.

  Mel wasn’t entirely comfortable with the dolled-up-babe look she and Angie were using to represent the bakery. But given that the magazine had a national subscription base of several hundred thousand, she was determined to do whatever it took to get in print. The coverage would go a long way towards making Fairy Tale Cupcakes the place to buy cupcakes in the Valley of the Sun.

  Chad’s camera clicked repeatedly as he moved, stepping closer and then backing away, dropping to one knee and then climbing onto a chair, all to get the shots he wanted. Mel smiled until her face hurt and her eyes began to cross. Angie was making small whimpering noises in the back of her throat as Chad paused in front of them. Snap. Snap. Snap.

  “No!” Amy said, peering over his shoulder to study them. “I’m still not feeling it. Chad, let’s discuss. Maybe it’s the lighting.”

  “Relax, ladies, but don’t move too far,” Chad said as he went to confer with Amy.

  “‘Every girl on every page of Quality has grace, elegance, and pizzazz. Now, what’s wrong with bringing out a girl who has character, spirit, and intelligence?’” Angie muttered to Mel.

  Classic movie buffs, they had played this game with their friend Tate Harper since they were kids. Mel was about to identify the movie when a voice from nearby said, “‘That certainly would be novel in a fashion magazine.’”

  Mel and Angie both turned to look at the man who had spoken.

  “Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire,” he said. “Good one.”

  “Looks like we found a new member of our tribe,” Mel said. She held out her hand to him. “Melanie Cooper.”

  “Angie DeLaura,” Angie said as she did the same.

  The tall, red-haired man smiled as he shook each of their hands. He was dressed in all black and had the chiseled good looks of a male model. Mel noticed that his hand was soft to the touch and his fingernails were neatly trimmed and buffed. She sighed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a professional manicure.

  “Justin Freehold,” he said. “Creative director for SWS.”

  “Is it just me, Justin,” Angie asked, “or do there seem to be an awful lot of chefs in this photo-shoot kitchen?”

  “Nice mixed metaphor,” Mel said. “But she’s right. Who are all of these people?”

  Justin scanned the crowd.

  “Good question,” he said. “Pretty much anyone with their name on the masthead of the magazine is here, and that’s why.”

  He jerked his head in the direction of a man standing apart. He was tall and fit but looked to be somewhere in his fifties as his dark hair was giving way to silver. He had laugh lines that creased the corners of his eyes, but he also sported a hard jaw that made Mel think he was accustomed to making tough decisions.

  “That would be our new leader, Ian Hannigan,” Justin said. “He just bought the magazine and saved it from an untimely death. Everyone is determined to shine under his ever-watchful gaze.”

  “So that’s why this went from a ‘say cheese’ to a ‘strike a pose’ layout,” Angie said. “I suppose in the end it will be better for the bakery, but when we get done, I may just shave my head. Honestly, feel this.”

  She raised her right hand and patted her head. It didn’t move. Curious, Mel touched the loaf of hair on Angie’s head. Yep, it was as crusty on the outside as a baguette.

  “Wow,” she said.

  “More like ow,” Angie retorted.

  Justin squinted into the crowd. “I know most everyone here, except for her. Does she work for
you?”

  Mel followed the line of his gaze. Striding through the crowd with her stocky frame wedged into a polka dot blouse and a black poodle skirt with a pink poodle on it, and wearing black-and-white saddle shoes, was Olivia Puckett. She was also hoisting a tray of brightly colored cupcakes over her head.

  “Please tell me I’m hallucinating,” Angie said.

  “Okay, but you have to do the same for me,” Mel said.

  Olivia owned the rival bakery Confections and, for reasons unknown to Mel, she had developed a pathological competitiveness with Mel and Angie. It seemed if there was baking attention to be had, Olivia wanted all of it.

  “Oh, yoo-hoo, magazine people,” Olivia called. “If you’re having a hard time photographing these two, I’d be happy to fill in.”

  “Is she for real?” Angie snapped. “I did not let them do this to me”—she pointed to her head—“so that woman could march in here in that ridiculous skirt and take over our photo shoot.”

  “I’ll take care of this,” Justin said. “I can’t imagine Amy would do a switch-up like this at the eleventh hour.”

  Mel watched as Justin approached Amy and Chad and the silver-haired Ian Hannigan, along with several other intimidatingly well-coifed people. They huddled together like players on a football team, and Mel was alarmed when she saw Amy’s head break out of the circle and stare at Olivia with a considering look.

  “This is unbelievable,” Angie said.

  “What’s the holdup?” a cranky voice asked from behind Mel. “How long does it take to snap a few pictures?”

  Mel turned to find that Marty and Oz had slipped out the front door of the bakery to join them.

  “What’s she doing here?” Oz asked. He did not have to specify that he was talking about Olivia.

  “Trying to horn in on our photo shoot,” Mel said. “Apparently, Angie and I are so un-photogenic that they’re actually considering it.”

  “Aw, what’s the matter, princess?” Olivia sneered as she ambled over to the patio. “You don’t really think you’re model material do you?”

  Mel heaved a sigh. She was pretty sure she was developing a bunion on her right foot, and the last thing she needed was a battle with Olivia.