|
Zydeco
Cakes in New Orleans has been hired to cater the Belle Lune
Ball for the Crescent City Vintage Clothing Society. It is
a sophisticated event and cake shop owner Rita Lucero and
her staff are busy making several cakes which are designed
to look like dress forms with dresses from the 1930's. They
also have buffet food to prepare, and timing is everything.
When
the ballroom where the benefit is to be held is flooded, a
replacement room at the Monte Cristo Hotel is needed, and
that turns out to be the least of Rita's problems. An appropriate
room is secured and Rita is even able to hire a temporary
replacement for office manager Edie Bryce who is on maternity
leave. The temp, Zoey, is more than a bit clumsy, and thanks
to an accident on the staircase at Zydeco a long-lost and
supposedly cursed ruby necklace is found hidden away. Now
that it has been found (if in fact it's the real thing), does
that mean the curse has been brought back to life as well?
It certainly
appears that way when the gem appraiser who has it dies suddenly.
There is a lot of local interest in the necklace, and it seems
everyone knows the story of the curse. When it appears someone
is after Rita, she has to take the situation a lot more seriously
before the curse strikes home.
Each
book in this series is better than the last one. I look forward
to each installment. There are both recurring and new characters
in this story, and the element of superstition and curses
which New Orleans is famous for added to the drama. Brady
uses her strong writing skills to the draw the reader into
the mystery as well as into the lives of Rita, her mother-in-law
Miss Frankie and the staff at Zydeco Cakes.
If you've
been reading this series right along, you won't want to miss
"The Cakes of Monte Cristo," and if you are new
to these mysteries, it is fine as a standalone. However, I
recommend you collect all six books in the series and indulge
in a binge reading session on a cold winter weekend. Enjoy!
Reviews of other titles in this series
A
Sheetcake Named Desire #1
Cake
on a Hot Tin Roof #2
Arsenic
and Old Cake #3
The
Cakes of Wrath #4
Rebel
Without a Cake #5
The
Cakes of Monte Cristo #6
|
